How to wean from bottle...

Hey ladies... Well my lil girlie turned one!!!  I can't believe it!  Where does the time go?!?!?  Well, I was wondering how you guys got your lil ones off the bottle?  MY older daughter was just fine going to a cup, but then she always seemed mature for her age.  So, she is down to 3 bottles a day, at each nap and at  bedtime, I try to give her a cup of milk to drink before nap and she''ll drink it, but when I lay her down without a "ba-ba" she freaks!!  I really don't wanna let her scream - it kills me!  Any  and all suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!!  Thanks!

[gen584]

I started with a sippy cup when mine were 9 months old trying to wean them. By the time they were 12 months they did just fine. They didn't want it right away. But try a sippy cup and let her know that the bottles went bye byes. Don't give into easily with that. I always saw babies who were almost 2 and still on bottles and pacis and always told my self that mine wouldn't do that. Jst dont give up. It might take a while to get use to it

[GNicole]

My daughter had her 1 year checkup yesterday and the pediatrician said she should be off the bottle in a couple months. She only takes a bottle at bedtime and when she wakes up in the morning. I am dreading getting rid of the bedtime bottle. I know it will not be easy. The pediatrician said to start filling the bottle with water at bedtime and then she won't want it. I am dreading it!! Good luck and keep us posted!

[cantwait4baby]

wow, I cannot even imagine bedtime without a bottle.  My dd just last week started to drink from a sippy cup.  At first she hated it now it is like she was just doing it to get me mad because she drinks just fine from it.  I still give her a formula bottle at night and then a milk bottle in the morning.  She is not a very good eater so when she does not eat for me I will warm up some milk during the day.  My ped told me to feed her in the morning and not give a bottle.  This will mean that I have to wake her up even earlier now so that I can feed her food which takes FOREVER.....  She only has two teeth.  I leave for work at 6:30.  I wake her at 6 now.  It is going to be hard but I guess it is the next step.  I am going to continue the formula at night until she starts to eat solids better.  LOVE not giving formula during the day.  I have not had to buy that stuff in three weeks and I LOVE IT.  I feel like I am rich.  Meanwhile I throw away tons of food she wont eat.  She loves grill cheese and mac and cheese.  She is a mouse.

[GNicole]

Yay-we have another sippy cup drinker!! I know I dread giving up the bedtime bottle also. Avery also loves mac and cheese and grilled cheese-in fact she loves any kind of cheese. I think she would live on it if I would let her. lol

[cantwait4baby]

haha - I let Eva because that is all she will eat.  Yesterday she was sucking on her green beans and then spitting them out.  Oh she likes pasta too.

[GNicole]

Avery likes green beans, carrots and she will eat peas-shocking I know. Avery also likes any kind of noodle. Did you try any of the Graduates Little Entrees? I know they are probably not the best thing but in a pinch they are pretty good. They usually come with a vegetable.

[GNicole]

And how about mashed potatoes?? Avery loves them.

[Hope2OneDay]

I read that you should start by taking one bottle away (starting with the afternoon bottle) and after a few days, take the morning bottle, and last goes the night bottle. It said that the nighttime bottle is a "comfort" thing, and you want them to get used to the sippy before taking that last comfort bottle away.
It also said to fill a bottle with plain water and a sippy with milk or juice/water combo and let them taste of each. Then have them both available to drink. Hopefully, the water will be "boring" to the baby and they'll go for the sippy cup.
Another thing is to keep bottles out of site when you're sippy cup training. Seeing it makes them want it more.
Last but not least, they said to keep a sippy cup out throughout the day for those times when they're a little thirsty. It gives them the option of having it available and therefore will more than likely drink it.

Of course, I'm in the midst of trying to get my son to use a sippy cup too. So far, he only drinks from it occasionally. He was learning to drink from a cup and sippy cup at 6 months, and was cooperative. However, he would get choked up from drinking too much at once (no control over the flow), so I stopped giving it to him and thought we'd try again later. Well, now he refuses to take either one!! UGHH!

[110279hld]

Thanks for all of your great suggestions!!!  I am going to try to fill her baba with water in the afternoon and go from there.  She has been drinking from a sippy cup since 9 mos, but I bought her a different one today and hopefully we will begin this awful task!  She loves LOVES to eat big people food and will eat anything - all day long.  Yet she is only 23 lbs - my peanut (my 1st was 32 lbs at 1 year check up).  Thanks again

[Cheyenne_08]

Ashtyn will be a year old next month which seems totally insane to me, can't believe it has been that long. Anyway, he will drink from a sippy but he wants me to hold it. He is VERY lazy when it comes to drinking. He does not hold his bottles and will rarely hold his sippy cup. Does anyone have any suggestions to help him want to hold it, so we can start working on weaning him from his bottle? He gets three a day....two small ones before naps and an 8 oz bottle at night before bed.