Aa
bottles
Curious when others did away with bottles and how you made that happen.
Well I am down to one or two bottles now. I am in the process of weaning her off her afternoon bottle. During the weekend my husband ruins it because whenever she cries he just gives her a bottle. I have noticed she's not finishing her bottles so that was the indicator to start weaning her off.
Same as you Brandi - Our girls have dabbled with sippy cups over the last few months and at 13 months still get a bottle to go to bed with.
Every parent is different. Do what you think is best for baby and you.
Every parent is different. Do what you think is best for baby and you.
Update to our bottle transition....we've cut out the two afternoon bottles (lunch and snack) and they take milk strictly in their cups. It's rough certain days, but I'm very persistent with it.
The only bottles they get are at breakfast (and even that here lately has been questionable. They'd prefer to squirt the bottle everywhere versus drinking it) and they bet a bottle about an hour before they're laid down to bed (and a big plus for my two is I've never laid them down to bed with one).
I'm hoping I can continue to take them off a bit at a time and not go cold turkey, but if it comes down to it, I'll resort!
The only bottles they get are at breakfast (and even that here lately has been questionable. They'd prefer to squirt the bottle everywhere versus drinking it) and they bet a bottle about an hour before they're laid down to bed (and a big plus for my two is I've never laid them down to bed with one).
I'm hoping I can continue to take them off a bit at a time and not go cold turkey, but if it comes down to it, I'll resort!
Well we went cold turkey at school and she wasn't phased. We don't use bottles at home- she's never had one at bedtime - so we didn't have that battle. I just worried she'd be upset at school and was prepared to wean her slowly but we gave her all cups one day and have every day since then. She drinks her water and her formula from the cup and nurses the rest of the time. We also have the paci only used for sleep and in the car. If she sees it when she's playing, she'll reach for it but she is totally fine without it.
So much easier than I had anticipated.
So much easier than I had anticipated.
We are in the process right now...the little one is leading the way. Sometimes he prefers to drink from a cup and sometimes he wants a bottle...it's a mystery to me how he decides since he's so inconsistent, but I'm just happy he likes drinking from a cup at all (regular cup, no sippies here). He's also been doing so off and on since 6 months - again, totally his lead. He just reached out for my water glass one day this summer so I put it up to his mouth and much to my surprise he started gulping it down! It does seem like he's most attached to the bottle he has right before I put him to bed (he doesn't go to bed with it)...but he's been pretty easy with all other transitions thus far (knock on wood!) so I'm hoping weaning him off that one won't be too hard when the time comes. I'll let him decide. I'm pretty sure I was carrying around and sleeping with (gasp!) a bottle of apple juice (double gasp!) until I was at least three years old, and I have beautiful straight white teeth and never had any speech problems. :)
Well with my first he was breast fed till 10 months and then had a bottle till just after one. With my second she was breast fed from 4 months and went off about 14 months. I just took the bottle away and hid it and she never asked for it again
With both my children I just looked for the signs. I slowly took out their bottles during the day when they weren't drinking the whole bottle. When they don't show much interest in it that is another sign. Another biggie is not putting them to bed with a bottle. I gave Ella a bottle and put her to bed with it when I put her in a BIG BED but not she is not falling asleep with it so I just give it to her on a bean bag.
Ella is going to sleep fine in her big bed without a bottle.
After all my ranting the key to taking them off the bottle is when they slow down their interest in bottles then you slow down giving it to them. You could even wait till they ask for it!!!! in the hope they forget. You take one comfort away and give them another comfort. I would take their bottle away and then I would sit by their bed and wait for them to fall asleep. I would then slowly move away until I was out the door and they were falling asleep on their own. Ella has only been in a big bed for about 3 weeks and already when she walks out the room and I stand up she runs back to bed and she's only 10 months!!!!
I guess all I am saying is kids/babies are adaptable!!!!! It only takes persistence from you to make them break a habit!!!!!
Ella is down to 3 bottles now - morning, afternoon and evening. When she is one I hope to have her down to morning and evening and then off completely. It has worked with my other two so I don't see why it wouldn't work with her :)
With both my children I just looked for the signs. I slowly took out their bottles during the day when they weren't drinking the whole bottle. When they don't show much interest in it that is another sign. Another biggie is not putting them to bed with a bottle. I gave Ella a bottle and put her to bed with it when I put her in a BIG BED but not she is not falling asleep with it so I just give it to her on a bean bag.
Ella is going to sleep fine in her big bed without a bottle.
After all my ranting the key to taking them off the bottle is when they slow down their interest in bottles then you slow down giving it to them. You could even wait till they ask for it!!!! in the hope they forget. You take one comfort away and give them another comfort. I would take their bottle away and then I would sit by their bed and wait for them to fall asleep. I would then slowly move away until I was out the door and they were falling asleep on their own. Ella has only been in a big bed for about 3 weeks and already when she walks out the room and I stand up she runs back to bed and she's only 10 months!!!!
I guess all I am saying is kids/babies are adaptable!!!!! It only takes persistence from you to make them break a habit!!!!!
Ella is down to 3 bottles now - morning, afternoon and evening. When she is one I hope to have her down to morning and evening and then off completely. It has worked with my other two so I don't see why it wouldn't work with her :)
I wasn't trying to make you or anyone feel bad. I was simple trying to provide you with more information.
i know what can happen... but my two children have very perfect white sparkly teeth
i have never heard that it can effect the speech tho so i will have to look into that... but i know many people who have had bottles till they were four and they seem to be normal... i prefer not to take my babys # 1 comforting object away so young just my opinion
I am not here to be lectured on every opinion that i have tho
we all make our own parenting choices... shouldnt need to feel like s**t about it
i have never heard that it can effect the speech tho so i will have to look into that... but i know many people who have had bottles till they were four and they seem to be normal... i prefer not to take my babys # 1 comforting object away so young just my opinion
I am not here to be lectured on every opinion that i have tho
we all make our own parenting choices... shouldnt need to feel like s**t about it
Maji it effects the development of their teeth and speach. It also can lead to tooth decay (especially night time bottles).
I'm in that process right now. They take milk and water from a sippy cup a few times a day, but they're not 100% off the bottle.m
We go for their 12 month check up on Tuesday and that's something I wanted to talk to my doctor more in depth about.
We go for their 12 month check up on Tuesday and that's something I wanted to talk to my doctor more in depth about.
I never saw it as a huge deal to get them off the bottle early... my first son stopped using his bottle on his own when he was 3 (only night time bottle) my autistic son is almost 6 and he still needs his night time bottle but that is cause it is so routine for him... Ezra will be one and i have no big plans for steeling his bottle...
That one is hard for milk :(. You can slowly change out one feeding at a time to the cup or you can go cold turkey and just let her work it out. If you cut 1 at a time leave nap and bedtime for last and bedtime absolute last.
Annabelle has been using a cup for water since six months too. Just working to make the milk transition.
We got Ellie drinking from a cup at 6 months. She will only take Breastmilk out of a Tommie tippie brand "sippy" cup but for water will take a sippy cup w no valve or a cup with straw or even regular cup. I just offered it with no other options
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