My Daughter Will Only Drink Milk from a Bottle.

When my daughter was little I tried to get her to drink from cups instead of bottles. One day as I was holding her bottle I accidently dropped it and it broke into shatters. We used glass bottles at that time. She saw the bottle drop and I said to her "oh, oh, no more bottle. It is broken and now we will not be able to use it any more. Let's find a pretty cup. We went to the store and bought a plastic childs drinking cup and she never used a bottle again. She saw it break and knew it could not be fixed. Good luck.
C.
Grams of 18

First of all keep it up. My daughter fought the sippy cup forever and then would only take the Nuby sippy cup with the silicon nipple that is really just like a bottle with just a different shape.

I don't know if anybody else suggested this but here it is anyway. Have you tried to put only water in her bottle? Sometimes if u put something they don't really like that well in there, they won't want it anymore. Try putting water in her bottle and the milk in the cup. She'll associate "good stuff" with the cup and "not so good stuff" with the bottle. Hope this helps!

J., You have gotten a lot of great advice already so I won't go over all those same ideas. I am just urging you to just toss the bottles and your daughter will eventually drink from a cup. As long as the bottle is an option she will choose it. It may be rough for a few days but it also may go a lot smoother than you think :-) Trust me, your daugher will not be giving up milk permanently!

We just recently tossed out all pacifiers and I had put it off for so long because I was just sure it would be horrible. We had one rough night and then she accepted it and went on. We did do the "binky fairy" idea where you round up all the binks (or bottles) and put them in a bag/basket, etc. and set them out on the front porch. During the night the binky fairy came and took them to little babies that really needed them and left my daughter a small present. We made a huge ordeal out of it and I threw away all the binkies so I wouldn't be tempted to give her one during a moment of weakness. It went so well that I really wished we had done it a lot sooner!

Good luck!

It is kind of the same as: If you continue to get up every night and give your child a warm bottle, that child will continue to wake up every night for that warm bottle. Try leaving a cup of milk, where she can reach it, give her nothing else to drink, and if she gets thirsty, she will probably drink the milk. You may have to do this for several days. My adopted daughter has never been a milk drinker. Only drank a lot when she was on formula. She is now 12 and has turned out to be my healthiest child. As she got older and could understand better, I insisted on milk every night with dinner, unless it was pizza, and you have to have a cold drink with that. You need to remember, if she has a healthy eating habit, she gets a lot of milk through other foods. I am 59, adopted my daughter, Samantha, when I was 48, and her eating and drinking habits still change every year. Don't worry so much, as long as you are feeding her healthy, she will get all the milk she needs through other food products. Enjoy her, they grow up too fast.

Good Luck
S. Miller

does your Dr. say she needs the milk? our Dr. says that if you think about it, cow's milk is made for baby cows, and my 2 1/2 year old daughter drinks about 2 oz a day, if that much, and our ped says that is ok, if not better for her. there are lots of non milk sources for fats. avocados, nuts and nut butters, cheeses. just a thought. i also have a four year old, and between the two of them a half gallon lasts almost a month! she's not out to control you, it's probably just a habit. don't stress.

I am embarrassed to say that I had the same problem with my son up until very recently. The reason I am embarrassed is that he is 4 years old. As for milestones, he was early in everything. He was talking in full paragraphs and potty trained at 18 months!! But, he drank so much formula and milk as a baby that I just never thought to put milk in his cups, so he wouldn't drink it out of anything but a bottle. So, up until about a month ago, he was still drinking milk out of a bottle at night and in the morning. I also tried everything, even reasoning and bribes! But, I am a big believer in milk, so his milk consumption was more important to me than throwing out the bottles. I wouldn't have ever let my doctor or other moms know, but we got along just fine with the morning bottle and night bottle. I never allowed one during the day or with anything but milk in it. My mother could remember fixing her own bottles with chocolate milk in them!! So, there was no harsh judgement there. Anyway, I didn't mean to go on so long, we moved to the new nubby cups which are very similar to a bottle but at least a good step away. Now, he is drinking his milk twice a day out of a nubby cup and will sometimes even drink milk out of a cup without a lid. I know a much older lady who once gave me what she considered to be her only mothering advice. She told me that she didn't care if her kids took their bottles or pacifiers to school in the lunchboxes as long as they were content!! Suffice it to say, none of her kids took bottles or pacifiers in their lunchboxes. My son never took a pacifier which was one of the ways that I justified the continued bottle. Anyway, my advice for whatever it is worth, is don't sweat the small stuff! Your daughter will eventually drink milk out of a cup, it just may be in her timeline instead of the general consensus.

my son did the same thing!!!! But he eventually gave it up to the sippie cup. He was older than 2 but it wasn't bad. Don't worry about it, there will be more things to worry over. Just keep offering it to her in a sippie cup. Try a little bit at at time, like 1/4 full. I would make it luke warm. My son only liked milk if it was warm. To this day he is not a milk drinker. He drinks it with cereal and chocolate milk and with cookies, but as a drink say to go with dinner- he'd rather have water. Maybe she's going to be like that too. She is old enough to not really need a lot of milk anyway. She can get everything milk gives her from other foods like cheese and yogurt, and other fruits and veggies. cow milk wasn't intended for people really anyway. We drink it because we like it not b/c we NEED it. Broccoli has more calcium than milk and nuts and fish and avacados have good fatty acids. If she still like a bottle to sooth her and get her ready for night time, keep that one, and phase the others out. Offer her milk in a childs cup with food or snacks. Your not going to be the only mom with a 20 month old daughter who drinks out of a bottle!!! sometimes you feel like everyone else has got it figured out...why don't i?

I had something of an opposite problem -- my daughter was breastfeed until she was 12 mo and didn't like the taste of milk.
I had to get her to drink milk, because I was finished breastfeeding, so what I did was whenever she wanted to nurse I would say offer her a sippy cup w/ milk (and a little choc. milk). Eventually she figured out that nursing was not an option.
I'm not trying to say that you're giving in, but if she goes a day or so w/out milk, I think it's okay; She is a toddler and being stubborn is part of that, right? lol
How about hiding all the bottles and or giving them "away" to the bottle fairy for all the little babies who need them. Then when she asked, well, you reminder of her "big" girl deed and give her a sippy. That's how my parents got rid of my pacifier when I was 26 mo! lol

What worked for me was putting water in the bottle & milk in the cup. They eventually figured that out. My daughter was easy, but my son cried about it for a couple of days. He was also a little more picky about what kind of cup. They both got it in the end.

I had similar issues with the twinkies...but not at that age. It took them a bit to get used to the sippy cup, just because holding it was an issue, more so than the transition from bottle to cup.

I used the Gerber ones, that had a "cup" and a "bottle nipple", along with a sippy like thing. Getting them used to holding was mostly the problem, so I did the bottle nipple for a bit, than when they were able to hold the cup part better then put the sippy part on it. It took a bit for them to get used to it, but bottles were not an option!!!

I understand a lot of children have issues with transitioning to different things, but just keep at it. She may get upset but you have to pick your battles...either let her have issues with her teeth later because of it, or let her have a fit until she gets the idea that YOU are in control and are not going to give in.

We as parents want the VERY BEST for our children, but we don't want to harm them in the process. I'm sure you are the same way.

I agree with the other ladies about the other source of milk products, as long as she is getting calcium then don't sweat the small stuff. Same thing applies to them not wanting to eat. Children don't understand "time", like we do...we look at the clock and it says it's time to eat breakfast, lunch & dinner...so we eat hungry or not because we have learned to do that. This bottle to cup is a learning thing. Change isn't always our best friend, but sometimes we just have to do it!

Don't beat yourself up over it, you are NOT a bad mother, just at your witts end and that is why this board is here...to get and give ideas to other moms/parents in need!

Hope that helps!

Take care,
God Bless,
J. D

Blessed Momma to Ash & AJ ~ 4 yrs old

Who is on control here? Just don't give her the bottle, if she doesn't drink milk, it isn't the end of the world. It sounds like a "security blanket" type thing. Even almost 2 year olds can manipulate their parents. If you are not careful, even this small thing can result in a pattern of "See, I can get my way" Moms, and all parents need to realize that we are not here to make our children happy and be their friends, we hare here to raise them into successful, healthy, contributing adults. It starts when they are very, very, young, on issues that seem insignificant.
Be strong. You can do it.

I agree with Julie D. Transition her from bottle to the silicone "nipple" sippy cups. I had the same problem with my now 26 month old. She was still on a bottle at her 2 yr check up.
I got some sippys with soft, silicone tops and didn't offer her a bottle except at night(they have them at Wal-mart. She went from drinking about 1.5 oz (vs. 4-5 oz from bottle) to drinking the same amount from a sippy. I started putting her water in a "hard top" sippy about the same time and put a silicone topped sippy in her crib at night instead of her water "ba ba". Once I started offering her the soft sippy's I just didn't offer her a bottle and Daddy and I agreed not to even mention the "B" word. After a few weeks when she was drinking the same from the sippys as she had been from Bottles, I put her milk in the regular sippy cups. Within about 5 weeks or so she was off the bottle. She didn't even ask for "Ba Ba".
Now she didn't have the warm milk issue, but you could warm the milk and then put it in the sippy I guess.
For me utilizing the "out of sight, out of mind" was what my little Bottle-Lover needed.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck!
C.

do the temperature change first gradually (a kitchen thermometer can be a big help with this one) and just don't let her have anything until she finishes at least half of her normal milk serving. once she's drinking cold milk, then pick a weekend and get rid of the bottles with or without ceremony, but get rid of them and don't buy anymore, because it's no good for her teeth.

if she doesn't drink as much milk as normal after the transitions, don't fret. you can supplement with cheeses, yogurt and oatmeal with milk or cream. nice summer treat: freeze yogurt in large ice cube trays with little straws stuck in the top and serve as mini popsicles. good luck lady!

NO! She does NOT need cows milk fat for her brain health. Remember that cows milk was intended to feed baby cows and it is not really intended for humans. The only fat that your daughter needs are the essential fatty acids intended for humans: Omega 3,6 and 9. Of the three omega 3 is the one difficult to get in the diet, and can be supplemented with salmon, fish or flax oil simply given in a spoon. They are very important for brain health! If you are no longer breast feeding, which is sounds like you are not, and your 20 month old is weaned, then there is no need for "milk" of any kind which was only intended to provide nutrition for babies before they would be able to chew. Sufficient calcium can be obtained in the greens of broccoli, kale, etc. as well as almond milk until she can chew almonds. It is very important to stay away from foods that are too acidic like cows milk which also can be very allergenic. Foods that are alkaline are fruits and vegetables. Almonds are alkaline as well. Bacteria thrives in an acidic environment, therefore it is important to avoid such foods, for health. Her body will thank you for avoiding cows milk!
B. S. RN CCM

She doesn't necessarily need milk if she can get her calcium and fat from other sources - yogurt, ice cream, cheese, butter, nut butters (if not peanut - almond cashew sunflower etc) avacado, meats, fish etc.
If you don't want her to drink from the bottle - she shouldn't be at this age, it isn't healthy for her developing palate and teeth - get rid of the bottles and just offer in sippies. My son loved the kind with straws. After a few days she'll get the idea. Every time you cave in and give her the bottle, it's one more day. It can take 21 days to break a habit or start a new one.

After a few days of milk only being offered in a sippy cup, she'd convert and her brain will be just fine in the process. We went through something similar with my third daughter and she went 5 solid days before caving in - stubborn little thing! Just throw the bottles away so they are not a temptation for you to give in and offer lots of extra love and support and fun things for her during this transition.

I wouldn't worry about it. Let her drink from a bottle. She'll grow out of it.

The only thing I would do is act like drinking out of cups is for big boys and girls and adults like Mom and dad. You could conspire with some playgroup/play dates parents to demonstrate with their kids that they're drinking out of sippy cups or regular cups because they're big kids. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just a casual mention is probably all it takes. After a while she'll probably want to monkey-do.

Enjoy your little girl!

L.

The only thing I thought of was to perhaps try using a glass/cup - not a sippy cup - at the meal table so it is like Daddy & Mommy?! It might interest her enough that she does it! Good luck!

Hi J.
I was recently in the same situation that you are in with my now 23 month old. I will be glad to let you know that is has only been with in the last 3 1/2 weeks that she has been off her bottle! The only reason this happened was because she was at her grandparents and we had forgot to pack a bottle. All she had was a cup! She will still ask for a bottle but I show her the cup and tell her it is her big girl cup of milk. I have to admit I did not think it would be that easy. So you may want to try to give her another week or two and try not to focus on it too much or she will catch on!! GOOD LUCK!!!!
C. Stork
www.forourkidz.fourpointmoms.com

Children are so funny! My son only wanted his milk in a bottle as well. I got rid of the bottles and sure enough he drank from a sippy cup. She is going to be thirsty, just offer it to her 5x more than you are now. She'll do great!

Don't give her the option to drink from a bottle!! Only give her milk in a cup. Believe me when I say that a few days without milk will not hurt her one bit!! My son is three and has not had milk of any kind for 2 years unless it was in his bowl of cereal. He's developing normally and his dr. says it's not a problem that he doesn't drink milk as long as he gets his calcium and vitamin d from other sources. It'll be difficult, but eventually she'll drink the milk out of a cup!