Our beautiful daughter just turned one and is still drinking from a bottle. She is able to drink from an open cup (when I help her hold it) as well as from a sippy cup with and without the valve, however she is not efficient enough to drink what I feel is a sufficient amount from the cup nutritionwise. She is a great eater, which we are thankful for. I guess this leads me to a couple of questions: How much milk (she drinks soy milk) should she be drinking? If I cut out her daytime bottles, how should I split up her cups of milk (i.e. how much @ snack vs. mealtime?; cups of milk on it's own without food?) and how much should I push for her to drink? The more detail regarding meal schedules anyone can give me, the better! I really appreciate all your help and words of wisdom! Thanks in advance!
Hi H., I have been using the following website as a guideline on what and how much to feed my daughter: http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/. They also have an infant site that I used when she was younger. I think they have great information. Hope this helps.
Hi H.,
I've never pushed the milk once they are one. I offer it in a cup with every meal...and if they ask in between. Not bottles, but then that part was easy for us because I nursed my babies for a year or more. There are other ways to get calcium...it is not the milk they need, it is the nutrients that is in it, and there is more than one way to get those. Your baby should be taking a high quality multivitamin, that's one source of calcium...cheese is another one that most babies love, and then of course there is the milk. I don't think you need to be measuring how much she drinks or trying to formulate a milk menu. I would definitely suggest sticking to a sippy cup without the valve...who wants to suck every bit of drink? I don't mind drinking from a straw once in a while, but normally I want to be able to get a really good amount of water...just my opinion. I use the Tupperware cups with sipper seals for my girls. Sure they spill on the floor easily if they drop/throw them, but I think it is a better way to drink.
As for your specific questions, just ask her doc what her intake should be at this point.
D.
You'll know if she is drinking enough by checking her diapers. If they seem to dry you will need to push more fluid. With each of my 2 little ones I just cut out 1 bottle every few days and replaced it with a cup. I had both of them weaned in less than 2 weeks. As for the milk, my pediatrician said 2 - 3 cups of milk each day was plenty.
There is a great new product on ebay called KiddieCooler made of neoprene that goes over the sippy cup type "sippy cups" its the first product on the list. or type "KiddieCooler". You can get them on www.KiddieCooler.com as well for retail price.
I found it very easy to transition my son from a bottle; I think-don't know for sure- but think it is because I started letting him drink from juice/milk boxes with the attatched straw when he was 10 or 11 months old in addition to his bottle. He made the switch easily and without fuss. My daughter on the other hand, was not so fun. Trying to get her off the binky, I let her stay with the bottle too long and it resulted in dental issues which I addressed while she was very young. Her teeth are now white and healthy thank God, but I think I dodged a bullet on that one, so no matter what works, don't make the same mistake I did and good luck to you!
Hi H.,
My daughter just turned one and I'm doing the soymilk/cup transition as well. This morning, rather than warming a bottle for her, and then giving her breakfast. I actually poured cold soymilk in a sippy cup (holds 6 oz) and she drank it together with her breakfast. For lunch I will do the same thing. When it will be tricky are the two bottles that I give her (warm up) before her afternoon nap and bedtime....As with my son (who is now 4), I will take it one step at a time. I think for now, transitioning 2 bottles to a cup is fine. Once we get that down pat, I will then work on the nap bottle and then finally the bedtime bottle. Just remember, baby steps!
Also, her pediatrician said she should be taking about 24 oz. What's good about milk vs. formula is that it doesn't go bad after 1 hour. So, I put her cup back in the fridge and as she's playing I give her the cup - she usually finishes the cup, it's just not in one sitting as with the bottle.
Calcium is important - I will begin supplementing with a multi-vitamin and calcium (as I do with my son) now that she's getting off of formula.
Good luck!! Feel free to email me with questions or to chat: ____@____.com.
~J.
Hi, my son is almost 15 months and is also on soy. I still give him 9oz of formula in a bottle before bed and he gets 3-4oz for breakfast either in a cup with a straw alongside fruit and dry cereal or mixed into a rice cereal. I feed him 3 solid meals a day plus I give him soy yogurts for a snack and many times mix goat's milk yogurt into his meals (he doesn't react to that like he does to cow's milk). LIke someone else said, it's the calcium that they need, so look in to the other sources of calcium besides dairy. A health professional told me children ages 1-10 should get 500mg of calcium daily. Some veg. sources are stir fried okra (220mg per 100g), boiled spinach (160mg per 100g), baked beans (53mg per 100g), and steamed tofu (510 mg per 100 g). My son also doesn't get much out of a sippy cup, but i have found some lidded cups with holes for straws, or thermos-like containers with pop-up straws which he drinks from with ease. He drinks mainly watered-down juice or plain water throughout the day.
