My son just turned 1 a couple of weeks ago, and our pediatrician told us to get rid of the bottle. We've managed to get down to the morning bottle only, but he still seems to want one at night, and during the day before his nap. Last weekend it took us 2 hours to get him to nap without the bottle. He is in daycare, and getting sippy cups with milk and juice there, and has little problem. Until he sees another baby with a bottle, and then he doesn't want to have anything to do with the cup. We're trying to give him a lovey to "replace" the bottle, but I do believe that if it was up to him, he'd get about 4 bottles a day. Not necessarily full bottles, but bottles nonetheless. The next thing we're going to try is just putting water in the bottle and see what happens. Our ped said that the transition would be harder on us, but I think he's having a hard time without the bottle. Am I just being too soft with him? I'm afraid that we're taking away a security of his too early, and that he'll have some kind of issues later. Any experiences, suggestions or otherwise would be great.
I have no response to the age of the child and whether it is too young or too old...my daughter did stop using hers when she was 1, but I know a lot of people whose children used bottles until around 2-3 yrs old.
As to whether or not it will effect him if you do take it away at 1, my daughter is just fine. She does however, now have a stuffed animal that she didn't have before, to sleep with. Good luck with whatever you may decide.
I think as young as he is, any way you choose to do it is not going to be harmful to him. However, I think I differ from some of the other opinions given in that I think the earlier the better. I have weaned 4 children from their bottles and in each case, the longer they were on the bottle, the longer they had to get attached to it and the harder it was. I started offering water in a sippy cup to my son at 10 months, and slowly transitioning each bottle until at 1, we just didn't give him another bottle. There were times when it was SOOO hard for about a week, but then it was over and he was drinking everything from a cup. With my daughter, I started the transitioning at 6 months with a Nuby (they really are great!) and I hardly noticed the transition. She didn't mind at all and has been off of the bottle since 7 months with no care about it at all.
E.,
I have to agree with everyone else...don't rush it. He is only 1. I let my 3 year old use his bottle until he was about 18 months I transistioned from the bottle to a sippy cup (Avent) over those 6 months.
Use your best judgement....don't try to rush. I think you should do what your heart tells you...and that's always a good thing. Don't let your ped rush you and your son.
I started with the mid afternoon bottle...letting him get use to the sippy cup...and I used things like water and juice. Then I started using milk...it adjusted very well...but it was a 6 month adjustment. The Avent system is great because you can put the "sippy cup" nipple on the actual bottle...that way they are still holing on to the bottle. Then later you can transistion to the cup. I'm not sure what feeding system you are using...so be careful trying to give him a different kind of nipple....if he is anything like my son, it was one type of bottle ONLY...no exception!! :-)
RELAX...you are doing a wonderful job!! Be proud of yourself.
The bottle is comfortable and he is used to it, it is like a pacifier or blanky. I would still allow him one a day, maybe at night when you are putting him to bed, but other than that give him all his drinks in his sippy. There are so many sippys out there that you should be able to find one that works for him. Take him with you and let him pick it out himself. Maybe if he is actively involved in the design and picture he will want to drink out of it more. Plus, if that is his only choice during the day he will drink, because he will not want to be thirsty. It may be difficult for a few weeks during the adjustment time, but just be patient with him and he will get the hang of it. Then you can start on the night time bottle and getting rid of that. But I would put away all bottles except one and he will not see them around and want that instead of a sippy. Good luck.
I recommend a sippy cup called a 'nubby'. It has a nipple like top that is similar to a bottle but not. Use a regular sippy cup for juice, a nubby for milk and soon if your baby is thirsty enough he will take his milk from a regular sippy cup. Stick to your same bedtime soothing techniques but use the nubby instead. Good luck.
I and alot of my friends think one is WAY too young. I have a 5 year old and a 18 month old. I usually do it a little earlier than 2. They let you know when they are ready for change. My 18 month old is def. interested in a sippy and is learning as we speak. I dont think its a big deal at all. It certainly won't do harm in the future. Ped's have guidelines but not everyone is ready for them at that age. You do what works for you! Neither one of my boys were ever interested in a pacifier for very long if that helps, too.
I used the nubby sippy cups. My daughter is 7 months and she has no problem with the sippy cups. They have attachments that are similiar to bottle nipples. I figured the sooner the better, the younger they are the less attached they get to it. I think everyone is different and its your own discretion when you want to wean YOUR baby. But those Nuby cups work really well. They don't need a bottle, and they can't use one unless you give it to them. They sell them at Walmart and they are inexpensive.
Hello. Have you tried the Nuby sippy cups? they have the soft mouth pieces and are more like a bottle than a cup, and work great. They are cups, and ease with the transition of bottle to cup. They are fairly inexpensive...you can get them at babies r us, and I'm sure other places too. My daughter responded really well to them. Good luck!
I never listened to the dr's and let all three of my kids have the bottle until about 3 yrs. 6 months. They seemed to need it to relax and also to get to sleep at night. We went 'cold turkey' at 3+ and all of them gave it up w/in a week and have never mentioned it since.
I've always shyed away from removing a comfort item because of social pressure. Being little is hard, particularly in such a fast-paced, over-stimulating world like we live in today.
Good luck, everyone has a different opinion on this one!
Hi Ericka,
Our Pedatrician in Illinois- told us not to worry about the bottle that - the baby bottle was not the bottle we would need to worry about (he was incinuating a beer bottle would be more the worry). He also said- they would not walk down the aisle with a baby bottle in their mouth- the Ped. also said that family sleeping (i.e - kids coming in your bed) - he said enjoy it - it won't last long & they won't want to sleep with you when they are 16!
P.
I agree not to rush it. My son is almost a year (11 months) and luckily he loves to use a sippy cup, but I still give him a bottle in the morning and before bed. I still feed my son his bottle (cuddle him in my lap) and I don't think I'M ready to stop that yet. My advice is to keep practicing with the cup, but when he wants a bottle give it to him. My niece wasn't off the bottle until after 2 years and my sister started putting only water in her bottle and milk and juice in her cup. Eventually, my niece realized she was only going to get water in her bottle, so she started using the cup all the time.
I say let your baby be a baby for a little longer.
I have a boy who is days from being 15 months old and I am going to switch out his only bottle of the day, the one he gets right before bed, to a sippy cup then. I know that Avent bottles have a system where you can switch out just the sippy part and turn it into a sippy cup, which might help. I think a year might be on the early side, why not just think of it over the next month or so, one bottle at a time. Try those Avent bottles/sippy cups, also Nuby makes a really soft sipper which is similar to a nipple. Good luck! I know it's hard but what's motivating me is that I don't want a four year old dependent on the bottle, like I saw on that show Surviving Motherhood. J.
hi i have a 1yrs old in daycare she been using her slipply cup for a while now so here my daughter been trying to act like a big girl. here something m ight help tell him big boys drinks from a slipply cup or a cup and it might just work oh tell if he drinks from a bottle he's going to be treated like a baby and give slipply cup all day long nomatter what.
Just a thought.......I would leave that last bottle at night as the final one....it's the time when he needs to settle in for a long sleep and many children find it comforting and relaxing.
Don't be in a rush....he'll give it up when he's ready. He's only one.......it's not like he's 7 ;)
4 days after his first birthday my son gave up his bottle alltogether. We had been giving him sippy cups and I think he was just ready! We used the Nuby cups and those are GREAT because they have a soft top sort of like a bottle and the one that REALLY worked for us was the Nuby Sports Sippy. My son loved it becaause is was like almost exactly like a bottle nipple. It worked for us!! It's worth a try!!
E.,
First of all,don't really care what the doctor said, bottles are fine for young children, for goodness sake he is only 1.
Give him a bottle at night, I would put only water in it, because you don't want milk or juice sitting on his teeth when he sleeps. Give him sippy cups through out the day just like at day care and just the one bottle at night. Some kids take longer to adjust than others. I get so sick of doctors and society telling us when we should be weaning our children from certain items. Well you know your child, and if he needs the security of a night time bottle right now, then for goodness sake give it to him. You know what is best for your child. Yes they need to start switching to sippy cups for the development of their teeth and to emotionally mature, but there is nothing absoulutely nothing wrong with making sure your child feels secure and safe. He will give it up when he is ready and as long as you stick to sippy cups during the day he will realize that the bottle at night is not necessary.
Your doing a great job, don't think you are going to give him a complex when he is older, just do what feels right. Love him, help him through the transition and everything will turn out great.
