When Do We Really Need to Get Rid of the Bottle?

Hi T. I took my son of the bottle at 11 months old and gave him a nuby soft tip cup he didnt fuss so much becuase its kinda like a bottle just thought I share that with you and he didnt even notice the bottles were gone

Hi T.,

I just weaned my 23 month old from the bottle about two weeks ago and it was much easier than I thought it was going to be. We really played up how cool it was to use the "big boy cup" and let him pick out some of his own cups at Target. One day I started the morning with a sippy cup of milk and said "no more bottles" and he went along with it and never even asked for the bottle again! Good luck!!

I just made sippy cups more desirable by putting milk in them and water in the bottle. If they needed to suck to soothe themselves, they were able, but if they were looking for milk, they had to go for the cups.

My son is 17 months and I just switched him over to the tippy cup. I don't think he really needed to be yet, but he was having one in the middle of the night sometimes 2 and thought he might sleep better. Turns out I'm on my 4th day without the bottle and the 3rd night has passed without to much problems. He wasn't attached to the bottle, but on the same schedule as you with morning, nap and evening. I have noticed he fights longer to take his nap and go to bed. He wakes up in the middle of the night just a couple of times and goes back to sleep. The sleep spans are longer though. He clutches his tippy with milk, but doesn't glup it down like a bottle. He sometimes even hands it to me in disgust. The bottles are bagged up with one on hand just in case, but I know he and I have come this far so we should be good. Hope this helps I was in the same position. Thought I needed to do it and went cold turkey. Good Luck!

You should stop the bottle at one year old and go cold turkey. I know that sounds heartless but it will be shorter and less confusing to the child. Good luck.

Dear T.....absolutely don't worry about the bottle until age two. Don't let anyone pressure you. don't let anyone think you are indecisive. Just say we wait to turn two, in a very firm way.
I had four very happy children. On their second birthday we announced" Now you are two - no more bottles (or binkies) and no more diapers!" It works. Make it a celebration. Some moms have the child take the bottles to the store and give them to the clerk in exchange for some fun cups. I never did that but it sounds like fun. Barb

PS.......so funny, I just read some of the other responses and really, you don't have to be so rigid about things. For instance, I let my babies have juice in the bottle and water and cereal (big hole) - what ever. I never had a thumb sucker in any of my four well adjusted children. Relax.

I wouldn't be in a rush but I would be careful what you put in it - like, no juice or sugared drinks. My son took a bottle until he was two. I gave him only milk and water in it. He got diluted juice in a tippy cup. At about 21/22 months I started only giving him the bottle at bedtime (just 2-3 ounces. At two years I put them away and gave him a small cup @ bedtime instead. He was fine.
For some things I let my son decide when he was ready to stop/start. So much is outside their control that giving them control over some things really is a good thing...

T.
For myself I think when a child start to walk or a year old is when it is a good time. If a child fall with a bottle in his or her mouth it can cause a lot of problem.

There is medically no reason why she needs to get rid of it until permanant teeth start coming in. Just make sure she drink and then puts it down instead of constantly sucking on it.

My opinion is that if they are old enough to move around on their own, you can start to get rid of the bottle. What I mean is that a bottle, just like breast feeding should be done while holding the baby. If the baby is big enough to break-away while you are feeding her the bottle, just like you can't take a breast with you when you walk around, you shouldn't take a bottle with you. You can have a cup independently of you. I find this a natural way to wean from a bottle. Bottles are like breast feeding and not a mobile drink. If your child is in the habit of already walking around with her bottle it's going to be more of an adjustment for her, but have a cup around to show she can have that if she's on the move like a big girl. Most children want to be active and will move to that stage on their own.

Why in such a rush? She obviously is not readt to give it up, so wait until she is, she won't want it forever, especially if she knows the cups are associated with being a "big girl". But a there's othing really wrong with someone her age still wanting a bottle, she will outgrow it, just let her go at her own pace & don't rush her, she is telling you she is not ready yet.

I have 4 kids 5 3 2 and 1 - Recently my 2 year old went to the dentist. They asked if she still used a binky and a bottle and I said "yes, but we are really trying to stop." They immediately assured me to not stress over it so much. If she till needs it for comfort that it is ok -

So with the almost 3 year old and almost year old, thy both get binky's for bedtime but as soon as they fall asleep the binks fall out of their mouths. Both children use sippy cups and the alost 2 year old gets a bottle on occaision for comfort (particularily when she sees her baby sister with one.

My son weaned himself off the bottle by the time he was a year old. But, if she is already accustomed to drinking out of a sippy cup/reg. cup, then I would just wean her off the bottle or get rid of it all together. I think she'll do just fine. :D *Hug*

Yup my sister is working at a dental place helping fixing teeth. It damages there teeth... Just like hard candys do!

Hi T.,

It looks like you've had a lot of responsives so far. I weened both of my kids off the bottle around 1 year. They were down to 1 bottle of formula per day and drinking milk from a sippy cup. Our nurse at our pediatrician's office told me to not put anything in the bottle other than formula so to not confuse the child. So when I eliminated the last bottle I only got a mild fuss from my little girl. The fuss lasted about 2-3 nights and I didn't give in. Just put her paci in her mouth and left the room. I also hid the bottles so she wouldn't ask for one - just didn't give her the option.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you!

Our Pediatrician recommends that you begin weaning from the bottle at 18 months and have the child completely off the bottle by 2. The reason is that studies have shown that it becomes much more difficult to wean a child from the bottle after age 2. I have a friend whose son is 3 and he still insists on drinking milk from a bottle……

My daughter was off the bottle at 18 months and my son at 20 months. I started by only offering the bottle 1st thing in the morning and just before bed. All milk during the day was from a sippy cup. Then I changed the morning milk to a sippy cup. I found the evening bottle the hardest to eliminate. The first couple nights my son didn't drink much before bed but within 1 week all was back to normal.

Hi T.,
We weaned the bottle away by moving to just one bottle before bed. I watered the milk down over the course of a month and pretty soon, both my girls were just drinking 1/2 a bottle of warm, milky water. I think it is really important to replace the other bottle times with nutritious, filling food otherwise there is the want of fullness that only warm milk can provide. Also, when she is enjoying the last nighttime bottle be sure to also be rocking, swaying, reading or whatever your daughter will enjoy. After the one, night bottle for a week or so we then found a friend or neighbor with a baby coming and gave all the bottles to the baby and let the mom know I would donate them or pick them up at a later time if she was breastfeeding and really did not need them. I did keep one hidden in the back of the cupboard, but only for emergency purposes. My older daughter found it and showed it to her little sister a week or so after we were "done", that night the bottle fairy magically took that one and left a thank you note!!
PS Both my girls have cavity free, beautiful teeth. We also always held them when the had a bottle, water cups could be mobile, but not bottles. You don't have to be as harsh as some of the other parents suggested. Good luck.

T.,

I take care of a 19 mo. old who was 6 weeks early, and takes bottles at the same time. I'd say, try at around 2 years. I remember that with my son that was a hard transition. I was afraid that he wouldn't sleep as long, or that it would be harder for him to sleep. Once we got through it, then it was great. Didn't have to worry about bottles anymore! Kids often will drink a little more during the day when they aren't drinking a bottle, so I wouldn't worry about that. I'd maybe start by starting the day with a sippy cup, and then gradually stop the pre-nap bottle. There might be a transition period where she has to learn how to put herself to sleep without a bottle. Good luck!

I would agree with most of what was said by others regarding the method of weening and watching for teeth damage. I also have wondered about this because I have an 18 month old who still gets a bottle at night and in the morning. I understand the older they get the more attached they become, making it hard to ween. I have to be honest and say that part of my reluctance to phase it out is that I enjoy the routine as much as he does. He is easy to put down at night(we don't let him self feed) and I have a wonderful peaceful time with him in the morning. I don't think this is the worst thing we can do to our kids and when we are ready we will transition him as already described by others.
Good luck!

The only reason doctors say get rid of the bottle is because of whats in it. If you feel the need to give your daughter a bottle give her water in it only. If she has anything else in it it for a prolonged amount of time it can cause tooth decay.

I waited until age two with my first, and plan on doing so with my second. My doctors tell me that weaning should happen after a year, but really I see this as a "grey" area, and that it is not going to cause harm, by letting them have the bottle a year longer. I am making sure she is okay with the sippy cup simultaneously, so that the transition won't be horrible, but it wasn't with my first. I think this is an area, where you can do what works best for you and your toddler.

I was affraid of the same thing, but with in one day of taking it away and giving our little guy a cup he was fine. Just make sure all the bottles are totally out of sight and not an option!

Hello,
I am a mom who breastfed, but had to supplement with formula. For my son's first year, all he had was milk and water. I was the juice police....always saying no to anyone wanting to give my son juice. His top two teeth came in decayed. I was mortified. I thought I had done all I was supposed to do. When I went to my one year checkup, my doc said it was from the bottle. We stopped the bottle that day. The dentist also said that the decay was from drinking from the bottle. DANG! I did not know that. So, I would recommend dropping the bottle. It might be a bit harder for you and unfortunately, I don't have good advice because it was easy for me. We just stopped the bottle and that was it. It really did not phase him, but he was also a bit younger at only a year. Good Luck!

Hi T., I really don't think there is a particularly right time to get rid of the bottle. I do know that my daughter had her children pack all of their bottles up and bring them to a new baby friend. It worked just great. They were big now so they didn't really need the bottle any more and so they didn't have too much trouble giving them away. Good luck. One of my children had his bottle until he was three (3). Didn't hurt him a bit:o) He's 45 now. Lots of good advice from all of those moms out there:o)

Hello T.,

My son loves milk. He has to have it at least 3 times a day. At 3 1/2 he still did not want to let go of the bottle. He had nursed until he was 13 months and had never had a bottle before.

Although, he drinks juice and water from a regular glass he still wanted his milk in the bottle. I was tired of buying new nipples because he chewed on them. So, we decided to put a little bit of cocoa powder (practically without any sugar,not the Nestle kind) in the milk, only if he drank it from the cup, just regular milk in the bottle. It took him about 2 weeks to switch (we started with half the milk in the cup and half in the bottle and removed the bottle gradually). Now, he only uses the cup and does not want cocoa every time.

Really, I think it is up to you to see when your child is ready.

Good luck,
K.

I believe when the timing is right for you and your child that it will be an easy transition to wean from the bottle. My toddler didn't give up his bottle until 22 mos. And it happened very naturally since he got the stomuch flu and could not have any milk for a week. When he recovered we simply offered him milk only in his sippy cup. It was a painless transition to wean him from both bottle and formula simultaneously.

One idea is to drop one bottle feeding for a couple weeks, and then when your daughter is ready gradually drop another one.

Hope this helps!

I think if you want her to give it up completely, then you have to completely get rid of the bottles. Just throw them all away and tell her that she's a big girl and doesn't need to have a bottle anymore. She may be upset initially but will probably adjust really quickly. This approach worked with my twins at 12 months.

My son didn't want to give his up - so at 15 months per the advice of our pediatrician - I packed up all the bottles and went "cold turkey." He was not too happy initially, but the switch to the sippy cup was done in one day, without much of a problem. Check yourself - sometimes it's harder for the parent to give something up than for the child - it's especially hard when it signals a baby phase that is over!

My husband and I just put my daughter into a daycare facility a week after she turned 1. They do not allow bottles for the toddlers and so we were forced to whine her from the bottle. She to drank from a sippy cup, but at nap time and in the morning she would have her bottle. It was a hard at first but what we did was got those soft tip sippy cups I think they are called "Nubbys" and she gets those with milk at nap time and in the morning and before bed. We give her the hard flap Sippy cups all throughout the rest of the day with juice in water. I think this was an easier transition.. because she can still kind of suck on the soft nipple of the sippy cup. I really don't believe there is any age in which you need to get rid of the bottle however they say that it isn't socially exceptable to have a child over the age on one walking around with a bottle, but I have also heard that the constant sucking of a bottle nipple with milk or juice can cause serious teeth problems.. so you may want to talk with her dentist.
I hope response helped a little bit.
Cori G.

We got rid of our daughters at exactly one year and we did it cold turkey and had no problems at all our son who is now 11 months is now off the bottle...he took really well to the sippy so we just took the bottle away and he had no problems at all with the transition. The best way I think to do it is to wean her down to just a few times a day which you already have and then from there just get rid of it one day really at a young age it is pretty easy to get rid of. Also: we never let our kids feed themselves with the bottle which I think helped us. Not sure if you let her feed herself the bottle but if you do that might make it harder to get rid of. I do know from what my other friends have told me and experienced that it is very hard to get rid of the bottle at an older age I have friends who still give their kids bottles at age 2-3 at night. I say if she does fine with a sippy she is ready to get rid of the bottle! Best of luck!

My oldest who is 9 yrs now had a bottle until he was one. But found it really easy to wean him after introducing a sippy cup. I think maybe trying to lessen the amounts of bottle feedings and increasing the big cups should help.

I don't think there is alot of harm in her having her bottle still, as long as she is not going to sleep with it and brushing her teeth before going to sleep so the milk isn't sitting on her teeth.
We transitioned to cups over about a months time. Try getting rid of 1 bottle a week, if she is super attached. That way she has time to adjust to the cup at the first "bottle time", before you take away the next "bottle time". This transition worked wonderful for all of my kids, even the one who never saw a bottle (boobie baby). No tantrums, no melt-downs, nothing. It was so gradual that it just became "normal" to have the cup instead. Always start with the least needed one, for us it was the "snack" bottle at 4pm. Then we went to the 12 noon one , the breakfast one and last to go was bedtime.
The best tip I have is: once you take away a bottle don't give in and let them have it again at that time. If she needs 2 weeks in between transitions it's ok, but to give in when you've already taken a specific one away makes it confusing for them.
Ours were a bit younger, 12 - 13 months, when we weaned.

In my experience, it happens on it's own. All of my kids prefered milk in a bottle until they were at least 2 or more. I don't see what the big deal is. They never had it in bed, they COULD drink from a cup also, they just liked milk better from a bottle. I think when you sip it through a sippy, it gets frothier... which wouldn't taste good. They all just get rid of it eventually. I wouldn't stress about it.

My friend had that problem with her sons binkies. Finally one day she told him to say good bye and he helped her gather them all up and they burned them in the bon fire that night. He had a final good bye and then he knew the time with them was over and he was fine. When my oldest was a baby I would let him hold a toy to look at in the store but always told him we could not take it home and let him tell the item goodbye like it was a friend when we put it back. I think that if you prepare them in a gentle way and let them say good bye you can just get rid of the bottle or binky or blanket. what ever the vice may be. Hope this helps.
J.

The only issue you may have is bottle teeth, Teeth that point into the mouth.You will be able to see this if you have an issue. You can continue the weaning process by removing one bottle at a time until she has only sippys if you want to avoid the melt-downs. Some kids want the comfort for a very long time!

HI Tammy, I think the only concern is for her dental hygiene. Getting rid of anything (bottle, Binky) is hard but it has to be done sometime.
Honestly I think people put too much pressure on themselves and the situation when a milestone needs to happen. Just take the bottle away. Throw them away. Your daughter will not remember this "tragedy" nearly as much as you do. I am sure she will cry for it for a few days but it has to happen sometime. This is something that you can control. Don't be afraid of hurting your babies feelings that is not what is happening. She thinks she needs the bottle...you know she doesn't so she will have to adjust. You are not a bad mom to have expectations and then having to deal with the consequences of having those expectations met...i.e. crying or not going to sleep as easily. Good luck...you can do this!

I'm one of those who believes children will "give up" things when they're ready to, but my husband was a firm believer in "no bottles after 12 months" so we weened our son off just before his first birthday. I've heard our dentist chastise parents for letting their kids have a bottle for too long as it causes overbites and teeth rotting if they sleep with them. Is it true? I'm not sure. If you're comfortable weening her off, then I would...but chances are, she probably won't give up the bottle until another kid makes fun of her for having it. Atleast that's what I've seen happen. I knew a boy who still drank from a bottle when he was 3 and ended up telling his mom he didn't want it anymore because a kid in the neighborhood was making fun of him and called him a baby. Anyway - when we weened Kyler off the bottle, we took away the bedtime one first as I've heard that's the hardest one for them to give up. We would pre-occupy him with something else before bed...such as reading a story, rocking, finding the stuffed animal...etc. It really took only 2 days before he stopped asking for the bottle. Perhaps as she's older, you can talk with her about it and see what happens. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!