DS is 13 months, he only has a bottle first thing in the morning (about 530-6am) and at bedtime. We've been on cows milk since he turned one. For the first 3 weeks he drank it enthusiastically - drank about 100mls more than he did on formula. In the last week he is drinking less and less.
At what point do babies give up the bottle usually?
PS he eats solids enthusiastically and has lots of diary via custard and yoghurt!
The recommendation used to be that bubba stopped drinking from a bottle and used a cup for any fluids at 12 months. My youngest is 4.5 years, so I don't know if that has changed! There was quite a lot of pressure from MCHN's (and other mum's) to be done with bottles by 12 months. My DD still had a bottle before bed until she was about 14 months. We travelled for a month overseas when my DS was 14 months so I deliberately kept him on bottles until after our trip (he was a fussy solids eater!) and he stopped at about 16 months.
Instead of the morning bottle, you could try milk in a cup (sippy or otherwise) when you serve breakfast. If your DS wants the bottle as soon as he opens his eyes, maybe you could serve breakfast very early until he adjusts. Same for the evening bottle, offer some milk in a cup and see if he is satisfied with that? He sounds like he might be ready to ditch the bottle, given that he is not draining it and he is a good eater.
I *think* it is not good for a child's dentition (teeth!) to continue to drink from a bottle after 12 months, but really... 13 months is still so little! Do whatever works for you and your DS!! Good luck!
I had a lot of pressure from MCHN to drop bottles at 12 months with DD1. I was just lucky that she adjusted to it really easily. DD2 on the other hand adjusted to us dropping all her daytime bottles including the one before bed, but has woken up for an early morning bottle 3.30-4.30am since about 7 months and is still doing it. She will scream almost until she vomits if I don't give it to her and when I do she drinks the whole thing so I can only assume that she's hungry! I refuse to get up and give her breakfast at 3.30am so bottle it is until she decides that she doesn't want it anymore. I'm not worried about her teeth because I won't let them continue past 18 months when we start to toilet train. But that's just me Most people I've spoken to, their bubs have stopped all bottles by about 16 months at the latest. HTH! x
Naomi - DD has stopped having any b/f during the day and we're only on one in the evening. We have always given her a bottle as a top up since she was a few months old, but lately she hasn't wanted that either. Maybe DS with his newfound independence is carrying across everything and he doesn't want that bottle! I give DD cows milk during the day in a cup and she always drinks all of it. She doesn't like us feeding her solids as of late, and I'm guessing the bottle is the same for her because she uses the cup herself too.
My niece is 18mo and was having a bottle at night, and the MCHN had a fit because she wasn't having it in a cup. She said it damages teeth too.
I put DS to bed without his bottle tonight and he went off to sleep fine without it, doesn't seem ready to give up his morning bottle just yet, so I'll keep offering that for a little while rather than make him go cold turkey!
I have him sippy cup full of milk with dinner - he usually has water, and he drank about a quarter, then he skulled about half a cup of water before bed - this kids LOVES water! He drinks it all day which is great, we've taken to leaving his sippy cup with his toys and he'll just help himself when he wants some.
One I'm sure he's over the night bottle, I might start giving him his morning milk in the sippy cup, but one change at a time!
DD stopped at 22 months and DS is nearly 18 months and still has a bottle before his arvo nap and bedtime....I'm not really worried at the moment, will think about it in another couple of months.
Naomi, jade has just recently dropped from 5-6 bottles in 24 hrs (yes ridiculous for her age i know) to 2 if im lucky. i spoke to the CHN and she said they need 3 serves of dairy a day....eg milk cheese or yoghurt. if bailz is having the 3 serves without wanting a bottle then that is fine. i started off by giving jade water in a sippy cup and then formula and now she has a sippy cup of formula around 11am, then a half one (maybe 80ml) around 6pm then sometimes one overnight. but she is having a lot of cheese 9my kid loooooves cheese like me) and yoghurt, and about 200ml of water a day which is fine...
start giving bailz his formula in a sippy cup and see how he goes. HTH GL hun x
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When did your baby give up the bottle?
to be done with bottles by 12 months. My DD still had a bottle before bed until she was about 14 months. We travelled for a month overseas when my DS was 14 months so I deliberately kept him on bottles until after our trip (he was a fussy solids eater!) and he stopped at about 16 months.
Good luck!
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