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Hi. I have a 23 month old daughter who is still having a bottle 3 times a day. I'm not sure whether she should still be drinking from a bottle or not. She will drink water from a cup but is still very reliant on her bottle. Should I be trying to get rid of the bottle?? Any ideas??
I'll watch this one with great anticipation as well.... Zander has his night bottle only before bed, but I have also wondering when I should think about giving it away.
Nick was 18 months when he decided one day to put his bottle in the bin and not use it again
Ryan still has a bottle at bed time, but i'm sure if i used his sippy cup instead he wouldn't make a fuss, i'm just too lazy at the moment LOL
Jaffa, I am the same. Kat refuses to give up her bottle and will take a bottle over a sippy cup anyday. I am trying to get her onto just cups, but she screams at bedtime if she doesn't have her bottle (water with a TEENy tiny bit of cordial) with her. I don't know how to get her off it as I have a baby who's almost 12 mo and she uses a bottle and Kat see's it and wants a bottle instead. Yet Jess steals Kat's juice from a sippy cup. Maybe I should get them both onto cups. Don't know....
No answers as they all seem a bit older than Mackenzie was when I got rid of her bottle. The day after Mackenzies first birthday I started giving her her night and morning bottle in a cup. I still hugged her for her night 'bottle' just it was in a cup. Not long after that she decided that she didn't want a cuddle when she drank her milk so now she gets a cup of milk straight after breakfast and about an hour before she goes to bed. This helps to give her time to go to the toilet before she goes to bed and most mornings her nappy is really dry (I'm sure there are a few wees in there - not game to try no nappy at night time just yet!). I had a friend who's daughter would only drink milk from a bottle until she was 4. Then she came to visit us and her mum suggested that she leave her bottle for Mackenzie - which she did and she drank her milk from a cup from then on. With Christmas coming up could you give their bottles to Santa?
Sorry Im not much help, my daughter had a bottle until 5!! She gave it up before school, along wiht her daytime nap!She had a bottle in morning and night. Was peaceful for me. However with number 2, I am going to give her a cup morning and night I think as soon as she's on normal milk. That's the plan, not sure how easy it will be!
It's also just not as relaxing having the cup. i think i enjoyed the bottle as much as DD1!! xo
Matilda is so attached to her bottle, DH & I gave a time frame of 3. We figure her life is about to change dramatically in a few weeks with a new sister that having her nightly bottle isn't bad. She went to 2 bottles for her nap & bed at around 22 months and now is having the one at night, the day time nap is a "cup of milk" sort of inbetween a bottle & cup.
Alex still has a bottle when he goes to sleep i don't mind as it helps him get to sleep with no problems at all. Not sure when i will take it away from him i think i will go with his lead on that one. He uses a cup for anything else he drinks but will play the spitting game with it.
I swapped Grace's bottle for a sippy cup when she was about 14 months old with no problems.
At 23 months your daughter doesn't need a bottle, but that doesn't mean that she shouldn't have one. It's up to you - if you don't mind her having a bottle then that's fine, but if you would prefer her to drink from a cup then start to introduce that more and see how you go. You could maybe swap one of her bottles for a cup and then introduce the whole cup thing slowly over time. To me, it's like dummies - Grace still has one at nearly two. She doesn't need it, but she likes it and it doesn't bother me so for now she can have it.
I never had this issue as Maddy refused a bottle at 10 mths & so started straight on a cup with a straw for Milk & water drinks.
Indah has been drinking cows milk from a cup also thru a straw for about a month, I dont like sippy cups (which is just me), so I introduced a cup with a straw for water when Indah started on solids & now she has 3 cups of milk in her straw Mag Mag cup, she still has a breast feed when she was at about 7-7:30am & again before bed at 8pm...
I was always told it's easiest to get them off a habit earlier than later...
But it's not my child & we are all different, I am happy to keep feeding Indah & as she obly sucks a few mins each breast at each feed it's not a big deal.
If your happy to still give a bottle then fine, I cant remember if there is a reason in regards to their teeth???
I personally want mine on to cups earlier than later for the ease of it, if they can drink water/milk from a cup then I figure they dont need a bottle, but as i said that's just me & my girls...
My DD is 18 months and still has 3 bottles a day. 1 when she wakes up, 1 when she goes down for her afternoon nap and 1 when she goes to bed at night. She LOVES her bottle!
I don't plan to tackle it until she's about 3...then we'll think of phasing it out.
I think you either have to do it early when they're not really attatched to it yet, or leave it till they're old enough to be involved in the decision to get rid of it. It's different for every child.
Thank you everyone for your help. It was my first post and I am amazed by all the replies!!
It's an individual thing. Cait finished with bottles at about 14 months. She'd have a cup of milk at night before bed rather than a bottle. A lot easier when they're that small, no tantrums !
My Alex is 10.5 months and has water and milk in the cup. I like the heinz cups with the soft spouts - and we went through a lot of cups ! I had to try them all !
I don't have children yet, expecting our first in Jan. However, I was almost 4 years old when I had my last bottle. My mom made it into a special event and I still remember it slightly. She prepped me for it ahead of time and when the night came, my parents put my little brother to bed and stayed up with me to have the "Last Bottle." We even took a photo and I felt really special and grown up instead of like I was having something taken away from me. I never asked for a bottle again. I believe my parents initiated this strategy after I was so upset over having my baby pillow thrown away without warning. It seemed so cruel to me.