11month old - any tips on moving from bottle to a cup with a spout?

[Louise123]

I am desperate to rid myself of the ball and chain that is the steriliser and just assumed I could stop once my ds reached 12 months. The hv however advised that as long as I'm giving him milk (cows or formula) from a bottle, I need to continue sterilising.
I've tried a number of different cups with a spout, but my ds is totally uninterested - he'd rather go hungry/thirsty.
Any tips on converting him? I also don't think I can stand another holiday abroad using cold water sterilising bags!!

[charleepeters]

im having same problem ds crys when i put spout in his mouth so sorry cant help but will be watching this thread for advice to good luck x

[Pruni]

Message withdrawn

[hunkermunker]

Agree with Pruni. DS has a couple of bottles of cow's milk a week (when I'm at work) and the steriliser's boxed up now (he was one last weekend).

[Seona1973]

I agree that your hv is talking rubbish. When dd reached 12 months everything just got washed in hot soapy water before using it. Does your ds use any sort of beaker at all for water, juice, etc?

I found the best cup to start with was the tommee tippee first cup (not non-spill so easy to use). I would offer water in it at meals and then leave it on the highchair so dd could fiddle about with it/try to drink from it. I concentrated on giving just one cup and it did take her a few weeks for her to get used to it.

Once she was confident with it I stopped her morning bottle and offered her milk out of her cup with her breakfast instead. She didnt take much at first but when she started taking a bit more I started offering the cup at bedtime as well. Her intake did drop for a little while but I knew that it would improve the more she got used to it.

She now uses an avent magic cup for her night-time milk and has an open top beaker of milk with her breakfast.

The minimum recommended milk after 1 year drops to 350mls/about 12 ounces but this includes the milk used in cereal, with food, dairy products, etc so they dont have to actually take the whole intake as a drink.

[Louise123]

Thanks for the advice. I do have the Tommee Tippee cup, so will persevere! He will take a little water from it at mealtimes, but prefers to chew the spout so he ends up with very wet Tshirts!
Also looking forward to ditching the steriliser at 12 months. 1 month, 4 days to go

[Prufrock]

Louise - I ditched my steriliser at 6 months. In the US they don't even bother using them, just clean bottles in the dishwasher

[Chuffed]

We got rid of our steriliser at 10mths just as we were on holiday and washed with hot soapy water, rinsed them and air dried. dd was fine.
She drinks milk out of an avent magic cup (well an avent bottle with sippy cup spout) and her water out of a cup with a built in straw.

[Nemo1977]

ads soon as ds turned one we boxed up steriiser..i wouldnt fret too much about what hv has saud

[Kidstrack2]

Hi ya, I was having similar problem with my dd she is 22 months and was still using a bottle at bedtime and first thing in the morning. However I was shopping in Asda the other week and found a Nuby soft spout cup. Very similar to the clear silicone teat on a bottle but spout shaped, gave her milk in at at bedtime and morning she took it no problem, so I have binned the avent bottles I had left so there is no going back. She has within the last few days taken milk in a normal tommee tippee so its looking rather good. My ds was so good, (the wee soul that he is) stopped giving his bottle the day before his first birthday and wrapped about three cups up with birthday presents, he was overwhelmed he had all these new cups and couldn't wait to try them all out, this I think I should have done with dd!

[weeboagie]

I would recommend Tesco's own training cup - I've just bought three and my dd loves them - similar soft teat to a bottle. My dd had never taken a bottle as was b/fed and this is the only cup she'll take (and I've tried loads!!)

[swedishmum]

Health Visitor said to me that steriliser wasn't needed at all after baby was crawling, eating floor, cat etc, just to be very careful cleaning teat and inside of cap. For future reference get a Travel steriliser (Tesco do them or you can have one of my 2 - great as long as not in States (take ages). Have 4 kids, youngest is 14 months and due to dh's job has been to 12 countries already. Can thoroughly recommend them. Dd now uses straw for water and ordinary (plastic) cup for other drinks. Still bottle at night but not sterilised since last summer (go American and just use dishwasher!).

[MrsMedders]

My DS is 12mths and still uses a bottle for his nighttime milk, although he does use cups for his morning milk and water through the day, I just presumed that he should still have a bottle at nighttime for comfort etc, is that not the case?
Should I be trying to get him onto cups for all his drinks? He does hold the bottle himself, so I suppose he is ready!

[Louise123]

Thanks all - feel so much better!
Still trying with the tommee tipee cup, but still having the same wet t-shirt problem. Also think ds may be getting constipated - probably not enough fluid as he eats plenty of fruit/veg etc, but how many times should an 11 month old poo each day?

May try the Tesco or Nuby training cup and add to my cup collection

[Seona1973]

my dd varies between 1 or 2 a day to 1 every 3 days. (the 2 a day normally follows the 1 every 3 days....lol)

As long as my dd doesnt seem uncomfortable I dont worry about it. There is water in the fruits/veg and if your lo is still having bottles, there is water in that too.

Try prunes (pureed or mashed in with cereal maybe), diluted fresh orange/apple juice and see if that helps to shift it.

[Fimbo]

Another thumbs up for the Tesco cup here. Ds is now 16mths and has been using his since he was 8 mths.

[Louise123]

Thanks Seona, that puts my mind at rest. Ds probably has 1 or 2 (max) a day. Sometimes he does go quite red in the face when trying (!) and may have a couple of attempts before being successful! I am using prunes, so guess they're doing the trick.

Managed to get the Tesco cup, but so far, ds is more interested in chewing the bottom! Patience, a few more days and I hope we can crack it.

[Rockydog]

I stopped sterilising pretty much at 12 months and we recently got a dishwasher so everything now goes in there as this has the same effect. At the end of the day hot soapy water is just as effective once they reach 12 months - if poss rinse out any milk residue to stop it going 'sticky' if you can't wash immediately and then wash and rinse and thats fine. If you have got a dishwasher make sure anything you buy is dishwasher safe (prob. top rack only) and beware of tomato based sauces as these can discolour bottles and cups. My blue cup is now purple!

We moved from a bottle to Avent Magic cups and this worked fine - also quite good as spout fixes to any Avent bottle or cup so is quite good for inital 'handover' - sorry couldn't think of right word. My dd thinks they are great and we are now moving from them to open cup drinking.

All the best,

(Just read this and I sound like my mum!)

[beatie]

I used one of those Tommee Tippee bottles which has a large rubbery spout on it and big wide handles. It looks a a bit like a rocket. It helped make the transition from bottle to cup for DD - actually it also helped make the transition from boob to bottle. After that she'd accept liquid from any kind of teat or spout.

It's worth a try.

[Louise123]

Update - Reeesult!

During lunch today, ds drank from his tommee Tipee cup four times! Only spat the water out once and only threw it on the floor once.

May have just been a fluke, but I'm optomistic.

If he carries on like this, will try milk in the cup and see how we get on.