Bottles and bloody sippy cups - argh!

[TammyswansonTwo]

My twins are 13 months old (12 months adjusted) and still have a ridiculous amount of milk (600-750ml a day, although at least half of that is overnight). They also have loads of water and plenty of solids (three meals a day and snacks) and are sticking to their curve so not having too many calories it seems. Really really trying to get the milk consumption down and increase the amount of solids.

My big worry is that they're totally useless with cups - they just want to smack them against the nearest surface rather than drink out of them. I've tried at least five kinds.

Worried about them still having bottles at this stage - am I wrong to let them continue? I don't want to wreck their teeth but if I only gave them cups they'd be covered head to toe in stinky hydrolysed formula and starving.

What to do?

[Cheeseontoastie]

I haven't ff but whenever I started offering mine drinks in a cup I used a straw one. Would that be better??

[CluelessMummy]

I'm in exactly the same boat with DD so I'm afraid I have no advice but I do sympathise! She has just turned 1. Although I'm not stressing too much at this stage as I've noticed at nursery (where she is the youngest by 6 months in her room), almost every other toddler is having bottles.

[Needadvicetoleave]

Start with tiny amounts in the cups until they get it. Have you tried the munchkin 360? Also consider switching from formula to regular milk (it's cheaper!).

[welshweasel]

I wouldn't stress too much about the bottles but I'd be trying not to give milk after brushing teeth. Agree munchkin 360 or the munchkin straw cups are both worth trying and don't leak.

[Nicae]

I gave both my girls Mam cups first, they do a sippy cup with a top made from the same material as a bottle teat. I found it made the transition a lot easier, they are tricky to find in the shops but you can buy them easily online.

[Catalufa]

My DS never got the hang of sippy cups, who knows why. I had to wait until he was old enough to manage a normal open cup.

[TammyswansonTwo]

Thanks so much everyone! Glad it's not just us. Unfortunately they have a dairy allergy and non dairy milks aren't nutritious enough for under 2s (or maybe 3s?) so they're stuck on this awful smelly dairy free formula until they're 2 or their allergy improves. They don't seem to mind though.

We have the 360s, that's what I mainly use. They can drink from them, they just much prefer to wave them round by the handles and bash them against things. It's massively frustrating as I know they can do it!

I have some mam bottles so will get hold of some of those teats. I actually haven't tried the straw ones, will get some of those, thank you!

Unfortunately they are still so hungry in the night - they wake up 3 times each at least and will only settle if they have milk. With twins I barely sleep as it is so am in no position to argue!

One has a medical condition which means he needs formula or food at least every 3 hours, not sure what the other one's excuse is 😂

[EvonneGoolagong]

I agree with PP, the munchkin 360 is a good cup to try and although it won’t stop them smashing it on things, it doesn’t spill. My DS took a while to get the hang of it but we wouldn’t be without it now

[EvonneGoolagong]

Cross post!

[TammyswansonTwo]

Hmm. I must have the only 360s that spill - or else I have evil genius twins. In fairness they do have to smash them pretty hard against their trays to get water out, but they always manage it 😂

[WashBasketsAreUs]

I have twins ( grown up now) and they had bottles until they were about 2- 2 1/2? so long ago I can't remember! Their teeth are fine.

[Feilin]

We bought tommee tippee non spill sippy cups . Our tiny terror refuses the 360 one and batters everything else til it leaks. These are available in tesco and asda that ive seen and have defeated her tiny terror whims so far.

[horriblehistorieswench]

I had to miss the sippy cup stage with DS - I think he refused every one on the market. Took a while & lots of patience but introduced a beaker - think it was a Tommy Tippee one with a wide bottom so hard to knock over & 2 handles. Initially gave it to him in high chair and took it away ever time he banged it or spilled on purpose & he got the message it wasn’t for playing with.

[toomuchtooold]

DD2 could smash a brand new basic Tommee Tippee open - you know the ones that close so tight that you have to open them by levering off the lid with a bloody crowbar?

It sounds like they can drink from them OK, like they've mastered the skill of drinking, they just like making a mess - so if I were you I'd just stick with the bottles for the milk and give them water in the cups. That's what I did with my DTs. DD2 had her last bottle of milk at the outrageously late age of 4, but it hasn't affected her teeth - from about age 2 she just had that one evening bottle before brushing teeth and bed.

[QuackingHell]

My DS hated drinking water full stop and much preferred milk from boob and then bottle. Until one day he didn't. Since then he's very quickly transitioned from sippy cup to munchkin 360 and now at 19 months he prefers an open cup (and doesn't really spill unless he's very excited). It was also a nightmare getting him to drink cows milk until he decided he liked having it cold and in a travel mug?!? Don't stress, they'll get there. Just keep offering them sippy cups but don't stress about them throwing them about too much. They're like bloodhounds, they can sense your irritation and do it all the more

[usersos]

Is your main concern at the moment the fact that they are still having a night feed or by what means they’re getting their milk? X

[TammyswansonTwo]

I'm resigned to the night feeds (multiple!) at least for now - they seem to need it and they're not gaining too much weight so it is what it is, I just saw someone saying yesterday saying that their dentist told them they should be off bottles by EIGHT MONTHS. Nearly had a heart attack!

[usersos]

Why do they need fed multiple times a night? Are they on a very low percentile? That sounds really tough doing that if they’re on 3 meals a day and snacks! X

[TammyswansonTwo]

They're on a special prescription formula and apparently it digests more quickly - they get really hungry, they wake up and will only go back to sleep if they have milk, for a while I tried not giving it to them to see if I could get them to sleep without it but they won't, they're just hungry. One of them has an illness that affects his blood sugars so he has to eat every few hours to keep them up anyway.

[usersos]

Jeezo that sounds hard. Well done for doing that...will that have to be for the next few years?!
My baby was so disinterested in taking any kind of cup....it was really stressing me out until one day he just “got it”.
He still gets a bottle of milk first thing and last thing but then a sippy cup for water throughout the day
I guess when he’s a bit older (he’s 13 months) I’ll change the milk over to a sippy cup. Just picking my battles at the moment! X

[TammyswansonTwo]

I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that as they manage more solids in one sitting their need for milk will go down - it already has a bit and I've just been able to increase how much breakfast they have to fingers crossed they'll be able to be full for longer! Wow, two bottles a day?! That sounds like heaven!

[usersos]

I just went cold turkey to get him to eat more .....went from 6 bottles to 3 at 6 months.....fed him water instead of milk for a few nights to “crack him” which was fucking awful but worked and in turn he really ramped up his food during the day. I was not going to lose the challenge! One day it’ll just click for you and it’ll be ace! X

[Kaytey]

Our almost 2 year old still has two bottles of milk a day - one first thing and one before bed - we do try our best to remember to brush his teeth after and not before he has it though.

We tend to pick our battles in this house - he has perfected a fabulous look of "wtf is this muck?" if he gets milk in a cup (or water in a bottle) before he launches it away from his body in absolute outrage.

I wouldn't sweat it - his teeth are fine - dentist unconcerned etc.

[LaurieMarlow]

I wouldn't stress about the bottles. DS had a bottle of cows milk in the morning and before bed from 1 to 3. We always brushed his teeth after his milk. He self weaned at 3, his teeth are perfect.