What age to stop bottlefeeding?

[fsmail]

What age did you stop bottlefeeding?

DS3
DD 12 months and still going strong

[misdee]

dd2 was over 2years old when i got rid of the bottles. now she wont touch milk.

[Windermere]

i'm planning to stop at 12 months, ds is 11 months old and only has one at night now anyway. All children are different but my SIL could not wean her ds off until he was 4 and it really affected his appetite, so I think it can pay to stop it before they can ask for it.

[Seona1973]

my dd was off bottles by about 14months. I wasnt going to wait for her to make up her own mind about as I didnt want to still be giving bottles when she was older. She still has milk before bed but its from an avent magic cup rather than a bottle. Just because you stop the bottle doesnt mean you have to change your bedtime routine.

[flowerfairy]

I stopped giving all daytime milk in bottles first before 12 months, so ds only had milk in bottle at night.

Then about a week after ds turned 1yo, we gave bedtime milk in a cup. I expected a big fuss and refusal of milk, so had abottle on standby, but he just swapped with no fuss.

I think the sooner you make the change the better.

In the class I'm having next year of reception children, there are 2 who still have bottles at night and ahve speech problems!

[Windermere]

Thats interesting flowerfairy. Do you think that a dummy could also have the same effect? I don't see a problem in stopping the bottle but I think that it may be difficult to wean ds off the dummy as he is very attached to it.

[Kelly1978]

I stopped bottles at 8 mnths and started giving milk in a beaker. In hindsight it may have been too early as it became increasingly hard to get them to drink milk.

[fredly]

my dd is just over 10mths and I started giving her her milk in a beaker 3 days ago, with success.

[serenity]

When they turned 1 as well. I didn't like them wandering around drinking from a bottle, so we swapped to beakers.

[eldestgirl]

Flowerfairy, what kind of speech problems do the children have and how old are they?
DS1 gave up a bottle at 1, no prob. DS2 is WEDDED to his morning and night bottles and he has just turned 2. I am really strict and don't allow him one at any other time, and he knows he has to sit still/go to his bed and drink it all up before he slings the empty in the sink. Have tried to swap it for a beaker since he was 1 but result is the most almighty tantrum, which I don't fancy at 7am or 7pm. [Sigh].

[madgirl]

i'm a bit worried about this too. ds2 is 12months now and still v attached to bottle 3 times a day. i don't give a stuff that he is that age with bottle but i do worry about the teeth thing. anyone recommend a really good beaker to swop withh??

[MMG]

MY LIITLE BOY IS 15MNTHS STILL HAS 1 BOTTLE AFTER BFAST AND 1 B4 BED AND STILL WAKES FOR ANOTHER ABOUT 11.30PM OR MIDNIGHT. SOMETIMES IF HE HASNT ATE MUCH LUNCH HE WANTS ONE IN THE AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE TIME HE EATS WELL NOT SURE HOW TO GET HIM OF THE LATE NIGHT BOTTLE, ANY IDEAS?? IM GOING TO TRY A BEAKER HAVING JUST READ THE OTHER COMMENTS.

[QueenOfQuotes]

DS1 is 20 months and we've just cut him down to two bottles (of milk) a day (from 3 a day)

He drinks juice from a beaker, and I (personally) don't see a problem with them having milk in a bottle at this age, as long as they WILL drink other liquids from other containers.

[QueenOfQuotes]

oh meant to add, he also eats more than his older brother - vast quantities of food.

[MMG]

I GUESS MY LITTLE ONE JUST LOVES HIS FOOD! HE IS FINE DRINKING JUICE OR WATER FROM HIS BEAKER. HE LIKES HIS BOOTLE B4 SLEEP AS HE IS EITHER ASLEEP B4 HE HAS FINISHED THE BOTTLE OR SLEEPS SOON AFTER. MAYBE HE WILL GIVE IT UP WHEN HE IS READY!!!!

[MMG]

ACUTALLY ITS GREAT AT BED TIME AS ITS BATH, BOTTLE THEN HE SLEEPS STRAIGHT AWAY, WELL MOST OF THE TIME!!

[Gobbledigook]

Ds1 and ds2 off bottles by 10-11 months. Ds3 is just 11 months and he still has 3 a day.

I could easily drop his breakfast one (as he struggles to have that plus weetabix) and could give his afternoon one in a cup. Think I'll do that actually.

[MMG]

THATS A GOOD IDEA, I`M GOING TO TRY GIVING COWS MILK IN A BEAKER IN THE MORNING AND SAVE THE BOTTLE WITH FORMULA FOR EVENING/NIGHT TIME.