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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Getting rid of bottle....nearly 3 yr old.

44 replies

nutcackle · 28/10/2005 07:43

Ok Ds will be 3 in december and still has milk in a bottle in the morning and hot chocolate in a bottle before bed.

Ds is fine with drinking water/juice out of a cup with a lid or even a normal cup without a lid, but milk/hot chocllate he only wants his bottle.

We have tried various cups but he just won't drink it.

Any ideas ??

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BudaBabe · 28/10/2005 07:45

I would def worry if he still has bottle in secondary school.

My DS is the same and he was 4 in August so I am not one to talk! It really doesn't bother me TBH. He sems to be giving it up himself now. Hasn't has a bottle for a couple of days.

Does it bother you? My feeling is that it is a little bit of comfort and there is no harm in that.

Original poster

nutcackle · 28/10/2005 07:49

No it doesn't bother me at all really.

The teat on his bottle is now split though so I thought maybe I should just not buy anymore, but I think really it will just stress me and him out alot.

OP posts:

BudaBabe · 28/10/2005 07:55

My DS has the Avent bottles but with the green tops that go on their cups IYSWIM.

And I keep saying I won't replace them but I do!

If it doesn't bother you then I would just leave it - buy a new teat and let him give it up when he is ready.

MY DH is more bothered than I am but even he has commented that DS is asking for bottles less and less now. Very rarely in morning, occasionally in afternoon on sofa if very tired and poss 4 nights out of 7.

Original poster

nutcackle · 28/10/2005 08:01

Yes Ds has the Avent bottles too. I hadn't even thought of using the other tops, that sounds like a good idea, will try that as we have some in the cupboard i'm sure.

My other 2 were both using cups for milk at about 18mths - 2yrs, but Ds is my baby so I have been a bit laid back about it I think LOL.

OP posts:

bobbybob · 28/10/2005 08:58

Does he ask for the milk - or do you just automatically give it?

HerRoyalLovlinessMaloryTowers · 28/10/2005 09:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

magnolia1 · 28/10/2005 09:12

Katie is 2 years and 4 months and I have no intention of taking away her bottle yet. She only has it at night and occasionally if she is unwell or really upset

stitch · 28/10/2005 09:14

let him have it as long as both you and him are comfortable with it. i made ds1 give it up at 2.3yrs. and he stopped drinking milk. i thought he was too old for it at the time. then, whenhe was in year one, i found out that a boy in his class was still having one at night!
ds2 gave it up just before his fourth birthday. or was it after?

Original poster

nutcackle · 28/10/2005 09:21

He asks for the milk.......god help me if he didn't get his milk LOL

Think i'll just go with it then.

Thanks

OP posts:

piffle · 28/10/2005 13:27

I just binned the bottles and said oops they've all gone, showed dd the empty cupboard and said milk is in the cup, offered her warm milk in acup in the morning and she was fine, she does drink less milk now though...
did this about 4 weeks ago, she was 3 last weekend, no trauma at all...

Original poster

nutcackle · 29/10/2005 12:02

Well we had immediate success.

I gave him his hot chocolate last night in a avent cup with spout and he never batted an eyelid.

I didn't think I'd get away with the milk so easily but he was fine, so we asked him if he wanted to leave his bottle on the kitchen windowsill for a baby squirrel and he said yes and was delighted when the bottle had gone.

I was the only sad one, was really shocked that I nearly cried.

OP posts:

crazydazy · 29/10/2005 13:31

My DS still has milk in his bottle at night, when he turned 3 in May we stopped the bottles and at first he didn't seem to mind but then about a week after he got ill and wanted his bottle to comfort him so I let him have it again. I made DD give the bottle up before she started reception. We told her all through the holidays that when she started school she had to be a big girl and not have bottles anymore and she accepted it and never went back. I am going to have to wait until then for DS now and then there will be no going back.

I think the problem with children who never had dummies see their bottle as their comfort so find it hard to give it up at night.

Hope it works for you though

Caththerese1973 · 29/10/2005 14:02

My neighbour - a single dad - recommended 'cold turkey'. He gave his daughter five dollars (she was four) in exchange for her bottle and just chucked it in the bin in front of her and refused to get another.
I am unsure as to the psychological validity of such an approach, however! But no obvious harm has been done!

bubblepop · 29/10/2005 21:10

I told my 2.5 year old that the bin man had taken them and he was old enough to have a cup now.He did'nt bat an eyelid, although I must admit I put them right at the back of the kitchen cupboard...just in case of trouble! i actually binned them about a week later, when it felt safe to do so..what a chicken i was!!

Furball · 29/10/2005 21:45

In a few weeks you could you say that Father Christmas collects bottles makes them like new and them gives them to other children, He also leaves an 'extra special' something in replacement.

eldestgirl · 31/10/2005 07:07

I was recently told by my dentist that DS2 (2 and 3 months) should give up his morning and evening bottle as the sucking has pulled his upper jaw forward, giving him a slight overbite. Apparently this should correct itself, if the bottle is given up.
I decided on the cold turkey approach. Just put them away and gave him his milk in the same magicup as his brother. He was a little difficult and asked for his bottle, but I just said they had gone. He seems to have forgotten about them after a week.

vickiyumyum · 31/10/2005 08:00

we have just had this with ds2 (although an anyway up cup and not a bottle), we were mean and just made him go cold turkey. threw out the cups, explained that because he was three he could no longer have a baby cup and if he still wanted milk at bedtime he could have it in a big boys cup (we have let him choose a cup from the cupboard each night). we had tears for a couple of nights and i felt really mean, but in less than aweek he never even mentions it now, just asks for milk and drinks it from whatever cup he is given it in.

Nemo666 · 31/10/2005 12:45

with ds I just offered him chocie between cup and bottle everynight from about 15mths old. He always picked the bottle then at 18mths he picked the cup and that was it. Bottles were gone. To be honest I was glad as was 3mths pg and could forsee me getting bottles mixed up etc..lol

Pomi · 31/10/2005 14:24

ds1 22 months loves his bottle and i dont think i can get rid of it for a long time unless i stop giving ds2 who is 11 months but he is very young.
Thanks for starting this thread nutcakle.

madmarchscare · 31/10/2005 14:34

Pomi, DS stopped his at 12 months. We switched to cows milk and a cup within a week with no hassle at all really (not meaning that you should btw!).

Pomi · 31/10/2005 15:59

Does your ds wakes up at night or early morning? how do you manage him to get back to sleep? I have no other choice with two very young kids.

alexw · 31/10/2005 16:12

I just gave cup for morning milk one day (dd 9 months) and have not looked back (she has all drinks now from cup). She has happily been using cup for water since 3 months and so did not think it would be a problem. She doesn't seem to miss it at all.

alexw · 31/10/2005 16:16

oops, sorry, didn't read whole of thread title - not very helpful comments from me...

TrulyScrumptious · 31/10/2005 18:52

On a friends suggestion, when my DD was about 18 months, I told her that the bottle fairy had come in the night and had taken all the bottles away. It worked a treat and we've never looked back.

I didn't think it would work for a minute, as my DD is v. stubborn and has a real temper but she wasn't fussed at all!

CelluliteQueen · 31/10/2005 19:02

My DS is 2.3 and still has his bottle at night. I work on the theory that they are only little for a short while and if it's what makes my little fella happy then so be it!

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