Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Two year old still having milk in a bottle. Any advice?

32 replies

HappySeven · 11/04/2012 17:02

My (just) 2 year old still likes her milk in a bottle. I know official advice is that she should be on a beaker by now but I was loathe to move her when she was a year (like her brother was) because he dropped his milk soon after and I felt she needed the calories/nutrition.

She has other drinks in a beaker but insists milk is in a bottle. I've tried coaxing and suggesting "big girls have milk in a beaker" but to no avail.

Any suggestions or should I just ignore it on the premise she'll have stopped it by the time she leaves home?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Gigondas · 11/04/2012 17:04

Dd1 was like this - only had milk twice a day. Ages 3 the bottle fairy appeared and took bottles/ left a present . No real issue since. Tbh I would have done it earlier as was ok but wimped out as was potty training then worried It would be worse than it was. Bottle fairy also left a petty Disney water bottle which helped.

Gigondas · 11/04/2012 17:04

And milk in cup with a straw went down better than any of the million or so cups I tried

WipsGlitter · 11/04/2012 17:07

My two DS (4 and 2) both get their morning milk in a bottle. Some if that is down to a "cups with lids" rule we have for the sitting room (upstairs). I'll prob wean DS1 off it in the summer.

Original poster

HappySeven · 11/04/2012 17:22

Thanks, that makes me feel alot better. She generally only has it morning and night and I was going to try "milk during the day must be in a beaker" if she has it but maybe that would be confusing.

I like the idea of the bottle fairy. Maybe I'll wait a while until she understands better and try again.

OP posts:

NeedlesCuties · 11/04/2012 20:02

DS (2 yrs 2 months) is the same - he has milk in bottle twice a day.

If he goes to anyone's house he will use a beaker or a cup with a straw or if we're at a cafe. But at home he just wants to drink his milk in a cup and it's a struggle to get him to take any water etc in anything other than a bottle at home.

For a while I was stressing, but now I'm just going to ride it out and try again in another few months when he's a bit older.

beckyf21 · 11/04/2012 21:14

Phew that makes me feel so much better as my DS (22 months) still has his morning and evening milk in a bottle. I have tried a few times to get him to use a beaker but he just smacks it away and cries. I too feel it is important at this age to still have milk so cannot see what harm it is doing drinking it from a bottle. Its the only time i get a nice cuddle with him too! He drinks his water in the daytime in a beaker.

Tigresswoods · 11/04/2012 21:16

Keep going if you want. However if you do want to loose the bottles you need to get your own head around that DC no longer needs all that milk.

Just bin the bottles, offer an alternative receptical & live with the consequences. At 2 your DC no longer needs it.

HTH.

Magneto · 11/04/2012 21:16

Ds is 20 months and only has one bottle per day which is before bed. He won't really take milk from a beaker, he never drinks as much as he would if it were in the bottle.

I'm not planning on weaning him off that bedtime bottle any time soon.

Tigresswoods · 11/04/2012 21:23

IMO it's a sleep cue & you need to replace that cue. DS is now 25m & his current cues are book, say goodnight to sunshine (groclock) and we do rubbing noses

FamiliesShareGerms · 11/04/2012 21:27

My nearly two year old has a bedtime bottle only but likes to use it to settle to sleep. Any advice how to replace this, as surely it's partly about comfort to settle her to sleep?

RandomMess · 11/04/2012 21:30

I chucked the bottles out (well hid them in the loft) I had a 1 year old (not bothered) and a 2 year old (completely devastated).

I told her the bottles had gone - showed her the empty cupboard, gave them both an anyway up cup with milk instead.

She pouted and then got on with it

From the anyway up cup to an open cup was a much easier move.

Tigresswoods · 11/04/2012 21:33

familiessharegerms read my post above about sleep cues.

We give DS milk in a beaker while bath is running. He can drink some then and then after while we do a story. Sometimes he drinks loads. Sometimes hardly any. It's no biggie.

5madthings · 11/04/2012 21:34

ds4 was like this he had milk in a bottle before bed until he was 3yrs 4mths when we went away and 'forgot' the bottle, i offered milk in his special buzz lightyear cup instead but he refused, he hasnt drunk milk since i dont think but has it on cereal etcs o think thats fine.

2 of mine bfed until they were over 3yrs old so think milk in a bottle is exactly the same, they all drank water out of a cup so i was happy for them to have bottle or boob for milk whilst they wanted to, they all grew out of it eventually.

dd is 16mths and still has 3 bottles of 4oz a day, she is happy so i am happy and she will grow out of it like her brothers did :)

mosschops30 · 11/04/2012 21:35

I dont care ds2 has a bottle of milk at night and in the morning (hes 2.4).

Both ds1 and ds2 just gave it up when ready at 3 and 4.

I see no point in making a big drama out of it, its not doing him any harm, he loves it and he gets 12oz of milk a day

Original poster

HappySeven · 11/04/2012 22:00

Thanks everyone

OP posts:

RancerDoo · 11/04/2012 22:04

My dd2 has milk in a bottle twice a day (she is 2.5), and I have decided it is fine.

The bottles are partly for comfort but she doesn't have them for long a day so I can't see any harm. I took dd1's bottles when she was one and she tuned into the world's most committed thumb sucker immediately afterwards (buck teeth and all). I'll take a bottle over that!

Rubirosa · 11/04/2012 22:06

So long as you brush their teeth after the milk, does it really matter that much?

purpleroses · 11/04/2012 22:07

My DS did that at 2.5. I was worried when he started nursery that he wouldn't drink milk in a beaker like they were expected to, and asked if he could have a bottle. The nursery said no, that they would all drink it in a beaker - and they were right - Peer pressure worked wonders

He went on having it at bedtime for another year or so I think. Does no harm as long as you don't let them fall asleep with it and brush their teeth afterwards.

HateBeingCantDoUpMyJeans · 11/04/2012 22:09

When we went to stay at my mums I 'forgot' the bottle so she had to have it in a beaker, then when we got back I just said oh no your a big girl now you have a cup not a bottle and that was it. Tge change in routine defo helped.

NeedlesCuties · 12/04/2012 07:24

my DS has been known to take his bottle into bed with him at night to suck for comfort. He never took a dummy and I think he's in the past few months starting to use his bottle as a comforter.

Any ideas how to stop that happening?

FamiliesShareGerms · 12/04/2012 07:48

Thanks Tigress, slight x-post. Needles, my DD likes to take her bottle to bed and fall asleep on it too. She settles for a nap without it, so I guess it should be simple enough to wean her off it at bed time too, but the end of the day always seems more fraught as everyone is tired. Maybe we need a visit from the bottle fairy!

vvviola · 12/04/2012 07:57

Like HateBeing, we used the power of granny. DD was 2.5 and I was visiting Mum. I was in town for a late work meeting and Mum did bedtime and couldn't find the bottle. Gave her milk in a cup and we never looked back.

Bubbaluv · 12/04/2012 09:17

Just throw the bottles away. You can be sure it won't be a problem in 48 hours time.
Breaking these habits is never as hard as you imagine it will be.

FamiliesShareGerms · 12/04/2012 16:48

OK, a timing Q: DD starts nursery at the end of the month, is moving into a bed soon (ie when we have sorted it out...), and is starting to show signs of being ready to potty train. Shall I just add the removal of the bed time bottle to the list and get it all done with together, or wait a while until the other things are established?

(And why can't I remember what we did with DS? It was only 4.5 years ago...)

Murtette · 12/04/2012 18:18

DD gave hers up of her own accord at 2.4 when we moved her into a "big girl's bed". The night she moved into her bed, she had her milk in a bottle as per usual; the next night, I gave her her a bottle and was told in indignant tones that bottles were for babies in cots and not for big girls in big girls' beds and she wanted a beaker. We haven't looked back. I was mightily relieved as we've been trying to ditch the bottle on & off since she was about 14mo but always failed as she'd drink scarcely any milk & then wake in the night as she was thirsty and/or hungry.

Flip

1 2