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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

Switch from bottle to cup

17 replies

mellymell · 22/05/2007 10:34

I was told and have read that one should start familiarising your baby with a cup as early as possible to make the switch to a bottle easier. This I have done. HOwever, my 7 month old refuses to even consider drinking from a cup. He also refuses to hold his bottle himself - the minute the bottle is in his mouth, he reverts to the hands free method of being fed. Am I being too much of a pushy parent and trying him too early? What d'you think?

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littlelapinWearsBoden · 22/05/2007 10:35

Mine still does that half the time and he's 13 months.

fryalot · 22/05/2007 10:37

mine will drink juice or water out of a cup, but insist on milk being in a bottle.

dd2 is nearly 3 and ds is getting on for 2

lollypopmax · 22/05/2007 10:37

ds 8mths is resisting at the minute, had the rest of them off the bottle at this stage so am trying to stick with it.

Hilllary · 22/05/2007 10:39

My dd1 didnt give up her bottle until she was nearly 2! dd2 gave up her bottle at 9 months (I use the tescos own plastic beakers, the orange and yellow ones) as they are much easier for lo's to drink from, doesnt require so much suck)

Ceebee74 · 22/05/2007 10:40

Good question - I keep wondering this about my 10 month old.

My view is that until he is 1 (and food stops being fun ) that it is best to keep his milk in a bottle to ensure he drinks it - too scared to change it until he is eating properly.

After that, I have no idea what I am going to do. My friend has a 2 year old who still has a bottle of milk (and a cuddle) at bedtime - which seems quite sweet but perhaps wrong?

Hilllary · 22/05/2007 10:41

dd2 has a beaker and a cuddle at bedtime and mornings

fruitful · 22/05/2007 10:42

I remember getting the same advice and stressing about it at the same age. A friend with older children said "don't worry, they can all manage it by the time they start school". Which at the time I thought was really daft advice but in retrospect was quite sensible.

7 months is very little still. Keep offering the cup, or give her an empty one to play with. She'll choose to do it eventually.

Ds is 2.3 and drinks from a sippy cup but refuses an open cup. He'll decide to do it himself eventually and then it will be easy.

fruitful · 22/05/2007 10:44

About the bottle of milk thing - I waited till ds was happy and competent to drink water/juice from a beaker (we use the Boots blue ones) and then got rid of the bottles for milk. He didn't drink much for about 3 nights and then was completely fine. Was about 12 months I think.

Original poster

mellymell · 22/05/2007 12:38

Thanks for all this - I'm obviously stressing too much and thinking that I had a lazy creature on my hands!! (Although, I do have a feeling that my ds is going to be the type of child that will expect to be waited on hand and foot!!).

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GateGipsy · 22/05/2007 14:34

OK now I am worried. DS is 2 and still has his milk (morning and evening) from a bottle. He has all his other drinks from a tippy cup. He is perfectly capable of drinking from a cup, but he will simply tip it down his front instead. Or over his head. No idea how to get him to stop doing this. He is the only 2 year old at nursery to still wear a bib for food. They tried without but eventually were defeated. How do you stop a 2 year old from spurting his yoghurt down the front of his t-shirt?

He has excellent hand eye co-ordination for everything, except for getting food from spoon or fork into his mouth. He's now got to the point where he's giving up on the utensils and just using his hands.

Is it a good idea to just let him develop at his own pace? Anyone have a similar experience?

LittleEgg · 22/05/2007 14:43

My DS is 15 months and dropped bottles completely about a month ago. He hated cups of any kind until he was about 12 months. He couldn't use any kind of non spill cup (have you ever TRIED sucking out of one of those?) but is now very happy with the ones that do pour all over the floor if he tips them (which he does enjoy doing). When I was a bit concerned at lack of progress I asked friends with older children and I think many are later than the "books" say.

Weegle · 22/05/2007 15:56

Having gone through a nightmare trying to get DS on to a cup I have decided that as with all things with babies: they will do it when THEY are ready! I went through over 10 different styles of cup (I kid you not, including a doidy) and he just didn't get it at your son's age. At 10 months something clicked and now (1 year) he happily drinks from a cup. Simultaneously he started holding his own bottle (once it's about half full before that it is too heavy). Therefore my advice, to prevent someone going through what I did is to just have a cup available and then just sit back and WAIT for them to do it.

Vmama · 29/01/2008 19:59

hey Weegle that's great advice for me as I have been stressing so much about this -can you tell me a bit more -did you always offer a cup and then give a bottle or give him the choice or what? I'm trying to get DS (nearly one) to drink from a cup but he seems to have built up a thing about it any help would be fab!!

spinspinsugar · 30/01/2008 10:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ElizabethsMother · 19/02/2008 19:05

I have a 2 yr 3 month old daughter who according to all the posts is backwards with her drinking. She is lazy with her food and drink and I dont know what to do with her. She expects her milk and cups of tea in her bottle or she flatly refuses it. I know she can use a cup because when she decides to she can but she prefers emptying it. She is incredibly determined and it really is a battle between us and her. She would rather us spoon feed her too but we leave it to her, but it's not without her trying. I have decided to leave her without drink all day in the hope she will be desperate to pick it up and drink it herself. She refuses the beaker cups too and has never used them, she prefers the easy way. I am having the same trouble with potty training. She can hold it as she wont go until you give her a nappy to use and if one isnt in sight she will just hold herself and cry. Shes not scared of the potty or toilet as she sits on it but flatly refuses to use it for its purpose even though she knows what to do. She will have a complete paddy instead. I am at my witts end and it makes me feel as if I am a bad parent because I cant get my daughter to do the normal things. Any tips I would greatly appreciate

ABCandD · 23/02/2008 21:21

I also have a daughter who is 2yr 3 month and currently drinks from a bottle constantly and drinks bottles upon bottles of water a day. Advice from H visitor was that need to make a big thing of binning the bottles and basically bite the bullet. Haven't yet been brave enough to do as lo not been well so don't want to stress. She is also very feisty and know will battle us all the way on this as she hates change. Great with eating. Feel terrible as have about 15 different cups I have tried over time but have always given the choice and not really pushed, now realise that I should have.

Haven't yet tried potty as she is on medication for constipation, looking to try that one in the summer all being well then.

If anyone can reccommend any cup to try, would appreciate.

I wish you all the luck, but don't worry that you haven't got all the timelines expected, plenty of us haven't either

pookie81 · 25/02/2008 12:05

Hi, My DD is 18 months now and didn't want to know a cup until one day at 10 months she just took to it without any fuss.

I tried about 4 different types but in the end the one that worked was a cheap beaker from Boots (pack of 5) it doesn't have handles but it's great because she can fit her little hangs round it. Good luck

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