How to stop last two bottles

[LD24]

Hi!

Our baby is just coming up to 13 months and we’re struggling to transition off his last two bottles.

The daytime ones were super easy, in fact it was more of a struggle to get him to have them by the end, but his morning and night ones are a different story! We switched to whole milk a few weeks ago with no issues at all so content is not the problem - we’ve tried straw cups (which he uses all day at home), sippy cups (which he uses at nursery) and open cup and the result is the same; the second he sees us coming with anything other than a bottle he has a full meltdown.

I know bottles can eventually cause dental issues so really want to get ahead of the problem before he gets older and it’s entrenched - any tips, help, advice would be so appreciated! 😊

I am currently going through similar with my 23 month old 🙈 6 days in of no milk at all. Won't take from a cup of any kind. No tantrum but getting to sleep takes a lot longer. It's tough going but it gets better. Seeing slight improvements daily. I have friends in similar situations who when they gave up the bottle they also gave up milk entirely. I know someone else that used the flavoured straws for evening milk and they works for them, but I think at 13 months that's probably not the answer 😂
Best of luck - it's tough but I'm sure you'll find what suits you and bubba!

Just dont offer it. Everything new is just a change in routine that they have to get used to. He doesnt need milk at 13 months as long as hes getting enough calcium through food. Either keep trying with another cup and let him have his meltdowns for a few days, or just stop the milk completely. Once he realises you're not going to offer a bottle he will take a cup. Its just another new thing he will need to get used to.

13 months is still very young OP. I’d let him keep them for now. Mine were down to nighttime only bottle by around 18 months, then we ditched the bedtime bottle around age 2. If you’re brushing twice daily and only putting milk in the bottle (as opposed to eg. Juice) and not leaving baby sucking on the bottle on his cot, you’ll be fine.

Too young. Give it a few months and try again. Both my kids stopped the bottle by themselves overnight at 20 months. The one refused it and never picked it up again, the other I didn’t give it to him and he didn’t asked for it again. Don’t stress x

My daughter used to wake up looking or a bottle just as a comfort. I got fed up with it and just binned it. She didn't even look for it.

Honestly don’t stress about it at 13 months! They don’t turn 1 and magically everything is supposed to change, That’s what we’re told
but it’s ridiculous. DS didn’t stop his night time
bottle until almost 2 and even now he still has milk in a cup. Aslong as the teeth are cleaned it’s nothing to stress over

I wouldn’t worry too much at all about a baby still taking a bottle at 13 months! Worry about speech and dental development is more about babies who seem to have one stuffed in their mouth all day every day, not two bottles a day. As long as his teeth are brushed well and he’s not falling asleep drinking it, I think it’s fine for now.

I stopped the morning one around 14 months, picked a week where he was well and not teething and just distracted him from wake up until breakfast. I’ve kept the evening one for now - he’s 18 months. It’s one of his portions of dairy, I put his multivitamin in it and it’s a little bit of time where he chills before bed. I brush his teeth after and he has it in his mouth for less that 5 minutes so I can’t see an issue. I also think it’s super cute how excited he gets when I say it’s time for milk! I think around two I’ll start offering it in a cup and see if he wants to keep it!

I’m not being critical, just curious, but why do you want to get your toddler to give up milk when it’s so nutritious? Especially when a lot of small children don’t eat healthy food? I get that you don’t want them to have it in a bottle but honestly, it’s a healthy and nutritious drink? I just don’t get it. I breast fed mine till they were 9 months - by that time I wasn’t producing much milk. So then I gave them cow’s milk for as long as they wanted it. I know it’s not as good for them as human milk but at 9 months I struggled

13 months is still a very young little one , my son has a bottle of milk and a dummy at bedtime he’s 3.5 years old … his teeth are beautiful and perfectly straight , you do you but they grow up to quick don’t be to much in a rush to pull everything that is a comfort to them away at such a young age x

I had exactly the same with mine at a similar age, I didn’t want him to have a bottle for the reasons you’ve said, so did the same with cups etc but he wouldn’t drink the milk after a while I gave up trying and the health visitor told me as long as he’s having enough sources of dairy through other things (yogurt, cheese, etc) then not to worry. Now he’s a little bit older he’ll quite often ask for milk and will happily drink it from a normal cup.

I guess it’s up to you, but why do you want him to stop having a bottle? He’s very young. Personally I wouldn’t worry about it, if it brings him comfort, it’s not hurting anyone, is it?

Dd1 was the only one of mine to ever have a bottle and she's 33. I still feel a bit guilty that I took her bedtime and morning bottle away from her when she was 2. She was so young! She did start eating much better as she wasn't getting so many calories from milk and she has lovely teeth. I think 13 months is too young to be worrying about this.

Thanks all for your replies! It’s good to know not everybody stopped cold turkey with bottles once their baby turned 12 months which is what we’re currently advised to do - was starting to worry a little and everyone at work said how easy it was with their babies to stop! 😬😂

Just to clarify for one of the comments, we’re not taking him off milk, just the bottle - he still needs milk at his age it’s just we’ve been advised to move away from bottles.

We won’t stress so much now and will just try to introduce a transition cup at different intervals as he gets older and hopefully one day he’ll just be fine with it as one of the comments mentions! :)

I personally wouldn’t stress too much right now. 13 months is still a baby.

Have you tried these ones? My daughter is breast fed but but we give her milk in this when I’m on nights.

Mine had a last bottle of milk until they were nearly 3. Teeth brushed afterwards so not going to sleep with it. All have perfectly nice teeth. 13m is a baby and given that modern teats are meant to mimic breast feeding I can't see an issue... HV don't recommend giving up breast feeding for comfort at their first birthday!

Gd is 13 months and has never had a bottle as she was ebf until sh was 12 months. She no longer has any breast milk and drinks from a tum tum sippy cup with a weighted straw.