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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

Addicted to the bottle

16 replies

sallys · 17/02/2005 15:31

My dd has just turned 2 and will not drink milk in anything other than a bottle. She manages well drinking juice and water out of a cup but as far as milk goes will only go near it if its in a bottle. Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have MIL making comments

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Ameriscot2005 · 17/02/2005 15:33

I think this is very normal and nothing to worry about. Milk = bottle and bottle = milk. Yes, she will grow out of it, but she is still very much a baby.

sanchpanch · 17/02/2005 15:34

i think that fine and nothing to worry about a least she will take juice in a cup, my daughter is 18 months and i am sure she will be the same!!

Gwenick · 17/02/2005 15:36

Don't worry about it. My DS2 is younger than yours (14 months) but he drinks juice out of a beaker which he holds on his own, but still wants to lie back in our arms to drink his milk from his bottle!

Pinotmum · 17/02/2005 15:39

My ds stopped drinking milk altogether when the bottles were removed so perosnally I wouldn't worry at all. My dd was over 3 when I removed the last bottle of milk.

Original poster

sallys · 17/02/2005 15:41

Thanks! That makes me feel better. I was reasonably sure it was nothing to worry about but then along comes someone to question you. Then you suddenly doubt yourself- or I do anyway!

OP posts:

Twiglett · 17/02/2005 15:44

my ds was 3.3 when I finally bribed him to give up his night-time bottle

he hasn't drunk milk since

don't stress it .. it is no problem in the grand scheme of things

expatinscotland · 17/02/2005 15:44

I had a bottle until I was 3. I even named it.

Gwenick · 17/02/2005 15:45

My DS1 stopped drinkg milk at 14 months when I weaned him off the breast - did start drinking it again about 3yrs old but he's fit and healthy so can't have been that bad for him.

Pinotmum · 17/02/2005 15:46

It is more common that people admit but loads of 3+ year olds have a bottle of milk. We are all made to feel this is wrong though. God why do they have to grow up so quick anyway.

fisil · 17/02/2005 15:52

sallys, I removed ds's bottle this week (he's just turned 2). He only had one a day, in the evening before going upstairs for a bath, all part of the bedtime routine. The reason why I wanted to stop it was simply that he was getting so relaxed about the bottle that he'd take a sip, then drop it down, clamber about a bit and come back to it - all the time it would drip onto the sofa! I just got fed up with the milk dripping on the sofa, that's all.

So on Monday we went to Tescos together and he picked a set of four mugs. Every night when it gets to time for the bedtime routine we have "hot drink time" instead of milk time. We all go into the kitchen and prepare everyone's hot drink of choice (he puts our tea bags into the cups) and then we all sit down together to have our hot drinks. He starts off fine, but then every day so far he was said "want nother one milk" and we've said "but there's your milk" and he's eventually drunk it. We make a big fuss about how he has a proper grown up mug like mummy and daddy which seems to help too.

Good luck!

nutcracker · 17/02/2005 16:02

I think i am the only person who doesn't want Ds (2.2) to give up his bottle yet. He only has it morning and night and has a cup for juice/water throughout the day.

I did try him with his milk in a cup the other week, as dp and my mom said it was about time he gave his bottle up, result...........one full beaker of milk, he wouldn't touch a drop.

nm · 17/02/2005 16:10

If it makes you feel amy better my dd had bottles until well past her 4th birthday - only milk in a bottle - cup for everything else. We did a star chart and told her i would buy her a rainbow art set. I read somewhere on mumsnet it takes about 5 days to break the habit - so we gave it 10. At first she did ask for a bottle and I told her "that's fine darling but then you won't get the rainbow art set". After 7 days she was absolutely fine. Of course being the old softie that I am she got her rainbow art set and some stuff from the dIsney shop. FWIW my mother was horrified - apparently me and my sisters were still having milk (or more correctly very milky sweet tea - very indian) until well after we started school.

piffle · 17/02/2005 16:45

my dd is 28 mths and drinks well out of a proper cup but milk has to be in the bottle...I know one day she'll stop...

galaxy · 17/02/2005 16:57

My dd has this week started having a cold drink of mile from a Kids on the Go beaker in the mornings. She absolutely refuses to give up her bottle at bedtime though.

To be honest, she wolfs down her milk when in a bottle but now she's having the morning one in a beaker, I'm lucky if most of it doesn't end up over the carpet or down the sink where she gets bored drinking it.

Original poster

sallys · 17/02/2005 18:15

Thanks for all your advice. I will let dd get on with it I think!

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vess · 17/02/2005 18:23

As far as I know bottles are fine as long as the child doesn't fall asleep with the teat in his/her mouth, in which case it's bad for their teeth. Ds used to have one up to the age of 2 and 3 months, was really adicted to it and used it as a bedtime (and any other time) comfort. I hated it but couldn't do anything - I was afraid it would affect his bedtime and sleeping. Then we went on holiday and washing bottles was much too inconvenient, plus I noticed that the bottle doesn't soothe him that much any more, so decided to give it up. Told him he couldn't have a bottle for his afternoon nap. He cried for 30 min extremely loudly than fell asleep. After he woke up, he never asked for the bottle again. Didn't stop him drinking milk from a cup...

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