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Behaviour/development

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Original poster

transition from bottle to sippy cup. HELP!!!

15 replies

sleepylion · 18/03/2009 12:41

My daughter is 13 months. for the past few months she has been fully able to feed herself, both with the bottle and sippy cup. But she simply will not allow the transiion to happen. I feel depressed that I constantly fail in all my tactics to make it happen. It just feels like a battle of wills. I have tried letting her take it for a few sips, and praising her. But it only happens when she's playing around. When shes actually thirsty and it's time to drink, she point blank refuses and goes mental if I even take her hands to guide her. So its starting to have a negative association. If I insist she doe it herself she has a full blown immensly major tantrum. It really feels like she's bossing me around to keep on serving her. I do love bottle time, it;s true. I love the calm and the cuddle. But I also want her to grow to independance.

I tried very kind of sippy cup. And the latest I tried is the avent magic cup, which has handles and can take a teat to start with before moving onto the non drip sippy bit. But it just makes no difference.

This battle of wills is very bad for our relationship I feel. I just don't know what to do for the best. Forget the idea? Expect it to happen one day when she's good and ready? Keep going? Ignore the tantrums? Leave her without fluids if she won't do it herself to show her she needs to do it.

PLEASE somebody help! I feel like crying right now this moment and holding back the tears.

Thanks

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sdr · 18/03/2009 12:45

I'd put away the sippy cup for a couple of weeks and then try again. It's not worth the upset for the two of you. What about leaving the bottle out and get her used to feeding herself from that first?

Original poster

sleepylion · 18/03/2009 12:47

thanks sdr.
I tried with the bottle. But as that didn't work Im now trying with the avent magic cup which is like a bottle holder with 2 handles.
But no luck...

OP posts:

HopeForTheBestExpectTheWorst · 18/03/2009 12:48

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This has been withdrawn on request of the poster.

sdr · 18/03/2009 12:50

Leave it for a while would be my suggestion. With DD1 used to persevere a lot with getting her to do things, but have eased off more with subsequent DC's. Though sometimes do think DC4 gets away with too much!! Would love to be able to know when you've got it right - at the time - not after.

Original poster

sleepylion · 18/03/2009 12:51

thanks hope,

I did try with a real cup but she just pours it all over herself. And I guess truth be known I havent had the patience to keep changing clothes all the time. Im a single parent, and time is of the such an essence.
I like the idea of using the same plastic cups. Will try it out on a day when I have nothing to do after meal times!

OP posts:

bodiddly · 18/03/2009 12:58

Some of the avent magic cup style cups are really hard to get the drink from .. have you tried a basic Tommee Tippee cup as these are free flowing and are good transition cups. I agree with sdr maybe stop trying for a little while or perhaps let her drink out of your cup for a while?

Original poster

sleepylion · 18/03/2009 13:22

Thanks Bodiddly. She does drink out of my cup for a few sips. But for a bottle feed she's on approx 270 ml per time! so its not like I can supplement that with a cup as it would take a week to give her one feed!!

I didn;t even try her on the avent magic cup teat - i'm only using the base part to hold the bottle as then it means the bottle has handles. The sippy teats are hard to drink from I know. I tried her on all the other ones.

Will have to hold off for a while. I agree. Just wish I had a plan after that...

OP posts:

bodiddly · 18/03/2009 13:31

I really wouldnt stress about it ... how many adults do you see drinking from bottles! She will get there when she is ready ... perhaps take her to a baby group and let her see other children with their big girl cups .. or take her with you to pick one at the shop with her favourite character on it!

Original poster

sleepylion · 18/03/2009 15:25

hi again,
she started nursery a month ago and sees the others doing it, but wont do it there either!
Will take advice and not stress.
dinner time must dash! Thanks!

OP posts:

EyeballsintheSky · 18/03/2009 16:21

I bought all manner of cups for dd but she will only drink water out of them. Try to put milk in there and she flings it across the room like Father Jack being offered water!

In the end I gave up. She is only 14 months, she totally adores her bottle of milk and life is to short to make her miserable just because the books say bottles are bad. Decided she can have it (at home) for as long as she wants and she'll dump it eventually. Can't see her sitting in the pub swigging snakebite out of it...

may08 · 18/03/2009 20:40

wow, that all sounds familiar! My ds is 18 months and I tried at about 13 months with the transition from bottle to cup and it was a complete disaster. He will drink water from his beaker but put milk in it and he doesnt want to know.

Hes 18 months now and is still having 2 bottles a day - I gave up because he just screamed every time I tried and I felt like it wasnt worth the upset. I think I'll just have to wait until he is older and perhaps understands a bit better. Its not like I'm giving him juice from a bottle so I'm not going to stress about it

Good luck

TheLadyEvenstar · 18/03/2009 20:44

Phew am i glad i came across this thread!!!
ds2 is 18m old and NOTHING will make him drink from anything other than a bottle

Original poster

sleepylion · 21/03/2009 18:27

Wow Evenstar. We are on the same planet then.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Strangely enough, since posting, little lady has suddenly shown an interest in taking the bottle herself - not the milk ones though - those are strictly for mum cuddles! AHHH!

Well, it's early days yet, but it gives a glimpse of new independace. PLUS, I have also turned a corner, and realised I was getting too sucked in to the standards out there! Have decided to go with what makes her happy. And who cares if it takes her a few more months to go on the cup alone. All babies are different, just like us. Best I can do is introduce her to new things and encourage her, and the rest is up to her. That's my motto from now on!

Maybe the wonderful sunshine is putting it all into perspective! Happy springtime everyone!

Lou

OP posts:

Original poster

sleepylion · 26/03/2009 09:43

Just wanted to update.

Strange, but since I poured my concerns onto this thread, little lady has turned a corner!

In the last week she is wanting to feed herself with the bottle, starting to take her first steps, stacking bricks, saying mama mama a lot, and giving me beautiful kisses! She's totally bloooooming!

So I guess the moral of the story is....chill. It will all come together in it's own good time. And it surely is!

Milk bottles still saved for mama cuddles - and to be honest, I would miss those too!!

Sippy cup will happen when the time is right. I'm really not bothered anymore.

HAve a lovely chilled out day y'all x

OP posts:

hillbilly · 26/03/2009 13:22

Hi Loulahoop,

DS is 17 months and also is very reluctant to have milk from a sippy cup. I have managed to do it for his afternoon milk (although he does not have as much as he did from a bottle), but no go for morning milk so I have switched back to bottle as I can't stand the screaming at 5.30am!

Bedtime is still a bottle though for both our benefit

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