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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

How do I get my 16 mth old dd to take milk from a cup at bedtime?

21 replies

Louise76 · 30/04/2009 19:59

Everywhere I look for advice, it says that babies should ideally stop having a bottle at 12 months and certainly by 18 months but how on earth does anyone manage this????!

DD was breastfed until she was 5 months old then moved on to ff without too much grief. Since she was one she has been having cows milk at night but still in a bottle.

On Monday night I tried giving her milk in a cup at night but she was not happy about it. She drinks milk happily from a cup during the day.

Tonight she went mental and I caved in and dh is currently trying to settle her after giving her milk in a bottle.

Am I being cruel trying to force her to take milk in a cup at night?

I really am clueless so any advice would be appreciated!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

rubyslippers · 30/04/2009 20:00

leave her with the bottle

she is still very young

not worth the aggro IMO

Original poster

Louise76 · 30/04/2009 20:03

That's what I started to think tonight!!

OP posts:

giddykipper · 30/04/2009 20:03

I've been going through this but I have to admit I have let it lie until DS is nearly 2. In his bedroom he won't have milk in anything but a bottle, he will have it in a cup in the lounge at bedtime. So I've shifted his routine so that he has his milk downstairs (after PJs put on downstairs) then it's upstairs for teeth, stories and bed.

gigglewitch · 30/04/2009 20:03

My dc wanted their bedtime milk quite warm, they'd never drink it cold or 'baby warm' IYSWIM

if you've got her on a cup during the day you are doing great. I think they need the night bottle for longer. mine were bf til 12,&17mo but still had a bottle at bed time, cup the rest of the time.

corriefan · 30/04/2009 20:50

My dd who's 2.8 still has a bottle for morning and night milk but cup at every other time, but I did feed her for a long time too. I'm going to wait til she days she doesn't want it, I don't see what the problem is. My ds had his for a long time just for milk again because he liked lying down with it. I did try a couple of times with a cup but he just wouldn't drink it and then he decided for himself to stop having it. Basically I wouldn't worry about it, it's constant grazing through the day from a bottle of something sweet that's bad for the teeth.
I once asked a heatlh visitor who seemed to think it should be from a cup why and she burbled something about it impeding their ability to form different shapes for speech/ the social aspect: both irrelevant for a quick night time shlurp.

wrinklytum · 30/04/2009 20:55

I will whisper this

dd is nearly 3 and a half and still has her bedtime milk in a baby bottle.

(She has a mental age of 18mnths)

It helps her settle and she still has lovely teeth according to the dentist

Don't worry too much.As someone once said,choose your battles

mummymimi · 30/04/2009 21:16

My dd will be 3 at the end of may and still has milk in a bottle in the morning and at bedtime, I am hoping when she starts nursery she will take to drinking milk from a cup like the others kids do.

When she had her 2 year check I mentioned the bottle and the HV response was we will worry about that when she is 3 but I have deicided to not worry aboutit ( I have many other things to worry about) and hope she gives it up in her own time My mum said I gave mine up when I was around 3 and a half.

SallyJayGorce · 30/04/2009 21:19

DS is 3 and a half and has his milk in a bottle. He tells me he will still do this when he is 45. He has good teeth, he drinks everything else from a cup. I don't worry anymore.

CrushWithEyeliner · 30/04/2009 21:21

Leave her with a bottle - it is very comforting at bedtime and she is still v small.

DD is on a bottle and nearly 3. No biggie.

HalfMumHalfBiscuit · 30/04/2009 21:27

I am with you mummymimi. DS is the same and three in July. He simply will not take milk from a cup so I just carry on with a bottle morning and evening. He doesn't have much though and it doesn't take him long to drink it. Also he has bitten the teats so I think he has made it more like a sippy cup . He does like his routine so I'm going to leave him to it until we can reason him out of it when he is a bit older.

Mspontipine · 30/04/2009 22:33

My ds was a real bottle baby - loved his mllk then one night he just refused it just like that - had a sippy cup at night too and never looked back (around 2yrs iirc)

They'll either quit themselves or still be on it when they start school!! Sure they won't pack one in a briefcase when off to work though

sundew · 30/04/2009 22:35

Hi - they all stop at some point. dd2 was nearly 3 before the bottle fairy came and took away all her bottles. Why stress about it - what harm can it do?

GColdtimer · 30/04/2009 22:47

Don't worry about it - you are doing really well to have her on a cup in the day. DD has only just given up her bottle and she is 3 (and that is only because I secretly snipped the tops off and she informed me they didn't work because she was a "big girl" ). Its a comfort thing and no big stress if they are still having milk ina bottle at night.

sparkle12mar08 · 01/05/2009 15:47

One bottle a day is not a problem at all, even at night. Just make sure she drinks it in one go and does not fall asleep with it. And you must clean her teeth afterwards. Our ds1 had a bedtime bottle until 22 months

bigchris · 01/05/2009 15:49

I second everyone who says don't worry
we waited until dd was 2 and a half and now she has her milk out of a beaker
she can drink from an open cup but I'm sure the sucking is still of some comfort

keels26 · 01/05/2009 17:30

My DD is 17 months and drinks her milk out of a bottle. I have changed it for a bottle with handles and a teat thats quite hard and free flow. This is the in between bottle and cup stage! Not going to try the cup for a while though, will put the milk in her cup with a straw first.

craftynclothy · 01/05/2009 17:38

I would just try every so often with a cup. Dd wouldn't use a cup for ages at bedtime (even though she'd use it for other drinks during the day from quite young) then one night just took it and has always used a cup since.

Divvy · 01/05/2009 17:47

Milk in a bottle here still at 26 months Who cares for bed and morning, she will drop it when ready....and her teeth are fine

linspins · 04/05/2009 19:59

My Dd is just over two and a half and has just stopped having 2 bottles a day...now we use a cup, (with a straw too!) Warmed.
I think let her carry on. Surely it's better to drink the milk than refuse it in a cup? Lots of my dd friends mums were stressing about this and their children have stopped drinking milk. So even though they might have frowned on me, I have the last laugh as my dd still wolfs down her milk and doesn't miss her bottles now she's old enough.
They are only little for such a short time...

katiepotatie · 04/05/2009 20:15

Our dd has only just started taking her bedtime milk from a cup at 2 years old. I would say if she happily drinks from cups during the day, not to push the bedtime one for a while. I know a few other 2 year olds who still get bottles at bedtime only too...don't stress, she will eventually do it

JoeJoe1977 · 04/05/2009 20:21

If they opportunity presents itself to move off then bottle then take it, but otherwise don't worry. Better to have the milk in a bottle than not have it at all.

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