Ditching Bottles

[SpaghettiMeatballs]

DS was breastfed until a year when he started on cow's milk. He adores milk and has a large bottle at bedtime and first thing.

He is 16 months now and I am really struggling to get him off the bottles. With my first I just gave her a sippy cup cold turkey style at a year and she grumped for a few days but then took it. That said she was a nightmare to get onto bottles in the first place.

DS sobs and sobs if I put his milk in a cup. Full on, inconsolable sobbing.

Does anyone have any tips please? I keep trying the cup but I can't stand to see him so distressed.

I've tried a 'bottle to cup' trainer from Sainsburys but he just cries endlessly. Is there a better product?

I wouldn't worry I have never understood the need to get kids off bottles. Wait a couple of months and try again- mine switched at about 20m with no grumbles at all.

I would just wait, he is still only little and if its just for comfort. My ds was heartbroken every time I tried to get him off them, he ended up having a tiny bit at bedtime until 3. Much longer than I wanted, but in the grand scheme of things, I didn't really matter, so I let it go.

By that age he could understand more and decided himself to give them to our friends new baby (so she could throw them away).

Despite the "they are only babies" brigade bottles aren't great for teeth. Both Avent and Nuk do a transition cup with a clear soft silicone spout, we found it a good halfway house.
DS also hated sippy cups because he couldn't see white milk. Oxo Tots cups are see through if this is a problem.

My DS is almost 3 and still has a bottle before bed, I figure it's better than him not having any milk at all. He's an incredibly fussy eater. We always brush his teeth after the bottle.

He has always loved milk. He wakes up in a rage and the bottle instantly calms him down and he is his usual happy self.

The dentist has told me he needs to stop. I'm trying to rationalise it because he hasn't always had bottles and he hasn't had a dummy but the dentist went on and on about how bad bottles are for his teeth.

The strange thing is he has milk in a cup at nursery.

I don't want to make him unhappy but I do feel I should keep trying in light of what the dentist said. Has anyone had success with a straw cup at his age.

Cross post. Those transition cups look like they are well worth a try.

I will take him to the big boots to choose one. I think he is too young to choose a cup and feel an attachment to it as a result but worth a go.

Ok I'm not part of any brigade, our dentist was happy for us to continue as it was such minimal use. As your dentist has said to stop, then yes try all the different kinds of cups. At his age ds struggled a bit with the straw ones but got on better with the soft sippy ones, non spill seemed to work better.

Good luck op, cold turkey and hopefully it will get easier after a few difficult days.

Sorry I meant not non spill, they were trickier.

He's chosen a Tommee Tippee cup with a soft spout. He likes the wellie boots on the side.

I'll be trying it at bedtime.... Fingers crossed.

I found non spill much better with DD but in reluctant with DS because he gets in such a rage over the absent bottle that he flings the cup about in temper.

It's interesting your dentist was more relaxed. Mine was totally uninterested when I said I'd tried but DS gets very upset. He just said he shouldn't have milk at all if he won't take it from a cup which doesn't feel right to me.

How did it go last night?

Not good.... He refused to even open his mouth despite enthusiastically helping to fill his new cup and carry it upstairs.

I put him in bed thinking he would cry for me to come back with the milk but he just went to sleep and then woke at 4.30 at which point I gave him a bottle of milk to get him back to sleep.

Arghhhh!

I think cold turkey will have to be the way but as DH is away with work at the mo I am going to wait until he is here to share the pain!

Good idea! Good luck for the next try.

When DS refused to even countenance any cup that wasn't exactly the same as he already had (and we were running out and couldn't find any more), we meanly took the top off and poured a tiny bit in his mouth so he could taste it was really milk in there. He was fine about 10 seconds later to drink from the spout.

Have you tried the cup with water and/or at mealtimes instead of bedtime? We always started at a mealtime.

He has always used a cup for water so at least we don't have to worry about that. It's just the morning and bedtime milk.

He has taken a sip before and spat the milk out!

I have no idea what's going on in his head with this one!