When did you REALLY stop bottles?

[stellenbosch]

So, I know you're supposed to stop at 12 months, but dc (18mo) is on allergy milk (which tastes gross out of a cup) and doesn't eat well, so is still having 4x6 oz bottle a day.

I'm just wondering when other ppl really gave up bottles and whether this will really do any harm?

About 2 - 2.5 yo, I think. Neither of mine then wanted milk in a soppy cup or open cup though, despite having previously drank a good 200ml cows milk from a bottle. I was happy that they were getting their nutrition elsewhere otherwise I may have gone back to a bottle.

I find that lots and lots of people continue with a bottle before bed way, way beyond 12 months. A friend of mine who I think pretty much follows all other parenting guidance still have her son a bottle at about 5 or 6yo.

Sippy cup, not soppy cup!

My DD is 4 and still has a bottle in the morning. She loves it and I don't think it matters.

I went with the advise and stopped before 12 mths old with my two. Went to sippy cups instead.

My 3yo will drink anything from anything, but milk comes in a bottle!

The dentist says she has excellent teeth, so it doesn’t seem to have done any damage.

DD had CMPA as a small baby and was still having a couple of bottles per day at about 14 months, despite the allergy being mostly gone by that point. She wasn't eating well and we only really stopped milk in the day when she started having meals (she's still a poor eater at 4, but better!).

But in the evenings she used to like a bit of milk in a bottle before bed. We gradually transferred her over to a cup, and she had her last bottle the night before she turned 3 (there was 1oz in the bottle, if that). We could've stopped long before that, but she liked the routine. Now she has normal milk in a cup every night.

I can't remember with my first son but it much was later than advised, second son is almost three is still gets one at bedtime and occasionally through the day to relax, he has special needs and the bottle calms him down so it's about picking our battles really.

The worry would be if their teeth are rotting I think and so I'm super careful with teeth brushing and dentist checks

13 months or thereabouts for daytime bottles and 14 months for nighttime bottles. We used free flow sippy cups till 14 months and then switched to straws.

DD1 just after 2.
DD2 11 months! I found it much easier to do it earlier I have to say. At 2, DD1 was very attached. At 11 months DD2 reallt wasn’t bothered and switched happily to a cup.

About 2 for both children. Dentist said as long as it was milk in the bottle and teeth brushed regularly it wasn't a problem in their case. Dd had to stop a dummy abruptly around 2.6 as dentist thought it was affecting her teeth.

I am glad others have carried on with a bottle after 12 months.
My just gone 3 year old still has a bottle at night. It helps her get to sleep easily. She hasn't been a great eater so think she has needed it. We clean her teeth after the bottle so don't think it's a big problem.
We have tried cups a few times but not worked. I think she will be ready to go a cup soon. I have recently had a second child so it's not really been the right time to stop as she has got very clingy when I was pregnant.
We would have really struggled to take the bottle away at 12 months.

13 months. I kept them going a little longer than 12 months as we were going on holiday and I correctedly suspected she would wake on a night time for milk.

My daughter is dairy free and from 12 months has soya, almond or oat milk in a cup. She does not drink much milk so we use other sources of calcium. At one they need 350mg calcium a day.

AFAIK the advice is really there to try and encourage parents to switch from bottles to cups for drinks as drinking juice/squash from bottles throughout the day is damaging for teeth.

One or two bottles of milk a day won't cause any long term issues I'm sure.

I certainly kept my sons bedtime bottle way past 1year old. He was happy to switch and when we did it was v easy. I would have happily let him have it longer.

My daughter has Cmpa (assume yours has similar). Also a fussy eater and only recently off the horrible allergy milk! We cut down to two bottles a day and now at 19 months she has a bottle of oatly barista twice a day, before nap and in the evening. (Incidentally her eating has improved slightly since reducing the milk - hungrier we think!) She loves the bottle so much, we know she should be drinking it from a cup now but we are deciding to choose our battles! She gets such a lot of comfort from a bottle and it’s literally a few minutes twice a day. I don’t disagree with the bottle advice, I just think its not the end of the world to give them a bit longer with one.

DD was 2 when she gave up her last bottle (bedtime). My friend's DD is 5.5 and still has a bottle.

I'm going to start another thread about cmpa - please come and tell me about your milk ladder experience and any food tips!

Almost 4, full on bottle addict Here!!

We did cold turkey when our kid was about 19 months old. She was eating feck all so I thought giving up bottles would help and it did she eats more and sleeps through the night now.

Sorry but 4 bottles a day at 18 months isn’t ideal. Have you ever wondered if maybe the reason he doesn’t eat well is because he’s full from the milk, or because he knows if he doesn’t eat he will get a bottle anyway.

my DD was on allergy milk (neocate) until 14 months. she used to have a morning bottle which i dropped around 14 months and swapped to a cup, she never bothered.

12 months for all 3 of mine, basically when they stopped having formula. For me baby milk=bottles, and anything else goes in a cup. I also did it then because it is easy to take away with no fuss at that age over taking away at 2 or 3 years old.

I inagine your little one is full of milk hence not wanting to eat.

Mine was BF but took bottles of expressed milk when I was at work. Stopped all bottles at 14 months but introduced cow's milk in a straw cup at 12 months and slowly subbed cups of milk for the bottles.

I agree with EB123 that it's probably harder to drop bottles if they're still taking formula/breast milk as they associate the drink with the bottle.

Sorry just seen your baby is on allergy milk. Is it an allergy to cow's milk? Maybe offer almond milk or oat milk in a cup.

Mine is 15 months and he has 4 bottles a day. I have been thinking to cut it down (although he really wants his milk). But he gets grumpy when it's in a sippy cup.
(All the sippy cups I have bought are rubbish- they sound like they are letting in lots of air. Can anyone recommend one? We have bought countless tommee tippee cups but they are no good for us?)

4 dc

12/13 months

Oh and one of my four has cmpa