progressing from bottle to cup

[eidsvold]

I am really conscious of the fact that dd is 18 months old and having a variety of drinks - still in a bottle. SHe is great with drinking from a bottle but it seems any attempt to get her to progress to a cup is met with stiff resistance.

I tried the other day - the bottle to cup spout on a bottle - she drank her milk no worries. Went to try it the next day and she refused to drink from it. Have tried so many cups - you would not believe and she just seems to not want to drink from them.

I did have a little success today - she drank from a boots first beakery think whilst I drank from her heinz baby cup ( long story but she is into mimicing sort of.) She just seems to prefer chewing the spouts rather than drinking from them. She took a few sips today but seems really not to like it.

I guess I just want some ideas or hints that others tried and some reassurance that she will get it and I will not have other parents looking at me in horror when she is drinking juice form a bottle I know she will get it - as she has gotten other things in her own time...

eidsvold she WILL get it!!

I could never get my dd to drink from a beaker type thing. She just went on to an open cup eventually. She does still have a bottle though for milk, but only at home! She is adament that milk is in a bottle and gets very annoyed if I dont give it her. We are trying to encourage positive thinking (and confidence) with her so I cant really refuse. Just a bit embarassing though that at 4 she still wants a milk bottle!- that is why I limit it to the house. Ds still has his milk in a bottle aswell (he is 2y4m)

So from that you can tell I am not the best for advice about getting them off the bottle

Eidsvold,

As you know my DS1 is on the autistic spectrum. He always seemed to struggle with transitions like this. At 18 months he was still drinking from bottles and wouldn't even hold them himself, I had to hold them for him (I didn't know he was autistic then, but I knew there was something "different" going on, iykwim).

He was two before he would drink from a cup, and even then it had to be one where the juice flowed easily through the spout - he never mastered drinking from those "no-spill" type ones - he just didn't seem to be able to suck hard enough. He was still having his bedtime drink of milk in a bottle (with a teat) when he was 3.5.

BUT - he got there in the end. Now aged 4.5 and drinks all his drinks from an open cup or tumbler.

So no hlepful advice really, just persevere, try not to let your worry get through to her, and she WILL get there in the end - as you know.

ds1 and 2 (my asd boys) were both off the bottle fast- however ds3 (NT???!??) was still having it on his up 4th birthday-(CRINGE!) we'd suceeded with squash in sports bottles and cups at 18mts but he loved milkytea(YEAH! I KNOW tea's a strange drink....but none of mine liked milk!!) so i kept giving up on the bottlestopping because he is TINY and i worried about the effect removing his milk from his diet would cause....however on his 4th birthday i told him he had to stop bottles...he accepted this- but has NEVER drunk tea/milk/milkshakes since....while i'm at it i will confess he is 5 in may and still has his dummy in bed- and his 'first carry-carseat' to watch tv in.(See how small he is!) And we've had the longest spell of 'drynights' - 10 so far....so maybe i can at least say he's out of nappies! Bits of this ring alarm bells about ASD- however this is YOUR thread!!!!

You could miss spouts out completely- some just refuse anything but a bottle or open cup- I even gave ds3 a play teaset in the bath and some squash...he loved the tiny teacups....however he was about 2-.HE ALSO LOVED SPOONING SQUASH INTO HIS MOUTH FROM A CUP!

My opinion is that all kids are different and if you can manage to remove bottles during the day (and she is happy with cups) then if she still has a night one- then that is ok.

In addition since 'binning the bottles' ds3 refused ribena- only wanting orange- but the other day i got a 'water dispenser' and i fill the 'upturned bottle' with ribena - and because he can press the button to get his own drink he likes it agin!

Ds1 absolutely refused to drink out of cups with spouts on them. We had to hold an 'open' cup for him to sip out of, until he was able to hold the cup himself at about 2yrs. He still sips out of a cup while at pre-school but while at home he prefers to use a straw.

thank you so much for all your ideas... I think we may be progressing from bottle to open cup. SHall keep trying and see what happens

my dd 22 months, has never had a bottle but isn't keen on cups with spouts. at home she just has an open glass - a heavy bottomed, wide one so that it's not knocked over easily. If we are out she prefers cartons with a straw. Also she likes those new style sports caps, so I now buy one of say Ribena and then reuse it with water or fruit juice... she hates milk though and doesn't look like i can con her into drinking it in the near future.

Personally I'd not worry about the stares - I hardly notice myself but I know what you mean.

well we had some success... today she took a little milk through one of those bottle to cup trainer. Very pleased with herself while her loonym other danced around the kitchen praising her like mad with clapping, makaton and lots of very good girl!!

that is fantastic! hopefully she'll take a little more each time!!! If she gets so much encouragement from you she will look forward to trying! It's amazing how excited we get over these triumphs!!!