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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

What age should you wean a baby from a bottle to a beaker? And how? My baby won't take her milk from a beaker.

25 replies

BelleEpoque · 10/01/2009 20:25

I've heard that by about 9 months a baby should be using a beaker for their milk instead of a bottle (assuming ff). My daughter has been bottle fed from day 1. Now she is 10 months and has 1 milk feed in the morning and 1 before bed. She drinks water from a beaker during the day and with her meals no problem. But every time I try to put her milk in a beaker, she's not having it. She gets upset and refuses it.

So my question is 1) Why, if at all, is it important to stop using the bottle at this age? Is it ok to wait a bit longer?

And 2) Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get her to take her milk from a beaker?

Thanks.

OP posts:

naturalblonde · 10/01/2009 20:28

I have no idea
Boots sell a bottle with a teat that is somewhere between a bottle and a sippy cup, my dd had that for a few weeks then went on to a sippy cup.

thisisyesterday · 10/01/2009 20:34

1.) IMO it's fine to wait. esp if it's only 2 feeds a day

2.) no idea! just keep trying? but don't worry if she doesn't want it. bottles are comforting, that's why they like them. and it's ok for her to need that still, she's still little

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 20:35

no idea, ds still on bottle at 18mo...

wishing you the very best of luck though

HaventSleptForAYear · 10/01/2009 20:36

English people make a big deal out of this.

Apparantly something to do with teeth.

As long is she's not walking round with it hanging out of her mouth (have seen!) I'm sure she'll be fine - DS1 still had a bottle occasionally for comfort at3.

KristinaM · 10/01/2009 20:37

it woudl be good if she had given it up befroe she goes to school. otherwise i woudlnt worry

muppetgirl · 10/01/2009 20:39

where did you hear this?

ds 2 is 14 months and has a bottle of milk in the morning and one in the evening. He has watered down juice in a cup (he just spits out water) The bottles are emptied in about 5-10 mins so it shouldn't casue any jaw/teeth probelms as he doesn't carry it around in his moth nor does he suck on it although it is empty, in fact he pushes it away when he empties it.

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 20:39

there are other threads on mn with equally reassuring comments as haventslept has made here which helped me!

i think it's ok as long as they don't have juice from a bottle/have it hanging out their mouths etc.

muppetgirl · 10/01/2009 20:40

problems and mouth

ahem

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 20:40

MrsSanta · 10/01/2009 20:41

Both my dc's had a beaker at 12/13 months. my choice. It was a bit tricky at first, I think we tried one with a straw in it from Mothercare (9 months +). Its good that your dd is having water from a beaker, half the battle there.
Maybe just keep trying her, but she is stil young.

FattipuffsandThinnifers · 10/01/2009 20:43

I was once accosted by a health professional of some sort in the drs surgery who showed me gory scary pictures of black rotten children's teeth, which was supposedly entirely due to using a bottle after 12 months

Though my ds used a beaker from about 13 months, many of my friends' dc used a bottle for much, much longer and their teeth are absolutely fine. I suppose if a child has a bottle filled with sweet juice permanently between its teeth for months it might do some damage but I really wouldn't worry about it!

(Btw I'd heard getting them off it by 12 months, not 10, so you've still got a few months to go to remain within supposedly 'safe' limits anyway )

HaventSleptForAYear · 10/01/2009 20:50

Thank you devilsadvocaat (nearly forgot your extra "a")!

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 20:58

i'm all about the double a!

Original poster

BelleEpoque · 10/01/2009 21:07

Gina Ford's book says 9 months. The NHS guidelines say 12 months.

Yes I heard also something about tooth decay, and also I just read somewhere it's also to do with development of the right muscles for speech. Apparently, a sucking action developments the wrong muscles for speech as opposed to a sipping action. Don't know how true that is just read it on some website.

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 10/01/2009 21:16

yes well, the less said about GF the better!!!!

HaventSleptForAYear · 10/01/2009 21:16

[clamps down hard to avoid passing comment on the usefullness of GF's advice...]

Well there is also research that shows that breastfeeding develops the muscles in a different way to ff but I'm not sure you could tell the difference in speech between a bf and a ff child, could you?

As I said, as long as your child is not constantly sucking on a bottle and has other food to eat and other ways to exercise her mouth rather than constant dummy + bottle, she will be fine.

I promise

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 21:29

Original poster

BelleEpoque · 10/01/2009 21:32

Why is GF so controversial? I don't get it. I mean, I understand if people don't want to do routines. But why so much controversy about her, there are other books out there that show you how to the put the baby in a routine, but they don't get the attention/bad comments that GF does.

I wondered if mentioning her would get this kind of reaction!! Personally, I found her book quite useful. Even though I was put off her by various comments made by people in the run up to my baby's birth. I thought "I'm not doing that routine stuff". Then someone gave me the book and I thought, well I'll have a little look.

And when I started following her routines everything became so much easier. Not that I did everything to the letter that she said in her book. (E.g. Didn't have black out blinds, dd slept in the buggy if we were out, so it wasn't so restrictive). Maybe it's that the tone of the book is quite 1950s matronesque and that puts people off. Anyway, I've gone right of the topic I know. I wonder if this is going to set off a bit of a storm?! ;-)

OP posts:

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 21:35

BE, just do whatever works for you.
lots of people disagree with lots of things (esp on mn), doesn't mean they don't work.

Original poster

BelleEpoque · 10/01/2009 21:37

Although, Haven'tSlept, I concede that the beaker at 9 months advice did make me want to question the usefulness of it, hence my post here. Agree with you re the bottle sucking, it makes sense.

OP posts:

HaventSleptForAYear · 10/01/2009 22:00

Ok.

I think that sometimes when people have followed the GF routines and they have worked for them, they tend to think she is the law on everything.

Or maybe SHE just thinks she is which is (one of the reasons why) she is so irritating - such certainty.

Just because her sleep routine thingy works for you doesn't mean that everything she says will work or be "true".

But I am working from a more general "hasn't hurt my kids so I wouldn't worry about yours" stance here (arguably just as scientifically valid, just less of the "make bottle at 6.43am business")

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 22:08

i haven't ever tried to follow any books but i think they can reassure people.

i also think they can worry people about following them to the letter.

i personally feel
1 they should be used as a guide
2 if something works for you, don't worry about what other people think

Original poster

BelleEpoque · 10/01/2009 23:01

Yes agree with you re the everything she says will not necessarily work or be "true". I've certainly questioned some of what she says, and have not followed her routines to the letter always. E.g, we were a bit more relaxed on holiday because following them would have been so restrictive to our holiday.

I'm all for reading all sorts of parenting books/articles/TV shows. But definately agree with DA, they should be used as a guide. As far as I'm concerned, I went to school and Uni to learn the usual subjects. But no-one gives you lessons in the most important job in your life, being a parent. When I got pregnant, I thought OMG I don't even know how to change a nappy. So I read everything I could get my hands on (not just on nappy changing :-). Of course when she came along, the nappy changing was really quite easy!!! But anyway, I still take in as much info as I can on all things parenting related. The more knowledge the better IMO,as you can then make informed choices. You can question things and ask yourself, Is GF or whoever really talking bollocks here!!?

Anyway, this has been useful so thanks. I was really questioning whether I should diligently pursue the whole beaker thing, possibly a stressful experience for myself and dd, which in my mind should only be pursued if the benefits outweigh the negatives. I was inclining towards leaving things as they were and just gently trying to introduce a beaker later and taking things at her own pace.

If she is still having her morning/night milk from a bottle when she is a toddler there is a strategy to deal with that. I saw it on supernanny today. It's when the bottle fairy comes and takes the toddler's bottles, and leaves a toy in it's place.

OP posts:

seeker · 10/01/2009 23:06

I think that it's probaby a good idea once they've got teeth and are starting to talk that they don't have bottles or dummies a lot during the day. But I REALLY don't see how one bottle at night and one in the morning is going to do any harm at all. And if it gives them comfort and makes them happy and helps with a happy relaxed bed time then go for it.

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 23:18

BE, yes, i agree. that sounds like a plan.

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