How do I get him off the bottle!??

Question

My son is 13 months.

He has a bottle when he wakes up, then before his nap, then in the afternoon, then bedtime.

He has drank WATER perfectly from a sippy cup since he was about 6 months old. And still does every day.

About a month ago I tried putting his formula in a sippy cup, instead of bottle, for his afternoon one. He got soo mad and threw it. I tried a number of different cups and even just a different kind of bottle, he wouldn't take it.

So, I tried again just now. I gave it to him in every different sippy cup he has, he wont take it. He's not getting mad this time but just looking at it and then putting it down. I tried giving it to him in a sippy cup that isn't clear, so he couldn't see what it was, and he put it to his mouth, then just played with it and put it down.

Ahhh! I haven't given him his normal bottle that I know he wants, but I know that if he doesn't have it soon he's going to be hellishly misserable. Help?

Answer 1

iv just got my daughter off the bottle teats, shes 23 months, she always associates different drinks with certain bottles/cups so i kept her milky bottles and got some teats that fit them, she looked at them funny at first but as soon as she drank she said ' i like new milk mummy'

hope that helps

Answer 2

This is not going to be easy for you or him. But my daughter was on the bottle until she was 18 months old. And it was because she didn't like the sippy cups. She loved her bottles. And for me it was just easy to give her what she wanted. And when she turned 18 months I was informed that she was getting ear infections due to laying down and drinking her milk. So I had to take her off. I tried to do it slowly which only made it worse. So my boyfriend ( her dad ) said that we just need to take away from her cold turkey. Meaning give her nothing but a sippy cup. It was h**l for me, she cried and cried for her bottle. She almost made herself throw up due to all of the crying. That was the first night. She eventually drank from the cup only. Every now and then, she would ask for the bottle but we would act like we didn't hear her. She is now only on the bottle.

I would like to end saying. I am glad that I was not the only one feeling the way you do. I hope it works out. Good Luck.

Answer 3

I would put milk in his cup and water in his bottle and more than likely he will choose the milk cup over the water. If that doesn't work take the bottle away cold turkey. As long as he know how to drink out of the sippy cup he wont go thirsty just because he doesn't have a bottle.  

Answer 4

I was in the same boat you are in.  I thought I was going to lose my mind!  My daughter would not use a sippy cup if it was covered in chocolate. Avent makes the coolest transitional bottle to sippy cup ever.  The bottom is a traditional bottle and the top is a psuedo sippy and you can use it with or without the handles.  My daughter still put up a fuss, but as my mom said, "if she's thirsty, she will drink whether it's in a sippy cup or not." She was right. There will be a battle of wills but YOU will win--trust me.

Answer 5

have him join a support group, or maybe you could have an intervention.  

Answer 6

give him his normal bottle but with water everytime...no more formula.  He won't like it as much and he will take a few sips then go to sleep.  Stop the mid day bottle...only for when he is going to nap and going to bed.  All other times use a sippy cup.  Eventually he won't even bother with the bottle because its water...cold is best.