My baby is too old for the bottle, but it has been hard to get her off, any suggestions?

Question

My baby girl is 17 months old and she still wants her bottle. When she turned a year old a introduced sippy cups and slowly started to wean her from her bottle, but when I tried to completely get rid of it she became obssesed with it. She crys for it more than she ever did before even in the middle of the night (which she had stopped doing months ago). Now she doesn't want anything to do with her sippy or regular cups. I have other kids and it wasn't this difficult to wean them. What should I try next?

Answer 1

try putting only water or something she dont like in it. give her the bottle when she turns it away give her the cup with her fav juice.try it everytime she wants the bottle. she will love the big girl cup. it worked for mine.good luck

Answer 2

try sippy cups with the silicone- soft spouts. Most of all DONT GIVE IN. If you do she'll realize that she'll kep getting the bottle back with a hissy fit. They'll just get worse if you give in. Be strong mamma!

Answer 3

A 17 month old still has a need to suck.  Children are breastfed an average of 4.5 years the world over.  It's just our western culture that denies children's needs.

So, the bottle may be a hindrance, but if you look at it from her perspective, she's not too old for it, because in a perfect situation she would still be breastfeeding- she still has that suckling need.

But since you really want to get rid of it, you can try it bit by bit, say a sippy for one meal and a bottle the rest of the day, don't worry she won't dehydrate herself, or you can go cold turkey and toss all the bottles.

Answer 4

I also had a tough time with my daughter... I had her throw her bottle away herself so when she asked for it.. I told her that she threw it away... After 48 hours she knew that she wasn't getting any more bottle and never asked for it again.. But if you keep a bottle around its more you that gives in. Kids are a lot easier to take change then us adults

Answer 5

Try telling her the bottle doesn't work anymore or the dishwasher ate it. And take her to the store to pick our her own special big girl sippy cup. Or have her grandparents take her to pick out a big girl sippy cup. As much as we want to do things on our own, the influence our parents have on our kids is something special. Why not try to use it to an advantage. Sorry you are having a hard time. Good Luck!!

Answer 6

Throw it completely out. Out of sight, out of mind. While it make take a few days, maybe weeks to adjust, she will realize that her bottles are coming back :)

Good luck with it all

Answer 7

You're the mom...take it away (throw it away, so there is no temptation to give it back) and that's that...she will adjust to a cup when she is thirsty enough...

Answer 8

Have you tried a cup with a straw? My girls loved them! Also, I talked to my pediatrician (my girls had the same problem) and he told me to just take it away. They will need to drink eventually so they will pick up the sippy cup. You should have introduced the cup at 6 months of age (or when she was able to hold her bottle and sit up-not necessarily at the same time) so that she would be gradually transitioning herself over to the sippy cup. You may try drinking out of a sippy with her so that she sees that it's not just her that can't have a bottle. Otherwise, just throw the bottle away and don't turn back. She'll give in eventually, but you have got to give her a dose of tough love. Good luck!

Answer 9

Things You’ll Need:

Baby/infant Training Cups

Baby Formulas

Milk

Baby Toys

Step1

Offer your baby a cup instead of a bottle, and follow his cues. He may seem interested and may drink from it properly; if he has trouble or just refuses, try again in a few days.

Step2

Make a family policy that your baby can't walk around with his drink or play with his bottle. This will make it clear that he needs to eat at regular meal and snack times, rather than always holding on to the bottle. Follow similar rules yourself so you don't send mixed messages.

Step3

Substitute other things that will comfort your baby if he seems to be using his bottle as a pacifier. These should include extra attention and affection, as well as special games, toys and books.

Step4

If your baby gets thirsty at night, keep a spillproof cup of water nearby and offer it to him in lieu of a bottle when he wakes. The nighttime bottle is often the most difficult to lose, but doing so is important. Using formula, milk or juice at night harms your baby's dental health, as the liquid will pool in the mouth, coat the teeth and lead to severe decay. Bottles also pose a choking hazard.