How to wean toddler off bottle?

Question

Our 22 month old loves her bottle, we have tried many times to slowly take it from her but she'll scream her little heart out and almost make herself ill until she gets it.She eats normal food quite well and is a normal healthy weight for her age.

She screams for her bottle once through the night, has one for breakfast and another 4-5 through the day, if you take it out of her sight she goes crazy.

I don't mind her having it but am worried about the effects on her teeth if any.

Any advice would be great :o)

Answer 1

Try replacing her bottle with a sippy cup, that is decorated with colors and possibly her name. Present it like a new big girl present, but let her know that you will need to donate her bottle to the babies.

You could also try putting some lemon on the tip of her sippy cup (children usually hate the taste), and let her know that the bottle is expired because she's a big girl now.

Letting her cry is OK. It's not unhealthy, and after a day or so, she will get over it.

Answer 2

well im 12, my teeth are perfect.. and im still on bottles haha

Answer 3

Children will always fuss when things don't go the way they expect them to and will most likely always get worse before getting better. You may have to deal with her screaming for a while.

I've been a nanny for several different families and they all had different approaches.

1. Put less milk/water/juice in the bottle every time and if she asks for more, tell her she can have more but she has to drink it from a sippy cup.

2. Try to get her around children who are drinking from sippy cups and let her see how much more fun it is.

3. Buy the sippy cups that have the nipple area that is closest to the bottle feel. It may be that they feel better than the sippy cups you do have.

4. Teach her to drink from a straw. Some kids can go right from a bottle to drinking from a straw and never even bother with the sippy cup.

5. If you have a really good friend that has a baby, tell your daughter that the baby needs the bottles and have her be a big girl and give the baby the bottles...one at a time if needed until you get rid of them all.

6. Put whatever is her favorite out of all of the drinks into the sippy cup, maybe with a bit extra chocolate (in the milk) or juice (if you're a splash of juice in the water type) so tht it becomes like a treat instead of a demand.

If anything new has occurred within your family recently, it may be that she just needs that extra security right now and it may take those two months until she is actually two before she is willing to even try weaning.

I have seen three year olds with pacifiers still in their mouths and perfect teeth so, unless her doctor says there is a gap or her teeth are becoming crooked, I wouldn't worry too much about it right now.

Answer 4

I have been through this a couple of times. :) The only way to do it is to go cold turkey, but before you take her off completely stop giving it to her during the day. First tell her bottles are now only for night night time.  Give her one at nap time and and bed time.  This will help in getting ready to give it up.  Once she is used to that then just tell her she doesn't need them anymore because she is a big girl and throw them away.  Or you can have her throw them away.  She may cry for a few nights, but she will bounce back quickly.

Answer 5

if you want to take the bottle just do it they will get over it very quick i think its cruel to do it slowly ...

mum of 11

Answer 6

Just take it away and tell her she is a big girl now.  Yes, she will scream, but if you never give it back she will stop!

Answer 7

We just did it cold turkey with my oldest.  Does your daughter drink out of the sippy?

One thing that worked with taking the binky away from my 2 year old (he only used it at night though) was to tell him it was broken, so we had to throw it away.  He understood and was amazingly okay with it.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Wow did you by any chance see the episode of Rachel Ray when Leah Remany's 2 or 3 year old wouldn't give up her bottle?  She's a cubby little girl and had milk all the time and water and sleeps in their bed!!! OH it was horrible to watch!  You should try to find it. There are some on you tube.

I would say try to open the nipple up by cutting it and tell her that when she turns 2 that big girls don't take bottles.  Try giving her a sippy cup run.  Or take her to the store to let her pick out her new big girl cup.  When kids are involved in a decision they are ususally more open to acceptance.  Also tell her (if you have a friend with a baby) that they need the bottle so she will have to share.

Answer 9

I waited til christmas with all of mine.Santa takes the bottle in return for prezzies.

Answer 10

If she's healthy, happy and everything else is on track then what's the harm?  I know you hear all these scare stories, but have you ever actually met a kid whose teeth have been ruined by dummies or bottles?  I know I haven't.  And what she's drinking is good for her as well as a comfort.  The more you make a big deal of it the more she'll hang on to it.  My daughter was the same until we stopped making an issue of it.  She'll still have one at night but rarely wants one at any other time.  And you know what?  That's fine by me - she's gorgeous, bright, happy and healthy and a bottle of nutritious milk will do her more good than harm!

Answer 11

What is in the bottle - formula, water or juice?

We switched my son by first putting his formula in the sippy cup.  The next day we mixed in a little whole milk. Each day we added a higher percentage of milk, until finally he was drinking milk only.  

Answer 12

be patient . start with one feed at a time. reward her for using the cup. if nothing is working out wait a few weeks and try again.

Answer 13

she's way too old for it and doesn't even need a drink through the night anymore. I honestly think the best thing would be to take them all away at once and bin them so you don't have the option of softening and letting her have it. This isn't a need now, it's a behavioural issue.

You could try asking her to swap the bottle for a great new toy? Let her see something she really really wants in a shop and tell her that you can only pay for it with her bottle - see which one she picks.

I have the same problem with the dummy. As there's going to be a new baby soon, it's not the best time to take it so we're planning to do a 'swap' with santa when xmas comes round!

Good luck!