Teaching a 12 month toddler to drink milk out of a cup?

Question

I am trying to teach my 12 month old how to drink her milk out of a cup. She has a sippy cup for her water, which she only takes sips and never has a big drink. She will also drink water out of cups and sport drink bottles. Whenever i try to put her milk in it she refuses to drink it, she only wants it in her bottle. She wont drink juice or anything like that. she was breast feed until 6 months and would only take 1 type of bottle. Is it a big deal that she still wants her milk out of a bottle as she is only one?

Answer 1

AWWW, sounds like you have tried alot of different methods!  I think it would be OK, I just wouldn't let her have it in bed, that is bad for there teeth, but I'm sure you know that.  Continue to try and ween her from it. I would only have 1 bottle available, and make sure she knows that! That way when something happens to that one, there are no more. It worked for me.  Good Luck  xox  

Answer 2

I gradually worked my two older children onto the cup by buying a sippy cup that had a soft top made out of the same material as the bottle nipple. I gave them their bottle at bed time until they were drinking more from the cup during the day.  

Answer 3

I think it's ok even up until around 2 years. I say just slowly take her off of the bottle so she will be off of it completely around 2 years. It will be easier that way to.

Answer 4

She is still a baby and not yet ready to give up her first love which is sucking, there's still plenty of time to completely wean her off the bottle.

Answer 5

I agree with U.  Keep offering small amounts of milk in cups but don't make a big issue out of it.  She's watching and paying attention, and if she's in day care, she'll figure out soon enough that the other kids aren't drinking from bottles.  

Have you tried the sippy cups with the built-in straws?  My grandson loves drinking through a straw.

Answer 6

I tried to gradually wean my daughter off of the bottle, but it didn't work.  I just did it cold turkey 1 long weekend and she didn't have a problem at all.  She looked at me funny the first morning without the bottle, but she had no other choice, so she drank out of her sippy cup and she never asked for the bottle again.  I'm sure I'll get lots of thumbs-down for this method, but its what worked for me and my kid.

Answer 7

I am a firm believer in allowing kids to decide when they are ready for new skills. They adapt much better to the change, so no, no biggie that she is not ready.

As to the soft sippy cups. I have NUBY ones. I think I got them at walmart. The down side to those, though, is my son has figured out that if the  "nipple " thingy is bent, he can get the liquid out without sucking.

I've slipped in a few puddles.