weaning off the bottle at 1 year?

[lovetheheights]

Hi all:

Every time I search for "weaning" I get breastfed weaning threads...I wish I was still breastfeeding but I am not. Our 1 year old seems ready to wean off at least the daytime bottles, and I wonder if anyone has experience with how to do this?

Even the decision is a tough one to make and I am researching it- any thoughts are welcome, as I am open to ideas and philosophies.

adding to the frustration of this is that I work f/t so I can't even really be a part of the process until weekends. So I feel like i need to be really clear with our goals so that our sitter can do what we are hoping for.

thanks all.

[Polliwog]

Does she drink from a sippy cup at all? Or small amounts of liquid from a regular cup? I've had lots of kids come through my home (as a foster parent) and through my work (as an Early Childhood Specialist) and most kids at that age easily transition from bottle to cup. And even if it's a bit challenging, the sitter will likely not have as much trouble as you would at bedtime.

[lovetheheights]

she drinks fine, yes...from straws and sippy cups- for me it's the comfort part that is most concerning, and getting enough in her without the bottles?

Is my babe officially a toddler? Should I post there instead? sorry!

[Polliwog]

Are you holding her while she's drinking her bottles? If so, I'd keep doing that. And if she's still drinking formula and it's where she's getting most of her calories from that, I'd probably stick with the bottle for now. If not, don't worry about it. Just offer lots of water, milk, and whatever else she drinks.

[lovetheheights]

I am holding her (did you ask to make sure that she isn't laying down for ear and teeth issues or a more philisophical point?)

thanks- I also sent this thread to the toddler area since I realized she is considered not a babe (my little babe)

[Comtessa]

I read somewhere that when weaning from the bottle, you should never ever allow the child to carry a bottle around with them... it's easier to wean from a bottle if they don't realize the bottle is portable. If a sippy cup is portable and you're putting the same liquid (i.e., whole milk, if you're off formula by now) in both, most children will switch their preference to the sippy cup so they aren't stuck on a caregiver's lap while drinking their milk.

If you're concerned about the need for comfort sucking in the transition time, you could ease the transition by cutting out bottles for formula/milk but offering a naptime bottle filled with water for a few weeks. Does your LO use a pacifier?

[nola79]

I did wean my ds from the bottle right before he turned a year. I took away one bottle a day, each day. He did drink from a sippy cup.

When I did this, he was showing less interest in his bottle.