getting off the bottle... kinda

[heavensearth]

I need some mom advice!
DS is 19 months now..

I BF'd until he was 15 months old and had to stop cold turkey (I ended up in the hospital having emergency surgery). Prior to that he had a bottle maybe once or twice a month. While I was in the hospital he got a bottle and now we can't get him off of it! (oh and he uses a 0-3 month nipple in it! he wont drink out of the other ones).

The thing is, he can drink straight out of a cup or using a straw when we're out, but when were home its a bottle or a tantrum. Im ok with a bottle at night or at naps, but it would be nice for him to use a cup during the day. We have cups for him, sippy cups, water bottles, pretty much everything, even a sippy with a soft nipple, he hates them all.

Anyone have any tips to get him to start using something other than a bottle at home that doesn't involve crying and screaming

[2timestrouble]

Originally Posted by heavensearth

Anyone have any tips to get him to start using something other than a bottle at home that doesn't involve crying and screaming

Unfortunately, our transition wasn't tears free but it was fast.
After trying other methods like, giving her water in her bottle and milk in the zippy, leaving her zippy out and near "in case" she will take it, try to give her a sticker every time she would take it (which was NONE).
Finally one day I decide to just take it away and just offer her zippy when she get hungry, but she wouldn't take it no matter what. She had food and some water from straw but that is about it.
By the end of the day she was crying so badly we thought something wrong was going on, we took her to the ER and in the way there we give her the bottle (because at that point we could care less about that since it was so obvious that something bad was going on with her).
Well, as soon she finish her bottle she was all smiles.
Next day I decide to give it another try but I wasn't sure it will work.
To my surprise she did drink a little but from it, just like 2 sips here and there, I didn't give her the bottle at nap time but I did gave it to her at night time for the next 3 days and by the four I took it away.
I don't really can tell you how it happen, after that first day I thought it would be weeks before we could try again but she did, maybe she just wanted to say goodbye to the zippy?
NOTE: I am not saying this is the way it should be done, I know all kids are different and citations are different as well, but this was what works for us.
I am glad I decide a second try.

[blessedwithboys]

Why so insistent to wean from the bottle?

[heavensearth]

YoviC, thank you so much for sharing!!! Its encouraging to know that if you stick with it over and over again, eventually it may work!

blessedwithboys, we're concerned with our little guys teeth. He's had almost a full set since he was 12 month old (the dentist said he had the same amount of teeth as most 23-28 month olds). I would hate for him to have teeth problems due to him being on a bottle at this age

[2timestrouble]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

Why so insistent to wean from the bottle?

My daughter had ear infections (3) one after other. The doctor told us that having her bottle could be one of the reasons she is getting this ear infections.

[kriket]

Originally Posted by YoviC

My daughter had ear infections (3) one after other. The doctor told us that having her bottle could be one of the reasons she is getting this ear infections.

huh. I wonder why that is.

Have you tried juice boxes, or milk boxes? Organic Horizons makes milk in a box, and I think it's silk that makes soy milk. DS thinks it's such a treat when he gets a milk box! I don't "like" chocolate milk, but it is a treat for him.

He used to play with straws when we were at a restaurant and such. I think that's what started the love of straws. Maybe let her play with them for a while? See if she likes them?

[blessedwithboys]

Tooth decay comes more from falling asleep with milk pooling around the teeth than it does from a bottles bing sipped on during the day, but the milk being swallowed. Also, the ear infections come more from the baby drinking while laying down flat on the back, as in being put to bed with a bottle.

So OP, if you are still going to let the LO have a bottle at night and for naps, you probably shouldn't worry about daytime bottles.

You could, however, do some research into natural ways to protect the teeth to make them more resistant to decay overall, and let the LO give up the bottle on his own time. GL!

[mokey4]

Blessedwithboys- I'm sorta glad to hear that, because I've been a little stressed about the bottle thing lately. Just a little, and only because all the other parents I know have weaned from the bottle by now. But they've also weaned from the breast (mostly) by now, and I have no plans to do that... My 18 month old daughter is breastfeeding but gets a bottle the 2 days that I'm at work (usually 2 bottles per day) and one before nap time when I'm caring for another child- she'll be quiet with a bottle and wait her turn while I put the other child down for her nap (it's the only way I've been able to do it, and it is weird for me to give my daughter a bottle). The kicker is that not only will my daughter absolutely refuse milk from a sippy or cup, but her bottle must be warmed to a very hot temperature (not quite tongue burning) or she'll give it back with a look of disgust on her face! It's quite funny, how picky she is about those bottles. She doesn't fall asleep with the bottle in her mouth, though I've seen her curl up holding the bottle like a lovey after it is all finished. I've wondered if I should wean her from the bottle, and frankly I don't want to! My only concern is that now I'm pregnant and the breastfeeding is day-by-day, weaning may be around the corner. I don't really want to go from breastfeeding to bottle feeding at 18 months (or 20 or whatever it ends up being). But perhaps we'll last through the pregnancy and into tandem nursing... that's my hope & goal, but I'm not going to last if it gets much more painful.

Anyway sorry to hijack the thread... this has been on my mind too and I'm sort of glad to have someone else think it's ok to just keep bottle feeding for a while.

[YayJennie]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

Tooth decay comes more from falling asleep with milk pooling around the teeth than it does from a bottles bing sipped on during the day, but the milk being swallowed. Also, the ear infections come more from the baby drinking while laying down flat on the back, as in being put to bed with a bottle.

So OP, if you are still going to let the LO have a bottle at night and for naps, you probably shouldn't worry about daytime bottles.

You could, however, do some research into natural ways to protect the teeth to make them more resistant to decay overall, and let the LO give up the bottle on his own time. GL!

Excellent post. Thanks for that.

My son just weaned from the bottle, by himself. He self-weaned from the breast around 13 months (although I was pregnant and I think my milk drying up had more to do with him weaning than anything, but it was tears free and painless for both of us). We started giving him a bottle after that, and he's been pretty dependent on them for naps and bedtime milk. He's just 17 months old, and the past week has refused his bottle whenever it was offered. Literally, he just shakes his head no, and that's that. So we're done offering. And it was literally like day and night. He took the bottle for 2 naps and bedtime one day, and then the next, just said no.

I would just wait it out. One day your toddler may just not want the bottle and you'll be glad you waited for him to decide when he was ready. Good luck

[JudiAU]

Not a tip just a few thoughts...

I think a bottle or a pacifier can be a real source of comfort for a toddler who weaned earlier than you might have planned. I really do think he is within age range for a need to suck and if he wants to suck on a bottle sometimes, so what. I don't think you should be worried about it and if you are pregnant a transitional object is a pretty handy thing.

I WFT and DS started rejecting bm bottles at around 12m and switched to bm straw cups. My DD is now 12m and is going strong with the same bottle and frankly, I am delighted. She drinks bm well and I want her to continue. I don't really care about the object she uses when I am gone. Both use pacifiers, which was really a godsend when DS self-weaned when I was pregnant. Babies, toddlers, and some kids need to suck.

Some kids will reject bottles on their own and some will need some help. But it doesn't sound like he has them a lot so... eh. I'd let it go. You have enough on your hands.

I had terrible caries as a child from milk in a bottle in my crib at naps. And the honey on my pacifier. So I don't recommend either. But the mere act of sucking is not a big deal.