My 2 year old still uses a bottle

[AFWife]

There. I said it.

He did JUST turn 2 and all...I tried one day to get him to drink milk out of a sippy cup and he LOST HIS MIND (He had no choice because the bottles were all dirty) He's starting to use it less and less often. But when he's teething sometimes it's all that I can get into him during the day.

Is it THAT horrible? He'll drink water and juice from cups. We never even transitioned to sippy cups because he wanted to just drink from a cup...except milk.

[babygirlie]

mine still uses a bottle and no cups and rarely a sippy cup. Had no idea I was doing something wrong :/

[lookatreestar]

i would say no worries. my almost 2 year old nurses on demand still (within reason) and he would probably refuse mommy milk in any form but from the tap. he drinks all other beverages from a regular cup 

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by babygirlie 

mine still uses a bottle and no cups and rarely a sippy cup. Had no idea I was doing something wrong :/

I guess I need to stop looking online because everything says at this age NO BOTTLES (yes, one had it in all caps) And the reactions we get from people (hell, the reactions we got LAST YEAR from people was ridiculous)

And it's only milk from a bottle! Every other liquid he does from a cup. He even drinks from a water bottle (like, the disposable kind) like a pro!

[nettlesoup]

I'm guilty as well. My daughter turned to in March and she's still on bottles for her milk. She does drink her water out of sippy cups though. I managed to get her afternoon milk in a sippy cup, but then she regressed and started refusing it. I really need to get her off the bottles, but I know it won't be taken well at all!

[kindchen]

Hmm. My two-year-old AND my four-year-old still use bottles for milk. The guideline that they must stop by 12 months seems so arbitrary to me. I've taken the kids to the dentist, and their teeth are perfectly healthy. They get comfort from the bottles, and I don't see anything wrong with that.

[lookatreestar]

oh and my niece still has a bottle at 3.5...

[cocoanib]

I don't see the problem. I would'nt worry about which type of vessel he drinks from.

Besides the teeth thing, i wonder why people get so invested in what age a child stops using a bottle.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by cocoanib 

I don't see the problem. I would'nt worry about which type of vessel he drinks from.

Besides the teeth thing, i wonder why people get so invested in what age a child stops using a bottle.

From the reactions I've gotten I think it's just another "X happens at Y age" thing...like forward facing or wearing shoes.

[Rlin]

Well, I wouldn't worry as he can obviously drink from a cup as well. The milk bottle is probably a comfort thing. I don't see the need to take this away, but if you want to wean him from a bottle maybe you could try a sippy with a soft spout? DS likes them still (he's almost 3 y old, still nursing and can drink from anything).

[marispel]

My DS is almost 33 mo and he gets a bedtime bottle.    He also gets a bottle on weekends before nap and if we're on a road trip he DEMANDs a bottle.  LOL.    I used to worrry about it, but it's a comfort thing.  He's happy, I'm happy, he sleeps better....why take that away.   I'm so thankful for it if he wakes in the night - it soothes him and I'm fine with that for now.  

Now, he will drink milk from a sippy cup during the day - but the majority of his milk intake is from a bottle at bedtime.

You may want to offer him whole milk in a sippy cup during the day and start watering down the bottle during the day - see if that will help him transition?

[AFWife]

Thanks everyone for your happy thoughts!!! It IS just a comfort thing. We use it like I would use nursing before. If he gets hurt, on long car trips, and to help him relax before naps. We've pretty much nixed it before bedtime. (Well, except right now because he's teething) We drink raw milk and when he's teething it's one of the few foods I can get into him...so I'm hesitant to take that away.

[egmaranian]

Subbing.  I just posted almost the same question in the Child Led Weaning forum.  My DS turns two in a few weeks and it just kills me that he still drinks his milk from a bottle.  I have been thinking that the "Bottle Fairy" would be showing up around the time he turns two and will take all the bottles away.  I am expecting a new baby in August and I really don't want to be tandem nursing (yes, DS nurses in addition to the bottle) AND dealing with bottles for the toddler...

I think what I'm realizing from all the responses so far is maybe I just need to lighten up?!?

[JudiAU]

Eh. I don't care. DD is almost 2 and still has a bottle twice a day when I am out of the house WFT. Mixture of bm and cow's milk. She doesn't have them when I am home however because she is still nursing. They are only given when I am away.

But I am finally going to stop pumping at work and when the stash is gone, I'll switch her away from bottles. I refuse to see them when I am home and if my supply crashes and she wants to drink milk during the day she can have a nurse, have a sippy, or stop drinking milk. I am happy to haver her nurse as long as possible but I am not, not okay with seeing her having a bottle in my presence. I am okay with any of the outcomes.

[~Amy~]

Meh. My 3 year old nursed to sleep not 15 minutes ago. No judgment here, mama.

[Peppermint Poppies]

My 4yo just weaned from bottles of the eve of his 4th birthday. It was undoubtedly parent-led weaning, but we'd been talking to him about it for about 6 months and whilst initial discussions were met with anger, he was quite accepting of it by the end, and the actual weaning was completely non-eventful. He drank his last evening bottle, and the next night said "I'm a big boy now, no more bottles" and that was that.

[seansmom]

my son is also using the bottle still..although he does use sippy cups during the day..we recently had a newborn who is just about 4 mths old..the potty training and bottle are so hard to take away from him right now...he already feels someone taking his place...we do always reassure him his brother is here to share his life not take his place..its all so overwhelming that we are taking our time with these other changes...we have to do what works for us right now..I feel he is behind in that sense..but..in time we will take the time and be consistant with him and he will be potty trained and the bottle will be a thing of the past..any suggestions or advice..would love to hear from you

[insidevoice]

I don't rush to take bottles away.  My three year old just gave them up.  My nearly 2 yo is SO NOT READY.  They are only used for bedtime or occasional naps.  Maybe I am just really bad at it, but my kids wean from breast to bottle and cling to the bottle for a while before they are ready to give it up completely.  I suppose I could press the issue and go through a week or two of endless tantruming... but I don't see a reason.  They will let go when they are ready. 

Drinks throughout the day are offered in straw cups most of the time, but the Holy Grail that is the sleepytime bottle?  It's not going away any time soon. 

[JudiAU]

My 2 year old uses a bottle with our nanny but nurses when I am around.I am transitioning her off them soon and if she stops drinking milk as a result I don't really care. I wft and I pumped until almost 2. I didn't see a reason to mess with the situation. But I refuse to have them around me, personally, and if she isn't drinking bm out of them then I don't see the point. My supply has probably dipped enough that I would allow her milk when I am home but not out of a bottle. 

She uses an open cup for most drinking and occasionally a host of others. She prefers the open cup.

[foxsmama]

When DS was 17 months old, he also refused to use a sippy cup for his milk. One afternoon he left his (last remaining) bottle out and the milk went sour. I pitched it in the trash and gave him a soft spout sippy cup. He wasn't happy for about a day, then he got used to the cup. We started out using a munchkin brand cup but switched to nuby soft spout.