How and When to wean off the bottle?

[caetlinh]

Hi Everyone, thanks for reading!  So my one year old has been strictly bottle fed since 4 months -she was never a good nurser and ALWAYS preferred the bottle.  She currently consumes about 32 oz in a 24 hour period, usually broken up between 4 8oz bottles.  They are half formula and half cows milk.  The pediatrician says we should start weaning her off the bottle, which I'm not opposed to per say, but confused as to why.  Would they not wean themselves when they're ready?  Is there really an oral side effect from drinking out of a bottle?  I guess I'm confused because plenty of mom's nurse up to 2 or older, so what's the difference?  Anyway, if we did start to wean, how should we do it?  Obviously she doesn't just use it for comfort with the amount she drinks, so wouldn't she wake int he middle of the night starving without a big bottle before bed?  Anyway, I guess I'm just confused.  thanks!

[cristeen]

I'm in the "ignore the doctor" camp.  My DS just turned 2 and still uses a bottle.  Try introducing a sippy, a straw cup and/or an open cup.  If your little will take milk that way, excellent.  Mine won't.  Mine won't touch cows milk either, so we're still on formula at 2+.  I talked to my LLL leader about this last week (at a "Life with a toddler" meeting), and since my little guy eats a LOT of solid food, and mostly is just taking bottles at naptime, bedtime and maybe quiet time, she said it wasn't something she would worry about yet.  Her suggestion was that if at 3 he was still attached, he'd be old enough to discuss it and tell him that after his birthday the bottles would be going bye-bye.  And that's a suggestion I can live with. 

Follow your little one's cues.  Offer more solids.  As time passes, she'll eat more solids and want less milk, that's just the way it works.  But 12 months isn't some magical age when you have to yank away the bottle. 

[JudiAU]

This is standard ped advice for which he or she can probably not provide any real reason. I wouldn't worry about it until milk and formula aren't such a big part of your LO's diet. Maybe revaulate at 18m but right now you have a baby on your hands.

My LO only had bottles of bm when I was wft so it was less of a concern. Around 2, and after she could drink out of a regular cup, my nanny tried a few different containers and she ended up using a sippy cup with no valve for milk.

[Beebsmom]

I switched Aiden at 10 months.  We use the nuk learner cup.  It is super duper like a bottle...silicone nipple and everything.  He is 13 months now and still really doesn't  "get" the hard sippy cup idea....so these work great. They're soft like a silicone nipple and they really really aren't hard to transition to...I just got him used to them in the daytime while eating and with ice water in them when he was teething and he naturally preferred them better within a little while.  My brother in law is a dentist and he said a nipple can be bad for their teeth, and anything more like a sippy is better.  Aiden didn't miss his bottle much at all.

I don't plan on really switching him to a TRUE sippy until next summer when he is like 18 months and up.  I would try a Nuk Learner Cup....it's way different. Aiden won't do the playtex or nuby ones like my friend's kids would...they are just too hard and you have to suck too hard.

[caetlinh]

Thank you everyone.  My instinct said the same so you all just confirmed it.  She's always preferred bottle over solids, so although she's eating and gaining fine, she definitely pulls about half of her nutrition from the bottle still.  I tried doing one nap time today without it and it was a disaster.  15 minutes later I was back in there and she guzzled 8 oz!  So we're not going to worry about it for now!  Thanks!

[Faither]

When we started giving DD water or juice we gave her a sippy or a cup and only gave her milk in a bottle. She was still nursing so it made sense. She was about a year then. When I got pregnant (DD was about 18 months), we cut back on the nursing and the bottles were only before bed. Now she has pretty much stopped with the bottles. She'll take milk in a cup but we simply stopped giving her bottles. I don't really care what the ped says, since she already drinks from a cup too. But she really isn't particular so it was never really a "thing" with us. If you gave her the choice DD would rather a regular cup than a sippy or bottle.

[Xerxella]

There's nothing magical about "no bottles after 12 months."  So, overall I'd ignore the ped.  (But, I'm bad about that anyways!  )  My guy took a bottle with the caregiver during the day, so he was used to it.  And, we moved it to nap time only over time.  And, then after he turned 3, he wouldn't nap all the time.  So, he would take a rest with his bottle.  If he fell asleep fine, if not, fine, too.  He slowly started napping less and less.  And, over time, we quit offering a rest time and he quit asking for it and thus the end of the bottles. 

Also, I've heard people having success with a slow watering down of the bottle.  So, 7 ounces of milk, 1 ounce of water.  A few weeks later make it 6 ounces of milk and 2 ounces of water.  You get the idea, until it's all water.  Also, obviously, keep an eye on her weight and make sure you're offering lots of solids and other fluids at meal times. 

Good luck!