how do you get a 2 year from stopping drinking from the bottle?

[kaitlynangel]

I need help, I am going to Disney and I don't want my DD who 2 yrs old to drink from her bottle, Please share you weaned your child from the bottle, thanks.

[TShippPugh]

We were going through a similar problem with ours but we were going to Gulf Shores (Alabama) for vacation.

We told him that they didn't let babies drink ba-ba's (bottles) on the beach and we would have to leave his at home. By the time we got home, he didn't want it anymore!

Good Luck! ;)

[dmfuru]

Both my boys were weaned from their bottles when they were between 15 and 20 months. I must say that my boys never took a bottle to bed, so it was quite easy to wean them from the bottle.

I would first let them drink out of a regular cup to warm them up to the idea of drinking out of a cup. Then one morning I opened the fridge up and told them all the bottles were gone, so lets drink out of a cup instead. Both boys just started drinking out of sippy from day one.

I have a friend who tired wean her daughter off the bottle right after a trip by telling her they left all her bottles on the plane. The daughter was used to going to bed with her bottle, so she took the whole weaning thing pretty hard. Now she is back on the bottle.

Another way to wean is to start giving the milk in a cup at breakfast for a while. Then lunch in a cup and then dinner. Always offer the sippy cup first before giving the bottle.

[yzma]

Our first daughter was very difficult to wean. We let her walk around with her bottle and she would fall asleep with it. Lots of crying but stuck with it . Our second daughter was easy. We only let her have her bottle on our laps, no walking around with it. Started offering the straw cup to her. She loves the straw cup and it is no spill. Started replacing bottles with the cup little by little and she doesn't even miss the bottle.

[luv2nascar]

Our dd resisted. she liked her bottles at night. finally had to hide all the nippled & say they were ruined. would only give her the spill proof sippy cups. they were too much work for her & she gave up needing them at night real quick.

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[TraciMcRee]

I agree it is hard. All children are different. My first two children were not attached to the bottle at all but my third!

She was over 2 before I got rid of it.

The first thing that I did was change the nipple to a sippy nipple. She did not like it as much. I did not go back to the soft nipple.

Next, we had a party with all of her little neighborhood friends and it was a "going away" party for her bottle. We all sang Na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na, Hey, hey good-bye. And she threw her bottle in the trash. That night when she wanted it, I reminded her that it was bye-bye and although she didn't like it - she understood.

It was hard for the first two nights - then it got better.

Then she started telling stories about how SHE threw her bottle away. It was so cute.

Best of luck.

P.S. The trip may not be the best time to get rid of it. She will be cranky the whole time. Personally, I would wait until you got home. OMO.

[momuv2poohs]

Where did you find the cup with the straw that is spill proof. I think my daughter would like that. She is one year old and already loves her sippy cup and thinks it is cool to drink those yoo-hoos like her brother.

[schmoopie]

We recently weaned our 16 month old off of the bottle. She was down to usually just one a day. Anyway, during the first 2 days of not offering her a bottle, mostly she looked for it in the morning, we just tried to distract her and made sure she wouldn't catch a glimpse of one anywhere. It's definitely not easy. Then...we went away for the weekend and I think that helped(for us)! Change of scenery, we kept busy and mostly a change in routine. She hasn't bothered us about it since. So, my point is, maybe if you try to cut back before you go, and just go, go, go, she won't think about it - with any luck. However...and I have to throw this in, I would definitely bring a bottle with you in case she, and you, just can't take it. Better a happy 2 year old WITH a bottle, than a cranky one without - especially on vacation. If the no bottle thing doesn't fly, deal with it when you get home. My friends always say "you never see a kid in college with a bottle/pacifier/sucking their thumb..." :)

[erinch]

how do I admit this?
my daughter, who is the most exhausting person you'll ever meet, took a bottle to bed till her 5th birthday.

it can take her hours to get to sleep,
and just having the bottle in her hands was about the only thing which would help her dip down and let go.

i kept telling myself,
you know she's not going to take a bottle (at least that kind) to the prom.

:rolleyes:

[peg2001]

These are all good tips. Each child is different so do what feels right to you. My pediatrician chastised me to get my daughter off the bottle when she was 9-months-old. While I now think he was a bit silly to be so insistent when she was so young, it was easy to take the bottle away at that age!

Now, pacifiers are another story. . . :)

[gingajane]

My third was the toughest to break from the bottle(I think because I knew she was my last, it was hard for me to say bye bye to bot bot too). There was no slow break with her. She would have nothing to do with a sippy cup no matter what I put in it. I ended up just making the bottles "all gone" one day. It was terrible for about one week, but then the bottle was just a fond memory.

My second child was not as tough. We just gradually started only giving her water in her bottle and only water in a bottle eventually. Everything else had to drank from a sippy cup.

My first child broke herself from the bottle at around a year BUT she was a thumb sucker until she was 4 YO. I think that bottle at bed thing is equivalent to the thumb sucking thing.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that each babe is different. Unfortunately, that means one formula or age for getting rid of the bottle does not work for all. Good luck and let us know how it goes!! MJ

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

I never had a problem with bottles, I nursed and then went right to a Rubbermaid juice box..it has the straw in it and closes up so that it is spill proof! I think Tupperware has something similar too! Good Luck!

[eeyore0662]

We had no choice but to stop the bottle with my DD, because drinking from it was causing her to have ear infections. We had pretty much stopped the bottle except for the last one at night. One night we offered the sippy cup that we usually used during the day, and let her sit with us, like we always did, and she drank it. When she asked where the bottle was, we told her that all of the bottle were gone when we looked for them, and all that was left was the sippy cups, because "big girls" drink from cups, not bottles. She never asked again.
An interesting thing my mother did to me to break me of my pacifier habit. I was 18 months old around my 2nd Christmas---my mother cut all of the tips off of the pacifiers, when she gave it to me at bedtime, she told me that Santa's reindeer had eaten off the nipples---she said I looked at her with a funny expression, said OK, and that was the end of that---I guess that could work for bottle nipples as well! :)

Have a Wonderful day, Eeyore

[melk]

I never had to use the advice but my pediatrician had recommended to me that if we had a hard time to clip a tiny piece off the end of the nipple (also works for a pacifier as someone else posted). It destroys the sucking action which is really what they want. Just do this to all the nipples in the house. Then they'll get the idea that all the bottle just aren't "working" anymore. It should be easy to guide them over to a "big boy or girl" cup.

[msvlwb]

With our youngest he was about 1 1/2. I had a good friend just have a baby and I told him her baby needed the BABA Juice. That since he could eat food and drink with a sippy he'd be o.k. After I told him that he said "BABA for babies"?
I told him yes. And that was that.

My oldest had a pacifier until he was almost three.(only at night) And one night it fell out of his mouth and I took it and hid it. The next morning he asked where his paciy was. I told him the Paciy Fairy had come and got his paciy to take to new babies. He then told me he was going to set a trap for the Paciy Fairy and kill it!!!!!! He is very dramatic as you can see. I said kill it that would be horrible! He then said he would just keep her and make her tell him where his paciy was.

I'm glad to report he has not committed the homicide of the Paciy Fairy. And is a very well adjusted almost five year old!

[CarrieAP]

My opinion is do not worry. I totally disagree with premature weaning as children need some security and will find an alternative if forced to. My daughter is 2.5 and still drinks a bottle. Long ago we told her she could only have water in it and she only has 2 bottles/day: 1 in eve and 1 for bed. Water is harmless and she is gradually weaning herself with maturity. The bottle is great in a pinch if a soother is needed and helps ward off cranky, overstimulated outbursts.

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[kimartyraye@att.net]

This might be long ~ I have DS13 and DD3. I still catch DS13! with thumb in mouth when he's sleeping. He was off the bottle by 1yo and Never wanted a pacifier. DD off bottle by 1yo also, never took her thumb but, took a pacifier, later in infancy. I took SIL advice, "it got lost". The more WE ignore where They left them, the more chance they'll get "lost" ;) (then, you hide them - somewhere they'll be IF you need them but, out of sight) DD was unbelievebly OK with this (sometimes she still mentions how She "lost her baby" - "baby" is the name we gave it after we felt it was Only For Babies. She's ok with this. And, potty-trained at the same time! (that's another topic!) But, it's do-able for everyone. Like several other comments - kids don't go to college with their bottles/pacifiers, nor can they go to kndg. with diapers ~ I hope you know what I mean.

FYI - for anyone wondering about 13yoDS, he is a child of divorce, I'm remarried but, he's still insecure and very emotional, even with a strong relationship with his Dad. Everyone is different! Being 13 is NO help at all either! (That's another topic!)

We hope you have a Great Trip! :D

[Aurora1973]

I HAVE TWO DD. MY OLDEST WAS WEENED AT 15 MO. I WOULD GIVE HER A CUP AND SHE WOULD THROW IT DOWN THE STAIRS. THE DOCTOR JUST TOLD ME TO KEEP GIVING IT TO HER AND SHE WOULD TAKE IT. I PACKED ALL THE BOTTLES AWAY AND ONLY GAVE HER CUPS. IT TOOK ABOUT A DAY, BUT SHE DID TAKE IT. I EVEN GAVE HER A DRINK AT NIGHT IN THE CUP. THE KEY IS NOT TO GIVE IN.

[kwnancy]

our daughter was pretty easy. we started with the sippy cup, and the only thing we put in the bottle was formula (ICK!), all other beverages came in the sippy cup. pretty soon she didn't want any bottles.

[Tiger Fan]

On January 1, 2000 we had a huge party - not for the new millennium, but for bye-bye bottle! We made a big deal about throwing away ALL the bottles and nipples and Emily threw them in the trash herself. She even threw her baby doll's bottle in the trash. She was one month away from turning 3! We then all went to Chuck E Cheese for a party. The first two nights were hard, but it got much easier. By throwing the bottles away it helped us because we couldn't "give in" at 2am when she was still crying (only the first night). Good luck.

Lisa

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[robsmom]

Might want to try having a fairy (close relative of the tooth fairy, easter bunny, and santa) come to take away the bottles. The fairy leaves gifts in the place of the bottle or binky.

We didn't need this for the bottle because we switched to sippy cups at a year with no problem, but the binky is starting to become the bane of my existance. I have gradually eliminated most (soon to be all) daytime use and by 2 1/2 (6 months) hope to have the binky fairy take them completely away.

good luck.

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[Redmic]

We had a hard time breaking my youngest from the bottle. One night the bottle fairy came and took all her bottles for little babies who really needed them, and left brightly colored sippy cups in their place. She never questioned it! Good luck!

[Cameo]

Our DD was 20-months on our last trip to WDW (June, 1999). We let her stay on the bottle because we knew it would be hot and that was the best way to get water into her. Several of our pictures show her with her bottle. I nursed her and she didn't even start the bottle until she was over a year old. But, the reason we did is because that way she got the nutrition she needed. From a cup she would only take sips of her milk. From the bottle she would drink 3-4 ounces. I was more worried about her nutrition than her drinking from the bottle. At about 2 1/2 she just quit asking for one and we quit giving it to her. It happened over a weekend. So, basically, I didn't worry about it and she pretty much weaned herself. Now, my 14-month-old DS and his pacifier, that's another story!

TTFN
Cameo

[georgiapeach60]

Simply give them all away. I doesn't have to be a major struggle. They won't dehydrate themselves. Don't make a big deal about it. When they realize the bottle is not an option they will switch.

[eeyore0662]

I guess I must have gotten lucky, mine hated the pacifier from the word go, never sucked her thumb, and was weaned from the bottle in one night at 15 months, with no grumbling. Guess I never realized how hard it could be!

Have a Wonderful day, Eeyore

[veraletta]

erinch dont worry your not a bad mother.. my dr.. told me not to worry about the small stuff every children was diffent.. and to let the child have one comfy.. bottle, thumb or what ever.. just as long as the child wanted it to let them have it.. my daughter took her pacifer to school with her when she was 5 and I let her take it.. after she saw that no children at the age of 5 took them any more, she threw them all away..I know is seems really old for her to take a pacifer but the dr said she would start sucking her thumb and I wouldnt be able to throw that away... so he said leave her alone, she will stop when she doesnt need a comfy any more..

[npall]

My son is a year old and he takes 2 bottles a day, one in the morning and one at night. He is never allowed to carry it around with him or take it to bed. He sits in our lap and drinks it and then goes to bed. He drink from a sippy cup the rest of the time. Maybe someone can enlighten me as to why this is such an issue to wean them from a bottle when they are 2. I understand the issue of them maybe getting ear infections but my son has only had 1. I just figure my son will wean when he is ready, why make it a power struggle ? I say, pick your battles.

Naomi

[jamen65]

I took my DS off the bottle when he was 18 months old(also ear infection) and my DD was off by her first birthday, all we did was get rid of them. DD did ask for them but we didn't have any. So she just drank out of the cup. Just go for it, it may be hard for a day or 2 but then it will be over.

[AllisonG]

Both my DS's (now are 4 and 2)were weaned from the bottle at 12 months 1 week old. Both of them! Unfortunitely they both still use their "pappy's"(pacifier). Now weaning them off that is gonna be hard for me. I am such a push over and usually give in. They so enjoy a nice suck on pappy. I can't begrudge them a nice suck and a cuddle, ya know. I want to try and keep them babies for as long as possible. I do know they won't be leaving for college with their pacifiers! So, I try not to worry about it too much. Good luck with the bottle weaning!

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[robsmom]

I think you are right, it is all a matter a preference. One of the issues with the bottle can be ear infections, but if a child isn't having them, why rush. I liked the post about taking the binky to school at 5. I will try to stop stressing about my son's binky. I find myself pushing to get him off of it, because I think it impacts his talking. Maybe I'll let him keep it at night.

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[wdwnutze]

Breaking the bottle habit was never a problem with my 3. First and second child--we just took all the bottles at age 1 and threw them out. They had no great problem with it. Third chil--waited til she was 14mos. We had a trip to WDW planned at age 13mos and then the holidays came so we waited til they were over then just threw everything away. She had more trouble with it than the other 2 but nothing big. The first 2 got rid of the pacifier when they were 3 months old(after colic). Third child had it til she was 2. Tried cutting the top off them but she liked it like that. Every child is different. Once you make up your mind to do it though, follow through. They get over it quickly. It's probably more difficult on the parents than the kids. :cool:

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[honeymom]

At 18 months my pediatrician made me cold turkey my daughter off the bottle when nothing else worked (his son had had root canal at 2 and so had my niece, so I listened). It was horrible for about a week (she barely drank anything the first few days, but then she did finally get thirsty) and it took weeks to get her to take milk from the cup (she would only drink juice or water).

I was smarter with my second child. Started him with a sippy cup at 2 and 1/2 months old (with my help of course). By the time he was 6 months old he could really handle it on his own well and I used it frequently until I weaned him off the bottle at age 1.