When to get rid of the bottle?

United States
December 28, 2007 7:02pm CST
My son in almost 17 months old. He gets his sippy cup during the day, however when he lays down to go to sleep he gets a bottle, yes even at nap times, unless we are onthe road. He doesn't have a binky, (pacifier) and he doesn't suck on his thumb, all he has and has ever had is his bottle. I have been thinking about trying to get rid of it, but am not sure really how to go about it, so that it is easy on him, and me. I started to take it away at nap time, then he got four teeth coming in at once and I cought him trying to suck on his hand, so I gave him back his bottle. When is a good time to get rid of it? What did you do with your baby? How old was he or she? Any help would be awsome. Thankyou
2 people like this
13 responses
• United States
31 Dec 07
I was watching the discovery health channel the other day and they had a short programm on taking the bottle away. they said the they reccommend that babies get off of the bottle by 18 months and they said to slowly take it away so take it way at nap time and then slowly at bed time they said to by a teddy bear or something he/she can sleep with, they said that for the first couple of days your child may be upset but they will get over it but they say that if your going to take it away then take it away and don't give in cuz they baby will learn that they can get what ever they want it they just through a fit. my son is 14 months and i'm trying to get him off the bottle i've got him down to a bottle at night and sometimes nap time but not all the time
• United States
31 Dec 07
Thankyou for the info. I hope your 14 month old is more willing to give it up than my 17 month old.
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
30 Dec 07
I think the people are right who are saying the bottle should be completely eliminated by a year old. I've spent the last few months working in a baby room in a day care center, and all of the babies I worked with were off the bottle by 12 months, and most were off of it sooner than that. You can still give him the 2nd year formula in his sippy cup.
• United States
30 Dec 07
I have heard of the second year formula, but it has never been mentioned to me by his pediatrician or any of the nurses, so i never went with it. I think I am going to look it to it a little more. Thankyou
29 Dec 07
My oldest son wouldn't take it anymore at about 8 months or so. My youngest was a little harder, he loves to be the baby, at about 10 months he still wouldn't take a sippy cup so we got the Nuby cups at walmart that have a soft spout like a bottle (they leak horribly... guess that's why they are only $1!!) but it got him off the bottle before he was a year old.
• United States
30 Dec 07
I tried two of those cups from walmart and yes they did leak all over, they were pointless.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
29 Dec 07
I took my son off the bottle at 13 months old. He did just fine with it, but he had a pacifier to comfort him. My daughter is 11 months old and VERY attached to her bottle when she is tired. I give her a sippy cup during the day mostly unless she is taking a nap. I have thought about giving her the sippy to nap time to see if she will lay down with it. My daughter also does not use a pacifier or suck her thumb. Her bottle takes the place of those things.
• United States
30 Dec 07
My son is the same way that your daughter is.
• Canada
29 Dec 07
I think it would be time at 17 mth they can driNk from sippy cups or one of those cups with a straw that open and close, just give it to him instead of the bottle see what happens i think my babY was 12 mth when hestarted drinking from straws and sippy cups
• United States
30 Dec 07
My son loves straws and sippy cup, but he loves his bottle more at bed time. I think I am just going to have to take it away and see how it goes. Thankyou for your help.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
29 Dec 07
Everyone has their own opinion and of course I have mine! I kept mine on the bottle until they were two. I've noticed kids who were taken off too soon were prone to chewing issues and many of them spent years with the need to chew on things. I would start offering him only water in the bottle at this point. Put his milk and juice in the sippy cup.
• United States
30 Dec 07
I have heard of children becoming chewers, and I really don't want that. Thankyou for your opinion, it is always welcome.
• United States
31 Dec 07
Since we only gave formula in the bottle they were gone as soon as the formula was gone. That was anywhere from 11 1/2 months (with my middle daughter) and 13 months (with my last daughter). My son did keep taking a bottle for a bit after he stopped having formula because he didn't take a pacifier. At first we only put water in the bottle then we discovered it had nothing to do with what was in the bottle. He just wanted to suck on it so we gave him an empty bottle and he was happy and then gave that up a week or so later. I will say--the earlier you do it the better. If you keep waiting they become more attached and the older they are the more defiant they get and louder, too. My husband's nephew was 3 and still drinking from a bottle because him mom didn't want to upset him and take it away. She would try, he would scream and cry and she would give in. My husband was visiting one day and tossed them all. She called me that night while he was driving home and was screaming at me like I knew where they were, lol. But a few days later he stopped crying about it and life went on. I never had any of those issues when I took the bottle away from my 4 kids. There were very little tears. My youngest cried a bit the first couple of days. She had just turned 13 months. Then it was forgotten. She has never had a bottle since then, nor wanted one. Of course all my my kids were down to just 1 bottle at bedtime by the time they turned 1 (well, except the youngest and we took the nap one away shortly after her birthday). It was pretty easy to just take away the last bottle. We still haven't weaned her off the binky, yet, though. She is almost 21 months. I did get her to only take it at nap and bedtime, unlike my other 2 girls who both used it constantly until they were 2 and 2 1/2, respectively.
• United States
29 Dec 07
you could try those sippy cups with the soft spout on them. they sell them at walmart. My daughter is almost 10 months and took her off the bottle at 9 months and had no problem. took to the sippy cup fine. i think the ones with the soft spout would work better with getting them off the bottle.
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
29 Dec 07
My daughter gave up her bottle right around 1 year. When we introduced the sippy. They have new sippy cups. The spout is soft like a nipple. Those might be useful. You might try the "big boy " approach. Oh my your getting to be such a big boy etc you don't need these bottles say good bye..see if that works. Another good technique to try is straws. Those also worked well with my daughter. After a bit he may give up the bottle on his own. Good luck.
• United States
30 Dec 07
My son has has the sippy since he was six months old and the one with the straw for probably thhree or four months, and he loves them both. However when he goes to sleep mainly at nigh, he wants his bottle. I hope he gives it up on his own and soon. Thankyou
@Sillychick (3275)
• United States
29 Dec 07
I took my son off the bottle when he turned a year old, 3 months ago. All I did was simply stop giving it to him. He had already been drinking well from a cup, so he transitioned pretty easily. He did not have a problem with giving it up, and when he sees a baby with a bottle he is interested, but doesn't want it. My advice would be to just take it. It is not a good idea to lay him down with the bottle because it will rot his teeth- I have seen it, it's not pretty. Plus the rot in the baby teeth can cause rot in the new teeth that come in later unless the bad teeth are pulled. The best way is just to go cold turkey. Let him learn to soothe himself to sleep. If you take it and then give it back it will be harder on both of you. Just don't give it to him, make it disappear, and he will be upset for a night, maybe two. He will adjust a lot quicker than you think.
• United States
30 Dec 07
That is kinds what I fugured, sorry son no more bottle, he is goin to be mad at me. HA HA
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
29 Dec 07
It is reccomened to take the bottle away from your child by the time they turn a year old. I took it away from my kids when they turned 1. You should never give a baby or a toddler a bottle at bedtime or at nap time it can rot thier teeth.
• United States
30 Dec 07
Thankyou for the info
• United States
29 Dec 07
With my daughters and grandkids i started about when they were about 15 months and i would give them a sippy cup during the day, and at nap time and a bottle at night till they get us to the sippy cup at nap time then start giving them a sippy cup at night. but if you are not careful they will want to use the sippy cup as a bottle and that is hard to get from them. my 3 year old granddaughter takes the 14 month olds bottle so as soon as you can get them to go to bed with out the bottle or the sippy cup the better
• United States
30 Dec 07
I started to let him have only the sippy during the day, and bottle at night and it was starting to work. Then it seemed like within two days five teeth started to come in. I do not want him sucking his thumb, and he has never had a pacifier, so I gave him back the bottle. Know I have to start over I guess. Thankyou for your help.
• China
11 Mar 09
My son doesn't like to eat a bottle, because he is always eating up my milk, in order to give him weaning ,during which I used the spoon to feed him some rice or noodles such as food. so you should try to spoon feed him some interest in food.