Why do we have to get rid of the bottle?

[Zoey]

Robin - we do about 16-20ounces of whole milk a day.  His cup fits 7oz so I fill it at each meal and he drinks most of it.  He has water all day.  I believe the rec is 16-20oz of whole milk a day, though I could be wrong.

Hth
Z

[AidansMommy]

Aidan will only drink about an ounce at meal time (amt he can get without big tipping required of cup!) unless i hold it for him.
He loves to drink out of a normal cup (such as MY cup!) but he can't do it on his own without wearing it all, and then he thinks it is fun and makes a mess and throws the cup.  He loves to throw everything!!!! ugh.

[catmom]

I asked our feeding therapist about giving up the bottle for this "conversation".  She said she works with a lot of kids that have major problems giving it up and it is more difficult the older they get.  She said it is a developmental process that is important for children to master.  When they use the bottle they thrust their tongue out which also causes them to be sloppy eaters because they are thrusting their tongue out and pushing the food out.  Do you have this problem?

Sorry to hear of your table wars....that is an entirely different battle.  Best of luck!

[nathan_smom]

Nathan drinks from straw cups too....but again....prefers water to milk or any other liquid!!! LOL  He doesnt have any problems at all with thrusting his tongue out or pushing food out at meals, and was in fact an early eater of solids. My only concern with him is his abundance of drool at times. There are days where his shirt gets soaked....usually accompanied by teething I guess...but he is 18 months old...is this still normal???!!!

[M2W]

So this may be a stupid qustion, but why is it that we are recommended to get rid of a bottle?  What is the difference between grabbing their bottle to suck water out of or grabbing a sippy to suck water out of?  And if they are FED a bedtime sippy of milk what is the difference if they are FED a bottle of milk?  I am confused.  Sorry if this is dumb I am just wondering what the benefits are of getting rid of a bottle.  Thanks for your thoughts!  Tammy

It's a social issue and I personally could care less if Weston took a bottle with him to the office at the age of 30...so he can wean himself at his own pace (IMHO)

I sucked a paci until I was 7+, no teeth issues, no braces, have straight healthy teeth. Never interferred with speech (trust me I can talk! LOL)

I think children come to an age where they want to be like mom or dad and do things they do...and will wean themselves at their own due time. So far it's been that way with Weston.

He will drink from a bottle and/or a sippy cup...and to me they both are the same action...but society has a way of thinking a sippy cup is less 'baby' then a bottle. I say let them be kids for as long as possible, they grow up too fast as it is!

[Two mummies]

I posted here a couple of weeks ago saying how we weren't worried about Riley's bedtime bottle as it was a great part of our bedtime routine. Three days later she weaned herself off it!!!!

So now we have milk in a sippy after dinner then bath, stories and bed. It was a bit weird at first not having that bedtime bottle in the routine but we added an extra story. She doesn't drink as much milk out of the sippy or much from a cup but she is a cheese and yoghurt fiend so we figure she is getting plenty of dairy.

Soph

[M2W]

yeah...they do...IMHO...wean themselves when they are ready...

[Gippie]

Great post - thanks for all of the input.  DD is 16m and still has a day and night bottle.  She has sippies all day and we are incorperating a real cup at dinner (where the mess is followed by a bath).  The bottle is SUCH a nice part of the night, we sit together, she rests and drinks and when the bottle is done she sits right up and points to her bed.  The bottle never somes in the bed and we dont use it before naps - just nights.   

I guess I will wean it at some point and am in less of a rush right now.   It's not a prop, she does not use a bbottle to sleep.   Thanks for all of the input.

Stacey

[M2W]

wanted to say that last night (and so far...knock on wood tonight) Weston has been taking a water bottle all night...which is AOK with me, because my main concern is the formula on his teeth, even though I've been reassured that the way he was drinking/tossing the bottle wasn't as harmful as leaving it in the mouth dripping...because RECENTLY he started trying to suck on it while laying on his tummy, which means when he falls asleep, it's in his mouth

So long story short, I'm please he's FINALLY agreed to a straight water bottle during the night!