Drop Middle Bottle?

[Mom to M&M]

DS will be 13 months on Monday. Has three bottles a day - usually about 18 ounces total (whole milk). Will only take milk from bottles - it's a full-on comfort thing for him - I still have to hold the bottle, he likes to hold his teddy, etc. But that's a different story...

He had a good lunch today and about 1.5 hours later was acting like he wanted his bottle. And it was time anyway so we got it and sat down on couch. He started drinking happily but then saw the bag of goldfish DD had left on the table and wanted those instead. So he got down and had 10-15 baby goldfish and then played happily for 20 minutes before wanting the bottle. And if it had been more of a substantial snack maybe he wouldn't have looked for the bottle? Not sure...

Is this a sign I can drop the middle bottle? But if I do he will drop down to 10-11 ounces milk/day. I can't add to his morning bottle or he'd never eat breakfast. And I'd rather not add more to his bedtime bottle (7 ounces). He currently doesn't eat pieces of cheese, though he does eat cheese in foods (like a cheese/spinach omelet at lunch today). He loves yogurt but not sure he'd want to sit in his high chair again that soon after lunchtime. Thoughts? TIA as always!

[<Catherine>]

DS is 13.5 months and I'm in the process of cutting his middle bottle out. Same with you with it being a comfort thing too, and he wont hold it either. I give his breakfast before his morning bottle, have always had to or he wouldnt touch breakfast, he then has his bottle roughly and 0.5-1 hour later and usually drink 9ozs, he then has 9ozs at bedtime and currently 4 or 5 ozs in the afternoon (dropping this gradually). However, on more and more occassions recently he has not finished his bottles or refuses the odd one completely (really shocked me when he did that for the firs time a few weeks ago!).

I will try to bring in an extra dairy snack too but like you I don't think he'll be too happy about being back in the highchair, although having said that, he loves yogurt and knows what it's called so probably would if he knows what's coming!!

Not sure this has helped much, other than to agree with most of what you've said!

[Lolly]

We have done a similar thing with DD, switched breakfast first but she has her bottle straight after it and generally drinks 6oz. In the afternoon I give her a 6oz sippy of milk, some days she drinks most of it, somedays she refuses point blank. She is still having an 8oz bottle for bed and with the 4oz in her cereal and the odd oz she drinks with her lunch and tea she's getting plenty even if she doesn't finish her bottles!

She won't hold her bottle either but will drink out of a free flow sippy by herself but would rather me hold it

Laura

[<Catherine>]

She won't hold her bottle either but will drink out of a free flow sippy by herself but would rather me hold it

Sounds familiar! But I am trying to resist holding the sippy for him now as I know he can do it perfectly well himself! I'll let him take the bottle from me for a while yet though, helps me to pretend he's still a baby and not a little boy ( ), especially when he's all sleepy for bed

[Lolly]

I like sleepy bedtime snuggles with clean smelling babies too! Mind you the instant she's finished she's squirming/ throwing herself off my lap these days - so not that sleepy really

Laura

[Mom to M&M]

Yea see the bottle is really his ONLY comfort item - no pacifier, no thumb sucking - he does have a teddy he's very attached to but the bottle is his one snuggle time of day - he sits on my lap (or DH's) and holds his teddy and we hold the bottle and he zones out and drinks it all. And then he's off walking, dancing, crawling again! He WILL drink milk out of a cup but not much and not when it's bottle time - more like half an ounce or so with meals. And then he gets very upset/clingy when it's time for the bottle (until he gets it). Not sure best way to proceed...

Oh and can't bring myself to do breakfast first - just not up to getting food ready that early. But I have cut the morning bottle down to 4 ounces so he eats...

[Tweakster]

Finn's the same, it's his comfort.  He dropped the AM on his own, after a few offers and he didn't really drink from it, we just offered a sippy and no more bottle.  The middle bottle we sent for the first month of daycare but then he stopped really wanting it on the weekends, so we just stopped sending it too. 

The bedtime bottle is now his vice, it's the one where he will cry and fuss until we give it, he smiles as soon as it is handed to him, he gets comfy and rubs his head and that's his comfort.  Not taking it away any time soon :-)

You'll get there Karen, he'll probably do it when he's ready.

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks Wendy - will keep with the bottles for now but try every now and then. Not too concerned - just would prefer to start transitioning at some point. It was so much easier with DD since she was a thumb sucker (rabidly so until a little over 3) and had no use for the bottle in terms of comfort! Maybe will start trying to phase out the middle one for a snack like yogurt or something but we'll see...

[Mom to M&M]

So I went today and bought the Born Free trainer cup - DS has used their bottles since about 5-6 months old and the parts are interchangeable. So I put the sippy spout (a soft one with a slow flow) on his bottle tonight and he was ok with that but still only with me holding him, his teddy and holding the bottle. So is there really any point? Or just try to get rid of the middle bottle and encourage milk in a cup he will hold himself at that time, even if just a little and offer a yogurt or smoothie snack? Put ovaltine in his milk cups? Or just keep with three bottles for now and try again in a month or two?

[Tweakster]

We do the sippy on the lap for the milk before nap, it works well.  He's starting to find it comforting I think as long as he is in a lap.

If he's taking it from a cup then it seems like natural progression on his part no?  Could you just see how that goes and go from there?

I am surprised that kids like Ovaltine, I can't stand it lol

[Mom to M&M]

Well the sippy top thing hit a snag anyway - the flow is SOOOO slow that he sucked for 10 minutes to get out half an ounce. About to try 6 ounces milk in his favorite straw cup (that he usually has water in) with 2 tsp Ovaltine. If that fails will have to reconsider...

[Tweakster]

Finn was doing well on the straw cup for months but then he decided that all cups need tipping, which he learned at daycare and now gets frustrated when he can't get out of the straw cup when tipped.  These kids eh lol

Wishing you luck xo

[Mom to M&M]

The straw cup was a big no. Got upset after two sips and pushed it away. Switched it to a sippy cup and giving him a snack now and have the cup near him. Unless he drinks that or gets upset maybe will just skip this bottle and try to go to two bottles only for now? Can do 4 ounce bottle in morning and offer rest in cup with breakfast and then 7-8 ounce bottle before bed. He also has whole milk yogurt most days...

[Mom to M&M]

So he never ended up drinking the milk (other than a couple sips) and was a bit upset but mainly ok and had a bit more snack. About to give him dinner and will try 8 ounces in bedtime bottle instead of 6-7? I can't really up his morning bottle because if I give him more than 4 ounces he totally refuses breakfast (and I just can't do breakfast first) but maybe will try a few ounces in the cup with or after breakfast? And offer yogurt as a snack an hour or two after lunch? Maybe will also buy those yobaby smoothies and see if he'll try that in sippy? He's sucking down water from it right now.

[Tweakster]

Karen will he not eat breakfast before his bottle?  I know you say you can't - just curious if it's his preference or yours :-)  The lunchtime one was a bit of a crutch for us because without it I feared he would not nap at daycare but turns out he knew better than me in the end.

This was all between 13-15 mths though, so it did take some time to lose those bottles.  And it meant repeated offering of the sippy every day, every couple of hours.  We did it even if we knew we were going to give him a bottle anyway.  So we would just dump the milk he didn't drink into the bottle and go from there.  For sure I would try other things in the sippy, we haven't had much luck there, I was hoping to get him drinking something other than milk and water from there, he won't even take a smoothie in that cup.  Mind you it's been a while since I have tried, might give it a go tomorrow.   You've inspired me ;-)