when to wean the bottle??

[annap]

Hi,
I was just wondering when is the "proper" time to stop with the bottle? My DS is 14 months old and eats very well:
0700 bottle 180-240 ml (6.5-8.5 oZ). he goes to day care, so around
0915- breakfast (salad, eggs' bread etc.)
1145- Lunch (warm meal)
0130 pm- bottle of 180 ml (6.5 OZ)
0400 pm wake up and gets a sadwich.
Usually when I bring him home around 0430 pm he is running to the "bottle spot". lately I have been giving him 2 spoons for 180 ml water.
0600pm- dinner (salad/bread or yogurt)
0700 bottle 180-240ml.

I do not know when am I suppose to stop with the bottle.. I do not want him to  be dipendant on it..
what is the common opinion on this? I would appriciate your help!
Anna

[*Mona*]

hi there

so, on 3 bottles per day he's getting at least 540 ml of milk which is a lot.
at 14 months solids should rather be the bigger part of his daily food intake, not milk.
I think it would be best if you dropped the midday feed, move lunch to 1pm or so and offer something lighter between 9am breakfast and 1pm lunch.

what do you think?

monika

[RyansMum]

Hi, just wanted to add, I read that the bottles should be gone by the time they are a year old so I literally threw them away after Ryans first birthday!  He has never missed them! 

I would try and substitute some of his bottles for another kind of dairy like cheese or yoghurt. Lighter as Mona said but still getting the calcium and snacks that they need.

Good luck!

[grahamsmama]

I think the guidelines vary, some people say a year, or 18 months, or even 2 years.  Does he take a sippy well? You can start substituting the sippy for one of those bottles and see what happens to his intake.  He may take less milk just from this transition as a a lot of babies drink less from the sippy than the bottle. 

[annap]

Hi and thanks for all of you for your answeres! I still am not sure what to do.. he really LOVES it, it is for him like Chocolate is for most of us... some one told me that the weaning is the same as with Pasi.. whenever we decide to.. so far it does not bother me he takes them.. I am trying to lower it to 180 ml instead of 240.. he does not notice. also the bottle of the afternoon, I try not to take, but many times he will run to the "bottle spot" and will try to reach them and point to them... so then I make it really light, mostly water. maybe I will try the sippy idea with the afternoon bottle... 
RyansMum- so what did you give him when he woke up in the morning when you threw out the bottles?
Monica: thanks for the idea, I do it on the weekend, but during hte week, he is at day care and they all eat together at the schedual I wrote...
ANY WAY, Thanks for hte help- support, I guess all 3 answers show (as my mother say) that kids do not come with a manual...!!!

[RyansMum]

Hi Anna!

After Ryan turned one I used the sippy cup to give him his milk with his breakfast (or before if he was hungry when he first woke up) and now he has some milk in a cup with his breakfast.

By the way is it Formula you are giving or are you now onto Cows milk?

[swiper]

I have to say that Aimee is nearly 20 months and she still has a bottle at night and tbh I dont have a problem with her having it.

[RyansMum]

I think the only reason they have the guidelines is that after a while the bottles could be damaging to the teeth as the milk is bathing the teeth through the use of a bottle (but I assume the way Ryan has a cup now does the same thing  )

[annap]

Thank you all. to answer your Q it is Formula I give, not cow milk...
I guess I will try to take off the afternoon bottle....
Have a great week,
Anna