So, how do we scrap these bottles then?

[*Jo*]

Ok well i have an update, one that *might* help. we decided to give Caleb hte straw cup at bedtime instead of a bottle and the last three nights hes taken it fine! we have kept the morning bottle. I was advised to start with the morning bottle first but i found he was more ready to accept a straw cup at nighttime as he is at his most comfortable (on my knee wiht a blanket) he seems to accept it more there as he finds comfort bein with me right before bedtime whereas first thing in the morning he wants to get up and do STUFF!!! so a straw cup is just a pain to him then.

anyway, we havent tackled morning bottle yet, maybe in a few weeks, just one thing at a time! I also found that i wasnt as stressed out about it at night as i already knew he'd had enough calcium etc during the day so if he only took half the amount i didnt worry, but so far so good!

[deb]

Even though Natalie never took a bottle per se, once she was maybe 18 months-2YO we started making up a rice milk smoothie for her in the mornings. We were using a sort of sports bottle with a straw which was a pain to get the powder out of, so eventually we switched to using plain Rubbermaid water bottles. I'd put the stuff in, close the lid, shake it up, and she got good at it. There are smaller ones with straws, too, about juice-box size, and some without. It was surprising how easily she got the idea of just drinking the drink.

[Roseii]

That's great Jo, I also found it easier to switch the evening bottle first, she seemed a lot more tolerant of change at that time. We also started off with a straw cup and she took that for a couple of days but got a bit frustrated as she wanted to lie back on a cushion like she did with her bottle, but our straw cup needed to be upright for her to get the milk out. So after a couple of days I tried her again on the plain old sippy cup and she didn't bat an eyelid. Our transition ended up being a day or 2 of refusal, straw cup for a couple of days, then quickly onto Tommy Tippee sippies with no fuss at all, and it has been about 6 weeks now I think! I am amazed at how easy it was in the end, although apart from sleeping arrangements DD is very adaptable ie breast to formula to cow's milk, no problem, I know I am lucky in that respect.
Good luck Jo and to anyone else transitioning. xxx

[*Liz*]

That is interesting Jo and Charli - I haven't even thought to try bedtime as I am so worried about him waking up hungry as J is NOT a good eater.

But I do know I shouldn't really be stuffing him full of milk at this age as well  .

Charli - what straw cup do you use as I know you are a UK mummy  .

[Roseii]

I can't remember what it is called, I thought it was a Nuby one but I will check tonight (am at work atm) All the same it is very similar to these:

http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_88938_10001?rw.cm=Shopping.com,cse&cm_mmc=icrossing-_-Shopping.com-_-Product+Feed

The straw is very rubbery so I thought she might prefer that texture to the hard spout of the sippy.

HTH

[csmum]

Hi all.  I managed to get ds off bottles when he was teething with molars.  He was already drinking water and juice from a straw cup - avent, with the little adapter and ordinary drinking straw.  When his mouth was sore with the teeth he decided the straw was easier. 

Has anybody tried being sneaky and changing the teat to a slower flow so that maybe the bottle is a little frustrating?

[*Liz*]

Very sneaky  . But with J he would just refuse his milk - go to bed hungry and then wake up for it  .

I didn't know avent DID a straw cup  is that in the UK?

[*Jo*]

well we tried the straw cup this morning and he took it fine as well, looks like we may have scrapped the bottles - just wondering though, do you stick with the straw cups and then try him on normal cups or go back to sippy cups where he has to tilt his head back?? whats the actual process to go to a normal cup?

[Roseii]

With me DD got fed up of the straw cup so I didn't need to actually transition her. I do remember asking on here if it was such a bad thing if she just stuck with the straw rather than going onto a sippy (when she was still using straw cup) and I don't remember any real reason not to...Perhaps it's not so good for their teeth or something??

[csmum]

Liz, it's not a proper straw cup.  You know how you can take the teat out of the ring and swap it for a disc and then you can store milk or food in it in the fridge/freezer?  Well I found a little disc that fits into the ring and it has a little cross slit in it (like the lid on a drink from McDonalds) and you just put an ordinary straw in it.  For the small bottles, I just trimmed the straw first so it wasn't too long.  Not at all spill proof, but it was fast flowing which ds found much easier when his mouth was sore cutting molars. 
I haven't looked for the straw adapter in a long time (my youngest is 4 now) so I don't know if it would still be available.

[MummyToBen]

HI Liz, we transitioned Ben's milk to a straw cup - a tommee tippee explora active one - they're 1/3 off in sainsbury's at the mo.  Much better for when he's teething and was having a strop when I tried to give him a normal sippy!!

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Baby_Care/Tommee_Tippee_Explora_Active_Straw_300ml_Cup.html?ShowSwitchSMBar=3

xx

[deb]

I don't remember if I mentioned this on this thread, but when Josie got on a sippy, it took YEARS to get her off it - I think she was 3-1/2 till we finally ditched them. (They were getting old and gross and I was tired of cleaning the bits and bobs. )

We decided to completely bypass them with Natalie, and used actual cups/beakers at the table and sports-bottle-type things for the out and about when we needed spillproof, and now she's a pro at drinking from cups, water bottles, the works, whereas Josie still hunts straws for drinking even at home from regular cups.

So, my take is that if they don't do a sippy, it's really no harm done and may be even better!

[~*Nicole*~]

Deb-I can't IMAGINE DD drinking from an open cup on her own. Mess, mess, mess. The sippy cups she uses; fall all the time, she isn't very good at setting them down, she waves them every direction/tilting them and I can just see the amount of clean up involved. Yikes. Even the drips from the sports bottles would be EVERYWHERE with her. That's amazing that Natalie got the hang of them so early.

[clazzat]

Deb-I can't IMAGINE DD drinking from an open cup on her own. Mess, mess, mess. The sippy cups she uses; fall all the time, she isn't very good at setting them down, she waves them every direction/tilting them and I can just see the amount of clean up involved. Yikes. Even the drips from the sports bottles would be EVERYWHERE with her. That's amazing that Natalie got the hang of them so early.

Some of them do - M was able to drink from a water bottle by 12 months, and an open cup from about 15 months.  Not to say that she didn't spill - she did and still does - but it was always accidental spills because she wasn't paying attention.  E is more in the waving things around school, so we have straw cups for her which are fantastic.

[~*Nicole*~]

I guess that's one of the benefits of having 2 LOs--you really get to see how different they all are...first hand