So, how do we scrap these bottles then?

[deb]

When Natalie was able to sit at the table, we gave her these teeny weeny little plastic cups we got in a set from IKEA (along with plates and tiny utensils! ; we'd put like 4 or 5 of them at the table, they were maybe half the size of shot glasses, very tiny, with an ounce or so of water. There were many many messes at the beginning, but she got the hang of them! She graduated to shot glasses (we found some plastic ones on sale at our grocery store in the Seasonal area, of all places) and then to small cups and never looked back. I think once she ended up doused with cool water from shaking and waving she got the idea that it wasn't such a good plan to do that. LOL

But really, I think the younger you start them on regular cups, the easier it is for them down the road, especially with someone like Josie who took a long long LONG time to get away from sippies.

[Roseii]

That's very interesting, I do give DD a proper cup occasionally with the tiniest bit of water in but she tips the cup back too quickly! I might try a doidy (sp?) cup soon, try and encourage her to not tip it up so quickly. Quite happy with her having her sippies for morning and evening milk though, don't want her to grow up too quickly

[Tweakster]

Hi there, I just wanted to ask you Liz how did this transition go - or how is it going rather?  I am now panicking because of the whole 12 mth off bottles thing...and Finn is on too much formula/too many bottles now - imagine that from the kid who used to refuse them lol.  I wasn't really paying attention to feeding/food as much as I should have been, more focused on sleep.  And now we need a dietary overhaul.

He's not hurting for food either...he's huge...unlike J who needs the nutrition.  So I can be a little more 'persuasive'.

I have read everything and I am not really sure how to proceed.  Did you dilute his formula or just move straight to cow's milk?  What cup worked in the end?  We have a million and I am trying to work out how to go about it...did you rotate the cups until he took to one?

Finn uses a sippy cup with straw for water only.  Put anything else in it and he throws it on the floor.

[*Liz*]

Hi Wendy - Jacob still has bottles for milk  . I tried a few things but so far he hasn't taken to it - but I haven't tried actually refusing any bottles as I am still not willing to risk actually dropping the milk iyswim?

I'm currently in the middle of transitioning to cows milk and have been diluting the formula. That side of things is going well and we are now at 2/3 cows milk. I've been doing it for 10 days now - but he hasn't rejected at any point which is great for us. I did offer a straight switch just the once and he didn't like it so just moving him slowly now instead.

I'm hoping that once he is on pure cows milk we can try the cups again - but perhaps just by offering during that day until one day he feels a little thristy and has it.

Jacob has 2 bottles a day - first thing in the morning and before bed.

But I'm not overly bothered by the 12 mths off bottles thing - more that he wiggles too much when I am trying to feed him, and he would still rather I fed it too him  . And held a nice book for him to read at the same time. I think he thinks I am an octopus!!

[Roseii]

Hey Wendy, just butting in here

I def wouldn't worry too much about the fact he is 12m and being off bottles, I think it is quite rare that they are off them quite that quickly, despite advice. DD was on the sippy by 15m  and I was thrilled with that. How adaptable is he where food is concerned? I was lucky with DD and was able to just completely switch to cow's milk when she turned 12m (in a bottle) and she didn't pay the blindest bit of notice, never went back to formula then. But of course you could always try replacing some formula with cow's milk and going that route.
And re swapping to sippies, it was a bog standard sippy that worked for us in the end as she only took a straw cup for a day or 2 before rejecting it. And I took the quite firm standpoint of milk in a sippy or no milk at all (not that I was standing in front of her shouting that I just only offered the sippy and let her drink what she wanted, didn't revert back to bottles after a couple of days of doing that and her quickly figuring she didn't even need to try the sippy as mum would just put it in a bottle anyway!) So anyway after a day or 2 she just accepted the sippy and we never went back, it was so easy in the end, I feel very lucky! But like I say she was nearer 14/15m and like you I had no concerns about her milk intake as she is such a big eater. If the worst had come to the worst I was just going to increase her calcium intake in all other foods throughout the day and add more milk to things etc.

HTH and you don't mind my tuppenies worth

[Tweakster]

Certainly all advice is appreciated :-)  I guess my concerns are that he's starving during the day now, or so it seems.  I am chalking it up to the 12 mth growth spurt, but perhaps it's because he is walking and burning calories...or both.  He is 'ok' with solids, still texture-phobic but doing much better these days.  But he is not taking enough solids to make up a reasonable diet in my opinion, despite our best offerings.  We got him on yogurt at an early age so every morning he gets his pot of yogurt...and he does like cheese so I throw that into meals and snacks when I can...mostly use shredded and dump it on his tray for him.  I think we are ok on the calcium front...but formula has a lot more than calcium right? 

We moved him to the 6-18 mth formula a while ago, I think the only difference though is that it has more iron.  I have tried cow's milk a few times but he's a bit apprehensive.  This morning with breakfast I gave him a few ounces, he sipped and then waved the cup around...and then walked around with the cup for a bit waving it...and now the cup is lying in the heap of toys lol.  I suspect I might have better luck diluting the formula with milk in his bottles...and start the transition that way...

Right now he's still taking around 24 oz or more of formula which I understand is too much at 12 mths.  Oops.  Well ok he's 11.5 mths but hey.

[*Liz*]

I tried a formula change with J at 12 mths (as they changed the manufacture of mine and it gave a taste difference). But really did not like it and made a royal fuss. But 5 mths later he doesn't seem to mind as much.

Perhaps he is starting to realise formula tastes odd though? He has actually drunk this combo milk better than the pure formula.

How many bottles does Finn have Wendy? He might take more solids if a bit less milk. Jacob certainly improved A LOT when we dropped to 3 and then to 2 milk feeds a day.

[Tweakster]

Yeah I think we need to do this, start limiting bottles.  Basically we have been offering 3x 8oz plus a bedtime top up.  It's too much formula!  But now we are into that feed at the EW idea of DH's...and I have to say it's working.  So he's hungry...or thirsty.  Could he just be thirsty and water is cutting it for him?  He has had a sippy in his crib with water for months now...and he does get down it...because I do fill it quite often.

Ideally I would like to phase out the lunchtime bottle at least, in time for daycare...but that is the one he takes the most of.  Morning and dinner is hit and miss as to whether he takes the full 8 oz, normally takes around 6.  And the bedtime also hit and miss, but more often than not he will take at least 7 oz if not the full thing.  He is hungry after his nap these days, I give him a snack and water but he is just after me, crawling up my pant leg to get a bottle...so I give him a snack bottle sometimes, around 4 oz.  What am I doing??!  Arrrgh. 

He does take a decent amount of solids, like example he will take half jar of meat & veg and then a few tablespoons of fruit and then whatever finger foods are on offer...but he still wants that bottle!  I can't get him to take more solids...unless I stop offering the formula and get through the tears and pant leg drama.

[*Liz*]

Sounds like he just really likes his milk  . But it does need cutting back really. And a bigger solids meal will likely hold his hunger off until morning better than milk does at this age. We see that with Jacob as they are slower to digest.

If you don't want a fight over it could you just reduce the amounts slowly in the daytime bottles a bit - so 1oz every few week or so to get them down to 5-6oz?

The cows milk seems to be less filling for Jacob as well compared to formula so maybe that will also help?

[Tweakster]

So if I start with cutting back the formula should I also dilute it with cow's milk?  Or just one thing at a time?  I can definitely reduce it, have done recently but he cries and continues sucking on the bottle even though it's dry lol  I just say 'all gone, it's all gone' and hand him his sippy with water in it.

Interestingly, he has not asked for a bottle this morning.  He's had yogurt, some fruit (strawberries which went in and right back out of his mouth), offered toast which he threw on the floor, and then a few sips of cow's milk and some water.  Not sure when the bottle monster is going to appear...

So dinner should be big and closer to bedtime?  We've been going about it wrong.  Dinner is offered around 5ish because he's so hungry and then he has a big bottle right at bedtime.

[*Liz*]

I do the same times still ATM - but I think J probably eats more solids at this time. He will likely eat a fish finger, some potato wedges, some cheese, some fruit and a yoghurt. Then bottle is 1.5hrs after. But I find if he has a big bottle and no tea he wakes hungry at 5.30am - but if he has a big tea and only a 5oz bottle it makes no difference and he wakes at normal time just fine  .

[Tweakster]

Ok thanks Liz...thanks for letting me resurrect this thread :-)  I found some good tips here.  I will try to offer him more solids at dinner and less bottle at bedtime to see if that helps.  I already cut down the ounces today and he seems fine with it...I have done 6 oz bottles instead...and tried cow's milk in a cup every meal...which he promptly refused.  Wasting a lot of milk here lol