14month refusing the sippycup for milk...about to give up!

[Marie-O]

Hello All,
My DD is 14 month, she takes 3 bottles a day (8oz formula in the morning, 6oz of cow's milk after nap, and 8oz formula before BT).
She's eating solids food very well and drinking water on a sippy with no problem.

We decided to transition milk to sippy because she's starting to hold to long with the bottle, after finishing it she keeps sucking at it and doesn't want to give it away. It looks like she's soothing herself with it, she want's to walk around the house sucking at the bottle (we don't aloud her to do that).
4 days ago we started transitioning her milk to a sippy, we gave the milk on the same sippy as the water (since she's already familiar with it) and refused it, kept offering it along the day for 2 days and nothing. Then I bought another one with a straw and also refused it. Yesterday I bought a "Born free" sippy with a silicone soft spout that I figured it looked a more like a nipple and she also refused it.

The first 2 days we insisted with the sippy and after a long while we gave her the bottle, but since 2 days ago my DH told me to stop the bottle completely because she will never get used to the sippy if she knows the bottle comes at the end....

So that's what we have been doing for the last 2 days, she wont take a sip, she cries and cries and then I distract her and finally give her breakfast (in the morning), but at BT after crying for a while she falls asleep. I have to admit that I'm impressed that she still STTN even if she didn't take her milk....but it breaks my heart to put her to bed with an empty stomach 

I'm ready to give up!! I think I made a mistake! Is it too soon?? I'm terrified she's not getting the vitamines and calcium she needs. She eats well and I give her yogurt and cheese...but still.

At what age did your lo's transition milk to sippy? How did you do it??
Please advise 

[rach321]

Neither of mine have ever drunk milk out of a sippy cup!
I would say that at 14 months she probably doesn't need that afternoon bottle but if you're worried about her getting enough dairy then just offer some cereal with milk ad a snack or make a milky pudding like milk jelly  Or rice pudding. As for  the morning one I wouldn't worry about it too much let her have the bottle if that's how she will drink her milk just make a habit of taking it away once shrs finished - maybe she could help you wash it up in the sink or put it in the dishwasher? With my eldest I just used to give him a sippy of juice when he woke up then out his bottle on his breakfast cereal and if there was any left - put that in a sippy but like say he never ever drank milk from a sippy. As for the bedtime bottle he didnt stop that till he was almost 2 and I really didn't mind- at 2 he could be trusted with an open beaker so we just make a big thing about him drinking milk like a big boy etc! Have you tried a straw cup or a doidy open cup if you're still keen to drop all the bottles? Im sure there are plenty of others that kept the night time bottle till well after age 1. I'm no expert but that's what we did!

[*Kara*]

We still have three bottles a day and I have just dropped how much she gets in the first two.  Now, we are down to 5 ozs first thing in the morning and 5 ozs before her nap.  She still gets 9 ozs at bedtime and has a sippy with water/juice all day as well.

I plan on dropping the before nap bottle in the next month or so, then will change the first one to cow's milk in a sippy (if she will take it!).  Will keep the bedtime formula for a while yet though... my mom says she kept it until both my sister and I were closer to 2 since toddlers are such picky eaters most of the time

[Lolly]

I think your husband has got it about right - if you keep giving in she will know that if she holds out long enough you will give in to her. I would only offer the cup in the afternoon and if she drinks the milk great, if not she is getting plenty with her morning and bedtime bottle and the dairy in her foods.

I will move this over to eating for toddlers too!

Laura

[Lemonthyme]

It's tricky.  My son took to it fairly easily.  He didn't drink much at first but he didn't flat out refuse it so when I stopped BF, he took to it pretty well. 

The reason people tell you to stop around 12 months is as you've implied, that some kids get soothed by the sucking and then end up getting tooth decay.

I think most people say it takes 3 days to break a habit with a child, so I would be tempted to stick to your guns for 1 more day and see what happens.  I can understand you wanting to give in though if it's causing this much upset.

If it doesn't work, some strategies you could try is insist on cups during the day for the afternoon milk to start with and then morning milk.  Maybe to get rid of the last bottle you could then look at doing some kind of 'ceremony', like people do with dummies?  You know, pack them up into a box to send away for another little baby who needs them but now she's such a big girl she doesn't need them anymore?  Although that would probably only work if she's nearer 2 when you finally drop that bottle.

[Shiv52]

SO have you stopped the bottle at all feeds now?  I probably would leave the am and bedtime bottles and just switch to a sippy for daytime milk.  I think she is still young enough that it is ok to have a bottle at am and bedtime.  Once she is taking good amounts in the day from the sippy you could look at doing another feed too.  And i would just keep doing what you are doing and when she is finished the milk in teh morning take it straight off her xx

[Lolly]

Ok - I read it as you were only switching the afternoon bottle not all bottles (note to self read more carefully ) so my advice was based on that! I would keep the morning and night bottle too and switch just the afternoon bottle to a cup for now, as pp have said it's fine to have some bottles at this age. When she gets used to milk in a cup in the day you can switch the others, maybe the morning first then the bedtime one!

Laura

[clairebear79]

Maria - we are also having this same problem atm - my DS is 15months & WILL NOT drink milk out of sippy at all, even though he drinks water from it really well throughout the day.  I contemplated taking it away altogether but he really loves his bottle so I've decided to carry on letting him have it for the time being.  We also take it away as soon as he's finished so he can't carry on sucking it.
x

[Marie-O]

Hi girls! Thank you all for great support!!
After another day of tears and refusing milk she got a high fever and congestion and was feeling very bad, so we decided no to continue this while she's sick and gave her back the bottle morning and BT.
As you all suggested we are still insisting with the sippy for the afternoon milk which she refuses (but at least I know she's getting what she needs from the Am and PM bottle)

We decided to go slowly, and since it took her long to get used to drink water on sippy (when she was 6 month old) we are assuming this time will take her long too. So we are sticking with the same method we did before and keep offering all day long the milk in the sippy so she get's used to it....let's see how it goes.

This is just too hard, and she's still too young to understand the reasons we are doing this.
My goal is at 18month to get rid of the bottle completely, and we will work one feed at the time.

Thanks you all for your wonderful advises and support!!

XOX
Marie