Weaning from bottle to sippy - need advice!

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Wasn't sure where to exactly post this, so hopefully this is a good place.

Ds is 12 months old, and we are trying to wean from the bottle.  I tried a bunch of different sippy cups in the beginning, and he took to the Nuby sippy cup, the one with the soft spout.  He has been drinking water from it with meals like a champ for the past 2 months or so.  So he definitely understands how to drink from the sippy.

Now the battle is, he almost refuses to drink even one sip of milk from the sippy.  Once he realizes it's milk, he just keeps pushing it away, to the point of crying.  He doesn't mind the milk in and of itself, cause he will drink the milk happily from a bottle. 

I have tried using a few different sippys for the milk (versus the Nuby one that he uses for water), but it doesn't matter, he just doesn't want to drink the milk from anything other than the bottle.

So far, I have been trying the milk with the meals, and then dumping it into a bottle afterwards, and giving it to him that way.  I know that's not the way to transition him, but I need him to get the milk as well...

I should mention that he is still taking 4 bottles a day, 1 after breakfast, 1 after lunch, 1 after his afternoon nap, and 1 after dinner.  We don't have a bedtime bottle, so that's not an issue at least.  I started giving milk in a sippy with his breakfast first because that is / was the bottle that he takes the least from. 

Anyway, I guess I just need some advice.  Should I just only give him milk in the sippy at all meals, and cut out all the bottles entirely?  And just hope he'll finally realize that to get the milk, he's going to have to drink from the sippy?

My ped (at his 12 month checkup) suggested that I give him no more than 2 bottles a day, and the rest has to be from a sippy.  I don't know if that's the right thing to do either.

I'm really getting frustrated, so would appreciate any advice from anyone who has had issues with their lo giving up their bottle! 

TIA!!!

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi Tammy,

I don't have a lot of advice, but we did it the same way as you. Milk with meals in the Nuby soft sippy. Dd too would only take a sip or two then we would finish with the bottle. Eventually (took almost a month) she started taking more and more. Then we only gave milk in a sippy starting with breakfast. Slowly but surely we did the same with the other bottles, replacing them completely with the sippy. We are now trying the same thing with "regular cups" so she's down to 2 sippies of milk and 2 with a cup. It's a slow process but it is working for us... I hope that helps even a bit...

Sharon

[mattandcindy]

Hi Tammy
I just wanted to offer you my sympathy as we are in the same boat with Abigail right now. I don't have any answers for you, but I will be watching this thread to see what others say.
We are doing the exact same thing in terms of offering the milk in the sippy and then finishing in the bottle. Sometimes I think she holds out for the bottle but I am not sure how else to do it either.
I have been told by many people to just cut the bottles out completely and when she gets thirsty enough she will drink. I do worry though about her getting enough fluids. She doesn't really like any other dairy (won't eat cheese, yogurt, etc) so milk is her only dairy. One of my problems is that I am inconsistent. If I am in a hurry or just don't don't feel like it (I am 12 weeks pregnant also), than I am not very good about being consisent with it and I will just offer her a bottle. She is also taking 4 bottles a day on the same schedule as Ethan.
I hope we find the answers here!
Good Luck.

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Well, I decided that at breakfast this morning it was the sippy with milk, and that's it.  No dumping it into the bottle afterwards.  He didn't drink but two sips at breakfast, so I brought the sippy upstairs to his playroom afterwards.  By the time his morning naptime came, he had successfully drank about 4 oz. of milk, which is about par for what he would've drank from the bottle.  I think I just have to do this one meal at a time until he figures it out.  I am starting with breakfast cause that's the meal he takes the least milk (from the bottle) anyway.  He wasn't exactly happy about having to drink from the sippy, but he did eventually do it a few times to get that 4 oz down.  I plan to do this for a while, and hopefully he'll get better about it.  Once I feel we're doing well, I'm going to move on to the lunchtime bottle...

Here's hoping this goes better than it has been!  Good luck to both you, Sharon, and you Cindy!  Cindy - I think our kids are at the same exact spot most of the time in regards to problems with napping, nightwaking, eating, and bottles!  Twins separated by miles!   

[mattandcindy]

Tammy-That definitely sounds like a success! Congrats!
I am going to start going more hardcore with the sippy starting next week. (I need to psych ME  up for it!)
 Keep us updated as to how he is doing!

YES! I frequently read your posts and think, "Wow, that is the same thing Abigail is doing right now too!" Does he have reflux or am I thinking of another bw baby close in age to Abigail?

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

No, no reflux thank goodness.  He was quite a spitter, but not bad enough to be considered "reflux", kwim?    You need to update your lilypie for Abigail, so I know how old she is now!   

[mattandcindy]

Tammy
I read on the Jan/Feb thread that you dropped the morning bottle-congrats! Isn't it nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to bottles???

I worked last Saturday and my husband was home all day with Abigail. When I got home that night I asked how she did, "Oh fine" was his answer. And he said, "Oh, did I happen to mention that she did all her meals from the sippy today? She did about 17 oz" He was all non chalant! I was FLOORED! I guess sometimes it just takes a man to do a woman's work! He just didn't stress if she didn't drink and figured she would make up for it during the day which she did. We are still giving her her snack bottle but other than that she is on all sippy and doing great! That same day she did two 2 hour naps for him. I told him maybe he should stay home and I should go to work!

I put the bottles away though, all but one. I was such a nice feeling!
I am really hoping #2 won't have reflux and be able to bf so the bottles will be a thing of the past!!!!!!

Keep updated as to Ethan's progress!

[LŠuren]

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=55022.0

This is another post that came up about LO's using sippy cups, although the one in this thread is 9months.

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Cindy - we are doing well, thanks for thinking about us!  And super news about Abigail! 

We have officially dropped the breakfast and lunchtime bottles.  He is taking probably 4 to 5 oz from his sippy for both of those.  I'm going to wait a week and drop the afternoon bottle, then another week, and drop the dinner bottle.  Then we'll be bottle free!  But at least I'm only having to wash 2 bottles a day right now.  I'll be so glad to be rid of them after a year!