Want to Start Weaning Bottles

[Mom to M&M]

DD (10 months and change) is currently on 3 bottles - hoping to drop to 2 if we can successfully add in yogurt and cheese in the next week or two (currently trying to transition from hypoallergenic formula to cow's milk formula).

She does well with a straw cup and pretty well with a sippy but generally wants you to hold it for her. She's the same with her bottles - never one to hold her own bottle. Oddly enough though she doesnt' want to be held when drinking her bottle - basically she wants to be sitting in her high chair, on the floor or in her stroller but wants you to hold bottle for her.

Her bottles are generally 6 ounces and I'm sure she could drink at least half of that from a straw cup - but I'd likely have to hold it. Is it worth trying to wean her from the bottle or will it only get her used to me holding the cup too? Any advice?

[TDR'smom]

I would up her morning and evening bottle by 1 or 2 oz each.  Then I would not even worry about putting formula in the straw/sippy cup.  With the addition of cheese or yogurt, she should be fine in regards to calories and nutrition. 

Not sure what to tell you about holding the cup for her but it does not sound like a big deal to me.  She will most likely take it from you and hold it when she is ready.   

HTH

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks. I'll try to up her other two bottles but she usually won't take more than 6 ounces at a time, sometimes 5.5.

So should I keep working with the straw cup with water and juice for now then? And hold off on weaning formula to cups until we move to regular milk?

[TDR'smom]

That is what I would do.  If she will drink juice and water from a sippy/straw cup.  That is great.  However, if your lo will not take more than 5-6 oz of formula at a time, I would worry that she is not getting enough formula??  So maybe put a few oz in a sippy/straw cup just to get her a little more.

Sorry to waffle back and forth but I am used to my ds who would drink 10 oz of formula at a time if I let him.....

Does she eat a lot of solids?  Enough to make up for the drop in formula???

[Mom to M&M]

My Ped actually only wants her to have about 18 ounces a day - he'd rather up her solids if she's still hungry. She ends up right about 18 - some days a bit more some days a bit less. She eats a lot of purees - we are still trying to work on lumps and finger foods -another set of issues...

Today is our last day of mixing Enfamil with Alimentum - would like to do one full week of just Enfamil before trying cheese or yogurt I think.

She also drinks about 3 ounces day of fiber juice for constipation and 1-2 ounces water.

[TDR'smom]

Here is what I would do if I were you...

Keep her 2 bottles at 6 oz each (unless you can squeeze another ounce or so into each).  Give her sippy/straw cups at meals with formula.  I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of formula she is taking in from the cups.  As long as she is getting SOME.  Probably will not bring you to 18oz but you should be close.  Just be sure she is getting lots of iron rich foods (egg yolks, some yogurts are iron fortified)

At 10 months my ds was on 2 bottles of 8oz each (total 16 oz).  But he has always and still is a big eater.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks again - I think I may just wait to do that until next week when we try cheese and yogurt - that way she can have lunch as she has been (veggies and chicken) and instead of a bottle an hour or more later she can have a snack of cheese or yogurt? We also haven't tried egg yolks yet - plan to do that soon too - been hard because of slow start as DD had digestive issues and reflux.

But that sounds like a great plan and will hopefully work once we get some of the new foods going!

[TDR'smom]

Just noticed you were from NYC!!!  We lived in Rockland County from 1/00-1/05.  We just moved to Virginia in January 2005.

Where abouts in NYC do you live?!?!?!

[Mom to M&M]

We live in Manhattan! Where in Rockland? Years ago I dated a guy who lived in West Nyack... Do you like Virginia?

So would you wait to drop morning and night bottles until on milk instead of formula?

[*Natasha*]

Hi Karen,

We are down to 2 bottles a day the morning one is 6ozs and the night bottle is 8ozs. I also give her 2-4ozs in a cup with breakfast and dinner to get her use to it when we drop the bottle. She also has 4ozs of milk in her cereal every morning. When i dropped her lunch bottle i introduced custard with her afternoon snack and she has a 100g tub of yoghurt with lunch. As for holding the bottle/cup Catherine doesn't do this either i don't really care about the bottle as this will be gone soon. She will sometimes hold her cup and as she gets older i am sure she will want to do it herself.
I hope that is helpful 

[TDR'smom]

We lived in Nanuet and shopped at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack all of the time!  We love Richmond as it is so much more affordable but miss New York very much.  I had to drive up to Jersey City for a bridal shower in April and almost cried when I saw the NYC Skyline!!!  Nothing like it! 

Yes, I would drop the morning and bedtime bottle last.  The morning bottle should be easier to drop than the bedtime bottle but don't worry about that for a few months!!  One thing at a time.   

I agree with Natasha Wells that your dd will hold her own sippy/straw cup when she is ready.   

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks guys. I'm hoping dairy goes well so well - so far so good with Enfamil trial but we were burned when M was a newborn so are so nervous and would love it to be successful this time so she can try and enjoy cheese, yogurt, etc and then we can drop that afternoon bottle. Sounds good with the cup - I never cared about her not holding the bottle but just didn't know if it was normal not to want to hold the cup too.

I know what you mean about NYC!