when do you go from 4 bottles to 3 bottles per day?

[SallyDom]

Hi Allison, the free flow cup I've got is Asda's own, it only cost about a pound or something! I tried him with some milk in it this morning and he wasn't impressed.

Sami, by straw cup do mean literally a cup with a straw in it? Also, Dominic seems very happy drinking 8oz every 4-4.5 hours. He is 8.5 months now and on 3 meals a day, should I try to space out his bottles more or do you think leave him as he is until he wants to drop the bottle?

Thanks
x

 

[samijoe]

You can if you want, but don't feel obligated to.  Your lo will tell you when he doesn't want those bottles.  Most lo's are ready for a 4.5 hr EASY or even a 5/5.5 hr EASY at this age.  We have bottles at 730, 230, and 7pm.

Um, here is a pic of my dd drinking from her straw cup...it is made by Gerber i think.


sami

[Mom2one]

I think I'll try the 3 bottles a day and see how it goes, provided she will drink a full 8oz in the morning when waking up.  I'm still giving bottles first, then solids.

We were on a 4hr EASY, but the 11am bottle had decreased slightly, so we went to a 4.5 hr EASY, but there wasn't much of an increase in her intake.  She averages 26oz per day and sleeps through the night. 

Samijoe, if your LO has a bottle at 2:30, is that bottle before/at naptime? 

[samijoe]

Her bottle is slightly before a nap...but still far enough away that she doesn't associate the two.  I don't always feed it at 230...sometimes 215ish, but we always do enough to separate bottle with sleep.  I wouldn't be comfortable doing it this way if i thought it was at all a Bad Habit!

My dd has 3.5 hr A times right now (i am so lucky)....so we get up at 7, nap at 1030, up at 1130, nap at 300, up at 415/430 and then 730 bed.  Usually she is asleep with 5 mins at bedtime or once in awhile she plays in crib for 5/10 minutes.  But 730 is the start of MY y time....

hee hee!

sami

[Silas Mum]

samijoe ... does your DD not jab herself with the straw?  I'm thinking that if my DS can't even suck out of a sippy more than 2 swigs or so, he probably couldn't suck out of a straw?  Did you try to introduce a 'regular' sippy before the straw sippy?  I got a different sippy yesterday ... a hard spout, not the soft type like the Nuby I've been using ... but DS just got mad and threw it down when he couldn't chew it.  Hahahaha. 

I guess the trick is to just keep on offering it?  But ... does there come a point where you just offer only a sippy and not ever bring in the bottle again?

Allison  =) 

[samijoe]

Allison,

We tried a hard spout (playtex) and the nuby one (gerber).  Dh tried the playtex one and said it was super hard to even get out for an adult...she would get some, but didn't really understand that she had to lift it up.  The Nuby one always gave her too much and she would spill it all over herself or choke on the flow.  The straw took her about three days to get...and even at first she would get too much.  But she figured it out...and she doesn't have to lift it up.

I wouldn't take the bottle away until you are completely sure your lo is getting a sufficient amount from it and will always take it.  At least not in the first year when milk is super important!  If your lo can fine, but i wouldn't force it.  OMO though.  I am sure you could teach your lo to drink from it all the time, but i think it would be a huge battle at this point in time.

I really think there should be a shop where US  (as in me and you) mommies can trade in all sippy cups that don't work for our lo's!  And maybe we could even trade for new ones to try too??  That would be great...lol!   

sami

[Silas Mum]

Oh Samijoe ... she's ADORABLE!!!

As you saw from my posting on the night wakings board about the screaming and teething, I haven't had time to push the sippy cup thing and get presents wrapped, nevermind get dressed by noon.  I don't dare try to get to Wal Mart to buy a cup with a straw until after Christmas ... the crowds are terrible! 

Cheers,
a.