how do I wean one year old from bottle to cup, and from formula to milk?

Question

My one year old has no teeth yet, and I believe he is teething right now. His appetite is slim to none, so I rely on the bottle and formula probably more than I should, because he eats very little in one sitting. I know I should be giving him milk now, but I rely on the nutrients that the formula gives. I need some advice!!!

Answer 1

do half whole milk and half formula, and use a sippy cup with handles on both sides.
it worked for me

Answer 2

if your child has no teeth yet i would stick to the formula as well as smooth foods as he gets more teeth and starts eating more then worry about getting rid of the bottle
as for weaning off the formula onto milk i am currently doing this with my 1 yr old : after he has had his lunch i give him half formula half milk in his bottle gradually over the next few weeks i will add more milk than formula until he is drinking straight milk
each child is individual and when he is eating more solid foods and you know that taking the formula away is not going to decrease his nutrients it will all work out.
you could get one of those non spill cups and offer it to him with water or juice now my son drinks water from a cup and milk from his bottle. dont feel pressured by what other people feel is best for YOUR baby after all YOU know what is best for him
goodluck and i hope you and your family are safe

Answer 3

At first use only about two times a day use the whole milk instead of the formula....use the sippy cups with the soft plasic spouts. The first few days substitute the sippy cup for the bottle a couple of times too. They have butter biscuits that help with teething, they are from Gerber. Also let him chew on a wet wash rag, hard beef jerky and cold whole carrots.

Definately get some of the baby orajel...it will help a lot!

Answer 4

I've done the mixing of formula and milk as the other answers have suggested. I've also taken straight milk and added just a tsp of vanilla. It gives it a nice rich flavor like ice cream but not all the sugar or choc or strawberry syrups. As far as making sure he's eating. At one, he should only be getting 16-20 oz. of milk a day. Make sure he's not substituting milk for food and his appetite will get a little better. Also remember that they don't grow quite as much over this next year so their appetite automatically decreases. He'll pretty much eat if he's hungry.

Answer 5

He may be eating less because the formula is satiating him. Try to refrain from giving him a bottle for a few hours, and then feed him solids - only giving him the bottle as a "dessert". As for weaning him: For medical reasons, I had to stop the bottle more or less overnight and give him from a cup at one year of age. I starter by holding the cup for him and giving him a little at a time, and then helping him hold his own cup, and then letting him hodl his own cup. If you have no medical issues to prevent you from using a sippy cup, try that as a good bridge between the two. You might find it easier to make the change quickly rather than weaning him slowly.... good luck

Answer 6

When I weaned my daughters from the bottle, I bought a cup that has a rubber top. It is close in feeling to a nipple. My oldest daughter helped me throw away all of the bottles, and never had a problem. My youngest was a bit tougher, she was addicted to the bottle...Plus whole milk made her throw up. So I just watered it down, 1/2 milk 1/2 water. I would gradually increase the milk and decrease the water till she was drinking straight whole milk.. She also went through the "I wont eat unless I can feed myself" phase. I let her.. A whole lot messier, but at least she was eating.

Answer 7

you can go straight from formula to milk, or mix half and half. my son was the worst for his "ba-ba" i finally weaned him down to it at night and then just told him that he was too old for a bottle. hes fine now, i give him a cup of juice and he takes it to bed w/ him so if he wakes up in the middle of the night its right there. kids go thru stages where they wont eat much, and then they'll want to eat all the time. teething will also change an appitite...but a sippy cup will ease the process, my sons cups are almost white around the spout where he chews on it...dont worry about it, milk is just fine for him. i would give him juice as well b/c w/ it being summer, if he drinks milk all day and gets too hot the milk will clabber in his stomach and he may throw it up...mines done that and its not a pretty site...hope this helps,

Answer 8

Start by gradually weaning from formula to milk. Mix 2 oz milk with 6 oz formula for a day, then 4 oz milk and 4 oz formula the next... etc. The day to go to straight milk, offer the cup with milk or the bottle with formula. He will probably take the cup because cow's milk taste's SOOOO much better than formula. Worked with my daughter.

P.S. If you are worried about nutrition, sub PediaSure for milk.

Answer 9

Start by giving him the formula in a sippy cup and then start giving him milk once in a while instead. Gradually give him more milk and less formula. I don't know if you can mix them (i know that you can mix formula and breast milk but not if you can mix formula and cow's milk) but you can alternate. Once he's drinking much less formula he will have more incentive to eat more solids. Right now he's just filling up on that bottle.

Answer 10

Carnation makes a "formula" that you can use to transition. I can't for the life of me remember what it is called b/c I never used it. I just "lost" the bottles :-) and gave half water and half milk in a sippy cup until he was used to the milk flavor, but give it to him after he eats!!

Answer 11

He should have started with a cup and finger foods when he got his pincher grasp usually by 8 months.

Toddlers are busy little people and he will eat better if you let him eat on the go. Quick simple little foods that he can eat on the go will get you better results.

Like the other person said you can mix half and half. Let me also warn you there is such a thing as milk anemia. You fill them up on milk so they don't eat food there fore they aren't getting the nutrients they need.

I recomend giving him a little to drink when he eats and between meals. Don't give him large amounts to drink at once or he feels up on it and doesn't eat.

Keep trying though they can be stubborn little bugers when they want to be but you have to remain the one in control.

Let me add that please please please do not send this child to bed with a cup of milk or juice it will rot their teeth and increase incidence of ear infections.