I have a 22 month old that is still on a bottle. He was breast fed until 8 months of age. I had to go into emergency surgery for an appendectomy and wasn't able to produce milk after I came home. He was forced onto a bottle for the 1st time and then it became a security blanket. I obviously I took too long to begin the weaning process and should have started when he turned 1. Anyway, I recently decided that enough was enough and took it away cold turkey. I bought him sippy cups that have a soft silicone nipple, hoping that it would feel similar to the bottle. He refused it. Three days later he still would not drink from it,not even water. He started to show signs of dehydration, so when I called my pediatrician he said that I had to get something in him and to give him back the bottle.
I know it is not "socially acceptable" for a 2 year old to be on a bottle and would like to change this habit. I don't know where to begin to reason with him about this, it seems impossible. Any ideas?
2006-07-20 06:16:37 · 10 answers · asked by Danielle P 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
Maybe you could try the reward system.....tell him if will drink just a little bit from the cup, then he will get a surprise......just something little...at that age it doesn't have to be much. Or try a straw, and show him how mommy and daddy drink out of one too...it might make him feel like a big boy......And don't worry about what other people think or if its acceptable. He is your child and only you know what he is going through. It's really nobody elses business....Good luck....
2006-07-20 06:24:32 · answer #1 · answered by lisa46151 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I got my daughter off the bottle completely by 13 months. This is how I did it: She was accustomed to having a bottle as I held her before putting her down for a nap or bedtime. She fell asleep in my arms while having the bottle. Then I switched to a sippy cup with the milk in it but gave her a choice of that or a bottle with water in it. She preferred the milk and voila...no more bottle. Of course by that time she was already using the sippy cup for everything except the sleeptime ritual.
So I would suggest giving your child two choices...a bottle with water or a sippy cup with something he really likes. Give him both and see what he chooses. Good luck.
2006-07-20 06:38:55 · answer #2 · answered by Dellajoy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont know who told you that he's too old for a bottle. Now three would be too old in my opinion. You may have it harder to wean him now. Try playing up to the 'big boy' drinking out of a sippy cup during the day and give him a bottle of water at night.
2006-07-20 06:23:46 · answer #3 · answered by groomingdiva_pgh 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't believe that a pediatrician would tell you that !!
If he seems like he's getting dehydrated, take a medicine dropper and put drops of water in his mouth, do it throughout the day if you have to, or give him a Popsicle to suck on.
You can't take away something and then turn around and give it right back, you'll be giving him a bottle in kindergarten if you do that .
Throw the bottles away and give him the sippy cups, he will get used to them in a few days.
2006-07-20 07:52:25 · answer #4 · answered by bye bye 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
had the same problem with my son he didnt get off til he was almost 3 yea its bad. but what i did was when i gave him milk in the bottle i would put half water in it and when he would drink from it he would take it outta his mouth cause it wasnt tasteful. so i would do that for a couple of days and then finally he didnt want a bottle. they have all kinds of sippie cups , my son loves straws even when he was young, so what i did was i went and bought some sippie cups that come with a plastic straw and just give him his drinks in those. u can get them at walmart.
2006-07-20 06:22:07 · answer #5 · answered by yahoo2006 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi there, don,t b 2 bothered about it.I'm sure your baby is not the oldest child with a bottle but yes you may feel uncomfortable about it.Your baby is obviously not ready for cups.Don't just take away the bottle suddenly.Try different steps or methods like;switching feed in the bottle (give him something he doesn't like)try different types of cups(straws,spouts or nipples)interchange with bottle.Try hiding the bottle once or twice for the day and see what happens.When you do hide the bottle, tell him you can't find it and ask him to help you look for it.?(Yes look high and low without telling him where it is!!!)lol.That part worked for me.This is the time you say 'well i can't seem to find your bottle so you'll try the cup!!!!(in a gentle way of course)
2006-07-20 07:30:32 · answer #6 · answered by tilly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would let him outgrow it. Maybe, as he gets older he can see the other toddlers don't have bottles. It was probably a bit hard on him when you could no longer breast feed him and he equates comfort with the bottle. Maybe try to introduce other things to him that can make him feel secure. Is it really an issue at this point to let him make up his own mind to quit using a bottle?
2006-07-20 06:22:33 · answer #7 · answered by superrrmodel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would try giving him a bottle only at night and for naps at first and sippy cups the rest of the time, that way he gets used it slowly and really for me my daughter was one when we took her off the bottle but she has a sippy cup at bed time everynight which is just as bad i guess she is now 3
2006-07-20 06:21:37 · answer #8 · answered by c_cupp2 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just throw them away when he's not around and give him a sippy cup and tell him he's a big boy/girl if they are thirsty they will drink from it. This has worked with all 4 of my kids and no it is not traumatizing!
2006-07-20 06:21:13 · answer #9 · answered by Jill1012 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One sister in law put cranberry juice in the bottle. Another put milk in the bottle but each day made the hole in the nipple bigger. Both methods worked.
2006-07-20 06:21:58 · answer #10 · answered by karen wonderful 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋