My daughter is 2 1/2 yrs old. When should you stop her from drinking from the bottle?

Question

I give it to her at night with water, too. She never used a pacifier. So, I feel maybe she uses the bottle to soothe her.

I'm sorry. I should have mentioned that she uses a sippy cup most of the day. But, when she appears tired she wants the bottle. It is hard too because I am not with her all day. I work 40 hours a week.

Answer 1

give her a cup throw away the bottles

Answer 2

She should be off the bottle by now, since she is having a hard time, do it together. Have her help you pack up all the bottles into a box and seal the box. Move all her sippy cups to a low drawer so she can pick which ones she likes to use. This will help foster that change. If she needs a new security item, introduce a blankie or favorite toy during those times she needs security. My son adopted a blanket that he somes still uses at 3 1/2 when he's in need of comfort. She will eventually outgrow the security blanket phase too...but personally I would rather see a 3 or 4 year old carrying around a blanket than with a bottle in his mouth.

Answer 3

Ease her off the bottle. It is important because of the fact that it is bad for babies teeth and will give her an oral fixation, which means she will likely become a big eater, too, resulting in health issues. Try starting by "losing" the nipples, so she has to drink like it's a cup, or get a plastic water bottle and start her with that. It will get messy, but lots of important things are messy.
Besides, she shouldn't have water or food too close to bedtime-- that will likely make her wet the bed or worse. Like another answerer said-- start a new bedtime ritual, soothing her with reading and songs and cuddling (especially reading, since it encorages learning). Good luck.

Answer 4

You should have stopped 1 1/2 years ago. You should never give a child a bottle or a pacifier after they are 1. It is not good on there teeth and sometimes delays there speech.
I would say stop tonight do not give her a bottle. Let her soothe herself. She will have to learn to coap with her fears alone. Knowing that you are in the next room. Good Luck, it is usually harder the older they get so stop today.

Answer 5

i have a son and he was off the bottle before the age of one, give her a sippy cup.. ask her if she wants a big girl cup when she is thirsty and she whines for the bottle sooth her by rocking her adn letting her drink out of the sippy cup, she may be attatched to the bottle for comfort so the sippy should work the same, show her that she is a big girl children love to hear how they are being such a big kid and praise her when she drinks out of the sippy , encourage her and throw the bottle out.

Answer 6

she should have been off the bottle at 12 months. Give her a sippy cup with water at night. After a few days she will be used to it and she will have forgotten all about the bottle as long as she doesnt see them anywhere.I just took my 1 yr old off about a month ago

Answer 7

If you plan on putting her in pre-school when she is 3 she has to be off the bottle and using a regular cup. My best friend was told not even a sippy cup was allowed. Get her started training with a regular cup now with just an inch of water in it.

Answer 8

I don't think there is an actual time as to when a child should stop using a bottle. It depends on you daughter and when she feels comfortable enough to use a glass or cup. Start using one of those plastic non-drip cups that are sold everywhere in lieu of an actual bottle. My son is 16 months old and he doesn't use a bottle he uses either the type of cup I'm talking about or an actual plastic glass or cup.

Answer 9

The bottle should be stopped at 12 to 13 months.
Switch to sippy cups....
she is too old for a bottle!!

Answer 10

18 months old is the oldest you should allow her to have a bottle,now her habit will be hard to break.Try making the bottle not so appealing by making the hole in the nipple a little bigger every day until it pours out and is not soothing to drink at all.Then give her the soft spout nubby cups they sell at walmart and then go to the harder cups.Even sippy cups are just as bad as bottles because they graze around with them in there mouths so its just as bad and by her age you should already be trying to go to a normal cup.Kids that age dont need to take a cup in the car or to the park or shopping,let her have a drink before you leave or stop during your trip and teach her to have her drink at the table,if she is thirsty she can keep coming back ,she will protest but its your job to teach her,she is not a baby and will do fine.

Answer 11

She's too old to still be using baby bottles, so definitely replace those. Start the transition by replacing bottles with sippy cups, keep that until she's maybe three or older, then you can just buy her kid's plastic cups with little pictures on them.