Is it okay to still give a bottle?

Question

My son is 14 months and theres no way over hell or high water that he will drink from one of those baby cups (ive tried all kinds) is this ok? and also when should i stop the baby milk (sma progress)

Answer 1

on the milk,they should go on whole milk at one year! according to my pediatrician
on the bottle..my 9 year old took herself off hers at 9 months old,she loved her "cuppy" as she called it! now my 18 month old daughter,she RARELY drinks out of a sippy cup,she does sometimes,but prefers a cup with lid and straw,only at certain times,when she isnt sleepy and if there are kids around she wants "the big girl cup" like her 9 year old sis has,but 98% of the time she DEMANDS her boddle! lol we too have tried EVERY possible brand/type of sippy,but NO go!
maybe try a cup with straw? my daughter does like her backyardagins cup,it has a HUGE head of Tyrone and a straw,IF she is playing outside she sometimes takes one of those cup things with the neckstring,they sell at walmart for around $4,when they are that passionat about NO cups,I say let him go till HE is ready! thats how I let my kids go! and they are happy and healthy!

Answer 2

Just keep offering the cup, over and over, at every meal, and at every chance. My son wouldn't take milk from a cup for a long time because I think to him milk should only come out of a bottle. So he got used to the cup with water, and then as he got more comfortable with the cup he started drinking milk out it.

I think 14 months is fine for still using a bottle, but keep working at the transition to the cup. My pediatrician encouraged me to get my son off the bottle completely by 16 months. You might want to ask your pediatrician her/his opinion.

As for getting him off baby milk (I assume you mean formula) -- now is a good time to do that. You'll save a lot of money if you make the transition! What worked for my son was to do it gradually. The first few days I put 25% whole milk and 75% formula in his bottle. Then I did 50%-50%, then 75% milk and 25% formula, until he was drinking 100% milk. It only took about 9 days. My sister did the same and it worked like a charm for all five of her kids.

Answer 3

Hi My daughter refuses to drink milk (now 20 months old shes drinking cows milk) from a beaker, all other drinks are taken from a beaker (none spill kind) and have been since 8 months old when she got lots of teeth. I still use a bottle just for milk in the morning and last thing before bed.

I do not let her sleep with the bottle, I remove it before she goes to bed. I always brush her teeth after drinking from a bottle.

She finished SMA progress at 14 months.

Answer 4

hey! the sooner you try to get him to drink from a cup or a straw the better it will be for his teeth and less likely that they would rot. He should well and truly be drinking out of a cup and straw by now, (i know some babies dont really want to at all) but maybe you should just keep persisting with him. To start with maybe give him some juice instead of water through the cup or straw then when he realises he can use it then give him water or whatever is his favourite. With a bottle the milk/juice gets in and around the teeth and can cause decay thats why they say to get your baby off the bottle asap.

Answer 5

My son is 14 months old as well and he still wants a bottle when he gets tired - if he had to choose at any time of the day he would choose the bottle - but I do give him a cup throughout the day.
He has been on regular milk since he was about 7 months old. He refused formula. My other son did the same, but my daughter continued formula until she was almost a year - but def. at 14 months old they can have milk.

Answer 6

Don't worry, it's fine. He will grow out of it when he is ready. If you call the baby cups a big boy cup and he sees other children using them at bursery he will eventually decide it's time to change for himself.

It's very important that you don't put any sugary drinks (squash or fruit juice) in the bottle though, otherwise it will ruin his developing teeth. Water or milk only (and if milk, don't let him sit with it in his mouth for ages and make sure you clean his teeth with a proper baby toothpaste after every bottle)

You can switch to full-fat (whole) milk instead of the formula at 1 year old, but don't give him semi-skimmed or skimmed milk until he's at least 2. I assume you are giving him solid foods as well as formula? A child of one should be getting much of their nutrition from food as well as milk. Bear in mind it takes an average of 7 tastes for a child to accept a new food, so do persevere even if he refuses to eat something the first few times, and introduce only one new food at a time. The wider variety of food you can get him to like now the better he will grow and the healthier he will be so it is worth bearing with it.

Answer 7

he is still young dont panic , he maybe senses u are uptight about it , give it a few months anyway , just make sure his little teeth are brushed and when u try again take him to toys r us or somewhere like that and let him pick his own new cup , i`m sure he`ll be spoilt for choice with all the different characters on them .
As for the sma , you could be giving him cows milk now hes over 12 months ..saves u some money lol
Good luck

Answer 8

Hi, my daughter is 15 months and she is still drinking from a bottle, only we give her milk and water in the bottle and not juice. She also likes her baby milk (cow and gate) but were now in the process of just giving her it for bed (when she is going to sleep) and leaving one in her cot during the night for when she wakes. During the day we give her full fat milk (blue lid/top) and water or juice. We on the other hand have been very fortunate, our daughter will...sometimes...drink from a beaker, but would really like to take sips from the cup that we are drinking from.
Try and let your son take a few sips of water or juice from a cup that he See's you drinking from, that may be the first step he needs...otherwise he may just be one of those children who prefer to go straight to cup. Also try him with a straw..you may be surprised at how he is with it..he may get a little confused at first, but believe me as soon as he has got the hang of it there will be no stopping him, also with the formula milk try an wean him off it till you have it just as a bed time drink, then when he is two just stop all together,( that's what I'm hoping for anyway with my daughter).
Good luck, and as i was told..patience and perseverance is all you need in the first few years of life..especially at potty training.

Answer 9

He's still young, so it's ok. I started taking my son off the bottle at 12 months. I would put water in the bottle and juice or whole milk in a sippy cup. Since he didn't really like water he pretty much took himself off the bottle since the better stuff was in the cup!

Answer 10

I agree that kids grow up too fast, but I am not a fan of the bottle. Have you tried putting milk in a cup with a straw? Rubbermade makes ones for water and juice for kids to take to school. There are small sports cups.

My doctor said I could go to homo milk when my girls turn 12 months. It is also cheaper than formula. If he is eating a well balanced diet, you should be able to switch no problem

Answer 11

Its ok, my daughter is 17 months old and still has a bottle before bed, I just think she likes it, it relaxes her before bed so why worry? they do things it their own time, so keep introducing cups to him and he will drink from them eventually, as long as he is drinking something it doesn't really matter. Babies can go on to full fat milk when they are 12 months old. I gave it to my daughter when she was one and she didn't really notice the difference, So i would stop the SMA now and put him on full fat milk (its much cheaper!)