How do I wean my daughter off of bottle to sippy cup?

Question

I know there are TONS of questions out there about this, but I couldn't find exactly what I need. My daughter will be one soon and I'd love to have her 100% on the sippy cup. She now drinks water and diluted juice from the cup with no issues. But every time I try to put her formula in the sippy cup, she takes a few sips and screams till I transfer it into a bottle and give it to her in the bottle.
Any suggestions?

we already use NUBY and no other cups as this is the only one she'll use. any more suggestions?

she drinks cold formula and what I put in the sippy cup is no different than what she gets in the bottle.

Answer 1

you sem to be moving in the right direction....just start making the bottle a NO OPTION kind of thing...make the bottle only available a certain times...we made it available only before bed...for a while ...and all the rest she had to do the cup or nothing...after a while we just went cold turkey...don't starve the kid, but don't give in either. it only took us a couple of weeks to make the full switch.

Answer 2

I had the same issues with my son. I wanted him on the sippy cup by 1 year--and bought EVERY kind of sippy cup on the market for him. Unfortunately, he didn't transition the way that I had planned. He still had a bottle once in a while....usually first thing in the morning and right before bed. But, he was offered nothing but the sippy cup during the day. Eventually, I put all of the bottles away to where he couldn't see them. He was 100% on sippy cups by 14 months, and wasn't even interested in the bottles he saw at daycare (which worried me quite a bit)!! At 20 months, he is making the attempt to try toddler tumblers (a big-boy cup with no spout!) and enjoys making a huge mess with them!! Your child will let you know when he/she is ready to move on. Until then, just offer what you think is appropriate....this goes for everything your toddler will be going through-including the potty! Have fun, relax, and know that you are doing a great job!! Hope this helps!

Answer 3

There are two ways to ease the transition that helped us:

1) Get a special sippy cup that you only use for formula - it should resemble her bottles as much as possible (be the same color, shape, etc.) She will soon associate formula with this cup which she hopefully will link back to her bottles. She took to the juice/water because that's the first vehicle she had for those liquids, most likely. She's freaked out because a familiar fluid (formula) is now in a different format and she associates those sippy cups with water/juice. Soon she'll probably be on cow's milk anyway, and this will help in that transition too.

2) As you used to feed her the bottle, "feed" her the sippy with formula. This is how our little guy finally caught on. He'd lean back in our lap and be fed the cup...then he started holding it himself, now he just sits wherever and takes his milk.

And above all, give up the bottle and get rid of them. If she knows they're still there, she will be confused. If they're gone for good, she can understand that better than having the bottles but not using them.

Tots are so fun!!!

Answer 4

Don't push her away from the bottle too soon. She probably still needs the sucking action as a way to develop her oral muscles. When it is time however, probably in the next year. When the bottle is gone it is just gone. It should disappear. She will probably through a little fit. Let her throw it. A day or two later it won't even be an issue. Another note is that your should do straight juice or water. A child gets used to having flavored water and wants it all the time over water. Stick to your guns and pick your fights. When you first take away the bottle do it when you are going to be home for a while. That way you won't feel embarrassed by a tantrum in public. She is at the age where she will push boundries. Keep them there with a smile. Don't get upset. You have to learn to enjoy all these phases your child goes through.

Good Luck,

Dan

Answer 5

It's not easy. I had the same dilemma with all three of my kids now ages 3-9. I waited until they were at least 1 and drinking whole milk before I made the complete transition from bottle to cup. However, if you make a gradual change it will be easier for the child to adapt. Present the cup more and more and gradually wean him/her off the bottle. Night time is the worst though. Perhaps if you have a pacifier, you could use it at night. I don't really recommend that though because it is only creating a new habit. The first two nights will be tough but humans are very adaptable to change. Good luck! Be confident and persistent and you'll see results.

Answer 6

I would leave her with her bottle for a while longer. I am assuming that you give her the milk warm vs the juice and water at room temperature or cold. The bottle is a comfort for her. Don't fource her. She is trying to tell you she is not ready to give up her bottle--is there any reason she really has to? I think 12 months is the minimum time for a baby to drink from a bottle. I would wait just a little while longer like 14+ months. It doesn't take any time to switch to a sippy cup but she is just not ready to give up her comfort right now. If you feel that she should be ready then find a sippy cup that has a solft nipple like a bottle and see if she takes it....but Patience...patience, patience.

Answer 7

Depends on her level of comprehension.

If she would understand you could try telling her that the bottle fairy is going to come and take her bottles to a baby that needs them. Have her put all her bottles in a special bag and the bottle fairy leave a present for her. I don't know if it would work for a one year old though.

Do you heat the formula the same when you put it in the sippy cup?

Use a soft spout sippy cup made of the same material as her bottles.

Other than that you either a) let her scream or b) leave her be and try again in a month or two.

Also there is no rush to get her onto Cow's milk. (see below)

Answer 8

Give her the bottle only at night time. She's not stupid...she'll start to learn that the sippy cup is what she gets and eventually will want her sippy cup instead. Also try to make the bottle seem boring and no fun. Where as the sippy cup is awesome and the best thing ever....She might fall for it and want that and only that. My sister did that with her 2 girls and it worked just that easy. Told them only big girls get sippy cups and babies get bottles...they didnt want to be babies anymore...so! Good Luck!

Answer 9

My daughter is 6 months and we just started juice in Nuby sippy cups and she's doing great with them...they have a soft silicone type nipple to teach her. She only likes juice every now and then so we put her formula in there so she uses it once a day at least to help her learn. So far so good! Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 10

Well, it wasn't hard for me to do that to my daughter. I bought the Nuby sippy cups, I got mine from Walmart and they are non-spill.
I promise you nothing will leak out of these cups. But the part where they drink from is soft like a bottle. So give that a try. Plus they only cost like $1.50. Good luck

Answer 11

I just started working the sippy cup in just at lunch times....with juice. Then over weeks and months (we started when my son was 6 months and of course hated it)... I kept bringing it around so that he started using it at lunch time (even though it was just a sip or two before he'd cry)...now he's almost 9 months old and he'll drink it with his lunch although that's about it. I'm getting ready to start him on breakfast and dinner with sippy and then continue bottle or breast for naps and bedtime. It's just a slow weaning process. Good luck to you!