What is the best way to....?

Question

My son is almost a year old...

I want to phase out bottles shortly, but he won't take a sippy (?) cup all the time. What can I do?

All he has a pacifier and I want to phase that out of the picture. Any ideas? I don't want him to be a 3yr old still sucking a pacifier.

Potty training will have to wait... lol at least until he can walk

Answer 1

My suggestion is to put dilluted juice in the only in the sippy cup so he gives it a chance. I offered bottles 1st thing in the morning, at nap time and bedtime and then sippy cups otherwise. Eventually he will make the transition. I prefer the Playtex sippy cups because they are durable and have only 3 parts (Avent has 5 parts!).

When phasing out the pacifier, my kids would throw it in the crib after sleeping and we would try to keep it there and only use it for sleeping and comfort. I totally understand about not wanting your child to walk around with a plug in his mouth for years. Both of my kids were "off" of their pacifiers by 18 months at the latest.

Be consistent and persistent about both of these milestones. I have begun to equate giving in to things with gambling. It just takes once to hit a jackpot to get you to keep trying for one.

My favorite parenting book to recommend is Love and Logic Magic for 0-6 by Jim Fay. It is probably available at your local library. Check the website for great information www.loveandlogic.com. He is the keynote speaker every other year at our parenting fair at the school district and teaches through storytelling. Good stuff!

Answer 2

I used the out of sight out of mind trick. You have to curb his dependency. As for bottles, try using the sip cup 1x or 2xs/day then slowly increasing. For the pacifier, you have to let him learn to pacify himself. Even if it takes a little more effort from you ie: patting his back or bottom, rubbing his belly...my daughter fortunately went seamlessly from bottles and pacifiers to sip cups and self pacification!! Some are harder than others, but remember, once you start you must be firm, don't crumble and say ok you can have your binky today...then you have to start all over.