How do you get a 14mths old off the bottle??

Question

Also he still has a bottle for bed, and I know that is awful not only for his teeth but he is not learning self soothing habits. I just want him to get asleep after a long day. Any advice??

Answer 1

We used the NUBY sippy cups too as a transition to a real sippy. We took the bottle away, cold turkey. It was soooo traumatic for me as a mother because I was worried about how long it'd be before he'd take the Nuby. It took about 48 hours. In the mean time, feed him yogurt and cheese and stuff for the calcium needs. I'd let my son suck the water out of a big ladle (he liked that), or put my finger over one end of a straw, then put it in his mouth and let the fluid run out...those things made sure he didn't get dehydrated. But trust me, once he gets thirsty enough, he'll take the sippy. Oh yeah, and my husband and I didn't drink anything unless it was in a sippy cup. Weird I know, but our son watching us drink out of it made it quicker.

It was more traumatic for me than for him, I'm sure. But I wouldn't change how I did it, it worked!

Answer 2

If he still wants the bottle when he's sick or at night I wouldn't stress too bad about it for the next two months. I always had a sippy sitting around full with water and a little juice..sorta sitting around like a toy that he could slowly explore and get use to. After a few weeks he got comfortable with it and started to switch over. My son is only a month younger and he still has a bottle at times. Don't sweat it. Lord- we had bottles until we were about 3 yrs old... we turned out fine :)

Answer 3

I am having the same exact problem you are!! my son just turned 13 months old and he is still trying to figure out how to use the sippy cup. He just bites it, gets a little out and then takes it out of his mouth and repeats..My doctor told me to give him the sippy cup everyday and eventually he will catch on and then once he does that, i can get rid of his bottle gradually and replace it with the sippy cup and put his milk in the cup . He is still on formula as i have several cans left so i am just using them up...he takes the bottle twice a day...7 ounces each bottle. I have another child, a girl who is now 9 yrs old but when she was 9 months, she got off the bottle easily and right onto a sippy cup. You must remeber every baby is different. I learned that with my kids...they are so different..it's not even funny. Oh and if he is still on formula....do half formula and half milk and keep reducing the formula until he is on whole milk. This is so he gets use to the taste of drinking whole milk so he will not reject the whole milk alltogether and then you have another problem. Good luck and don't fret!!

Answer 4

If you must give him a bottle at night put water in it. But see at Walmart they have sippy cups called Nuby and it has a soft top like a bottle and I used that with my son when e was 10 months and when he was 15 months I was able to switch to a hard sippy cup. Now at 25 months he is on a regular cup. Try the Nuby soft top sippy and then gradually get him to drink other cups. As for bedtime, skip a few naps if you have to and then set him asleep at the time you want him to go to sleep. Good luck

Answer 5

It sounds like you have two problems: the bottle and bedtime. For the bottle, you can just replace it with a sipper cup or a regular cup. If you use the regular cup, you may want to only put a little in the bottom, so you don't have a huge mess to clean. For the bedtime, you may want to read the book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. Wish you luck.

Answer 6

What is all the rush to make the child give up his source of comfort. this is not too old to still have a bottle. If you really want him off it so badly just take it away. He will cry and be miserable for awhile but hey what's important is that he get off that bottle right away. Who are you competing with. when he is ready he will put down the bottle/

Answer 7

My doctor helped me with this and it worked great. I'm assuming that she/ he is on Whole Milk. My doctor advised me to do this it could take a few weeks but its not as tramatic to the child. The first night fill the bottle to 6 oz let me drink 6 oz for a two to three nights and cut him back to 4 ozs for 2 to 3 nights then 2 ozs . However since you are taking away his comfort thing make sure to add in Songs and A story or two before the bottle. it Helps the child to get the same time from you that he/ she is use to.

Answer 8

NUBY (find at walmart) makes a sippy cup that requires sucking to extract fluid like a nipple. Replace it with this and as he gets better at using it then move on to sippie cups with harder spouts. As for the bedtime, don't give a cup then this will not only cause tooth decay but will also make potty training harder if he is use to getting fluids at bedtime. Create a bedtime routine, give a bath and read to him until he is almost asleep, (don't be in the room when he actually falls asleep otherwise he will want you there everytime). And if he cries let him cry, he has to learn self soothing habits soon anyway, do you really want to be going into his room when he is five at 3am cuz he can't fall back asleep without your help. Trust me, it is better to let them figure it out for themselves. When he has been crying for 5 min straight go in and talk to him but don't pick him up, then wait 7 min and do the same, making the time you let him cry a little longer each time. This will make him realize that you will come in but not right off the bat, that he needs to comfort himself, sooner or later he will cry himself to sleep. Then you are on the road to self sufficiency with going back to sleep.

Answer 9

We also went cold turkey with both my girls..sure they whined but it worked. Maybe if you just want to ease into it start with a sippy for breakfeast for a week then bottles rest of the day. The next week breakfeast and lunch with a sippy and so on till he is only on a sippy cup!

Answer 10

Don't give him one. He might cry for a day or two but the best way to unspoil a child is to not spoil them. Maybe take him to the store and let him pick out his own "big boy cup" that has a straw and stays at the table.