is it okay not to give a bottle?

Question

my 7 month daughter, has never really taken much of her bottles maybe 4 oz on a good time.
she is in the 10-15th percentile.
Today instead of giving her a lunch bottle i put it in her sippy cup, which she drinks real good out of, and let her have her formula that way. she actually drank a bit more than if i would of given her it in a bottle.
Is this okay to do? I was told that she is getting 10 oz less than what she really should be getting, but i can't force her to drink a bottle when she doesn't want it.

My oldest daughter took a bottle till age 2 and drank tons! this one doesn't like a bottle to much, she will take 2-4 oz on a good time. so thats why i am so confused :)

THanks in advance

Answer 1

I would try to give it to her whichever way she takes it best. It's not the source that matters its that she's getting the nutrients she needs. 10oz is a LOT to not be getting for a baby her age. If she does better with the sippy cup then by all means switch her over. One less hassle you'll have to get rid of when she's older and it's harder to break her of.

Answer 2

Both of my children took themselves off the bottle before they were 1. I found that as long as they were getting their recommend amount of formula then that is all that matters, not how it is given. Don't worry that she is not interested in the bottle, just make sure you are offering the formula as often as you can. With each meal would be best then she will get into the routine of drinking her milk with each meal, and also snack time and hopefully follow those healthy eating habits when she is older. I don't recommend putting juice into a sippy cup as this is really empty calories that they will fill up and not eat their actual meal, and they need to be getting their fruits from actual fruit. In between snacks and meals I gave ice water.

Be happy that she is doing this on her own, now you won't have the stress of trying to get rid of the bottle. Make sure that you are monitoring to see the quantity (ounces) that you are giving her and she will be just fine. Keep in mind that she is also getting nutrition from her snacks and meals now and that will also be a good source of vitamins, so the actual intake of formual may be a little less that if she were only taking formula

Another way that I was able to monitor the formula intake was that in the morning I made a small container of formula knowing how much they should have in a day and as the day progressed I would increas the amount they were offered, if by the end of the night they hadn't drank all of it I would offer it before bedtime, a very small snack and milk(of course make sure you brush teeth at bedtime, they make great toothbrushes for little ones now, no toothpaste though). If she eats the cereal add it to the cereal and sometimes you can get away with adding it to other foods, just depends on the food.

Answer 3

Of course that's fine!! My daughter is 9 months old and has been off the bottle for a month. She drinks formula, juice or water out of a sippy cup at all times. I asked my pediatrician b/c she wasn't taking her formula well, she told me that as long as she is getting 3 full balanced meals a day it was fine for her to have 16oz of formula a day. So I give her a full sippy cup (8oz) in the morning with breakfast, she usually drinks it in two sittings, then another full sippy cup of formula before bed. She also has about 4oz of juice during the day and more formula if she wants it. The doctor told me that's perfectly fine :-)

Answer 4

I think its ok, as long as she's eating, who cares what it comes out of. This way you won't have to wean her from a bottle later, seems easy enough. I would just do some research on how a sippy cup affects her teeth. I'm under the impression that some are better for dental development than others.

I'm jealous, my son will be 1 next week and wants nothing to do with a sippy cup. He's a boob and bottle baby! Nipple man!!

Answer 5

Sure thats fine -if she will use a sippy let her. It doesnt make any difference how she gets it whether a bottle or a sippy but in the long run its better for her to use the sippy cup -then you dont have to worrry about bottle breaking.

Answer 6

That is great! We give our 8 month old a sippy cup at meals too. This will help her graduate to no more bottles by the time she is a year old! Just remember not to push her on it, and she may want a bottle more later!

Answer 7

I think it's fine to give it to her in a sippy cup - especially if she's drinking more that way. Yeah it's a little earlier than most babies get weaned off the bottle but if she likes the cup better, it'll be that much easier on you!

Answer 8

If she drinks the formula out of the sippy cup, go ahead. As long as she is getting the nutrition she needs, it doesn't matter how you give it to her. Try gradually increasing the amount of formula you give her in the sippy cup to get her to the amount she should be drinking. If she'll eat solid foods, mix the formula in with it. Good luck!

Answer 9

I have always given my son his bottle/sippy cup and let him finish it way before I even bring his solid food it the room. Once he is done I will go get the remainder of his meal. I noticed long ago that once he saw the other food or got a taste of it first he would loose all interest in the bottle. I don't know if this is your problem but i hope this helps you.

Answer 10

I dont think it matters how she gets her nutrition as long as she's drinking her milk. If she prefers the sippy cup, then take advantage and give her her formula that way. The important thing is that she eats right.

Good luck.