My daughter was breastfed since birth. She rarely drank from a bottle...only when I was away which was not often. When we switched to cows milk at 12 months we introduced it in a bottle and that has been going really well. We would like to switch her to drinking her milk from a sippy cup but have not had much luck. She will drink 5-8 oz of milk at a time from a bottle, but only 2 oz at a time from a sippy cup. I should add that she drinks water from a sippy cup very well. My question is: What is more important, that she drinks 16 oz of milk a day, or that she is no longer drinking from a bottle?
We do give her vitamins (Tri-vi-sol) daily, so if she doesn't drink the recommended ammount of milk she does get her vitamin D that way.
Also, since I only drink soy milk I am clueless on the shelf life of cows milk. If I warm up fresh milk and put it in her sippy cup, how long is it good? Also, can I warm up her milk (she will only drink it warm) and then put the leftovers back into the fridge and reheat later?
I made the same mistake with my oldest of breastfeeding and then starting the bottle. Ughhh. She does not need that much cows milk. Why are you giving her that anyway? Isn't soy milk good for everybody? I would just use the sippy cup.
I am afraid that I don't have much advice on how to get her to drink from the cup--I introduced a regular cup much earlier and didn't have any trouble. I've heard some moms have to try many different sippy cups before their child will take one.
If she is eating a wide variety of foods and getting calcium from other sources (cheese, yogurt, plant sources), you don't need to worry so much about getting 16 oz. down her gullet. Since you've stopped breastfeeding, her diet should become more and more solid food and less dependent on milk to fill her up.
A carton of cow's milk is generally good for 7-10 days after you open it. You SHOULD NOT warm it, then refrigerate it, and then warm it again...that is just asking for bacterial growth. Obviously, if she is taking smaller amounts at a time, then only prepare that which she will drink.
Morning,
I also had a hard time getting my son to dink significant amounts of milk from a sippy cup, that was until i found the right cup. He now glugs down up to 24 oz of milk each day if i let him. I use the first years insulated cups. They have a very round spout which is similar to a bottle. The girls ones usually have princesses or elmo characters. I got ours at HEB, Target and Walmart. To get him to drink less from his bottle I would add 1 oz of water a week to dilute the milk in the bottle...he loves his milk and soon realized that the sippy cup was the real deal. However if he sees anyone elses bottle lying around he will still try grab it to drink from it... he is 2.5 years old at this point.
Wishing you all the best with the transition.
C
My daughter refused to drink large quantities from a sippy cup. I introduced a colored, flexible straw. She really liked that. She also drinks 16+ oz of diluted yogurt and milk (8 oz in the morning and 8 oz in the afternoon). Been doing the "yogurt smoothy" since she was 15 months.
I was able to wean my son by giving him cow's milk in a bottle. He loved his bottles and I didn't take those away till he was about 20 months or so. He didn't drink much milk from a cup so I felt it was best he at least got it from a bottle. When I did take the bottle away it was no big deal at all. He only got two bottles a day before nap and bed. I didn't carry milk bottles around. I put a little chocolat powder in a sippy cup and he eventually started sucking those down too.
I would not heat, recool & reheat leftovers. Try starting with just a couple of ounces at a time, if that's all she drinks at one sitting, and give it to her more often. If you revert back to the bottle to get her to drink more milk, she'll continue to drink less from the sippy cup knowing that the bottle is coming. It could be, also, that the milk tastes different to her from the sippy cup. Take the bottle out of the equation and she'll adjust to the sippy cup faster.
My personal opinion is that food is so fortified now it would be okay if she never drank milk again. Relax and just giver her the sippy cup. She is getting enough of what she needs from regular food and her vitamins.
Generally speaking the shelf life for milk is 7 days beyond the date on the carton. If you have the carton beyond the date stamped on the carton I would suggest smelling to make sure it is still good. Since you drink soy familiarize yourself with the way milk smells when you first purchase it-there won't be a significant smell. Of course when milk goes bad believe me you will know it!! yick!!
Do NOT reheat, or place back in the refrigerator after heating. The pediatrician's office advised to never give milk that has been sitting out for an hour or more, nor to allow the child to drink a little now and the rest beyond an hour. Apparently bacteria from the saliva is the issue.
As for sippy cups I would suggest the disposable ones. They are inexpensive, easy to clean, and not a big deal if you leave them somewhere. Children do seem to drink less once they switch over to cups as opposed to bottles. But if you think about it adults as a rule will tend to drink more bottled water than they will from a regular cup. I think it is a convenience when it comes to an adult drinking bottle water, and I think it is comfort/convenience for a small child. I would suggest giving small amounts frequently.
Hope this helps. Good luck!!
Milk is more important than not drinking from a bottle. You might try adding a little corn syrup to the milk in the sippy cup........or some chocolate to help her enjoy it and drink more......if that doesn't work, it isn't going to hurt her to have a bottle now and then. I have two kids and four grandkids and it never hurt them. Of course lots of people think you have to go by the book. I am a 66 year old grand ma who believes that you have to do what works best for the individual baby/child.
Good luck.
Hi M.
I would suggest that you do not try to take away the bottle at this age- just continue to give her the sippy cup and she will make her own adjustment to that-
after you have warmed the milk- I would not keep it- throw it away- Let her make her own time table when she wants to use the cup- it is not an important measure of development.
good luck and blessings
