Going from Bottle to Sippy Cup

Good ideas here but I did this with my daughter. She had the same problem, so I read in a child magazine if you put water in the bottle and milk/juice in the cup, the child will eventually give in and only accept cups. My daughter got upset a first but I stuck to my guns. Only water in the bottles. if she wanted milk, she had to drink it out of a sippy cup. She gave up quickly and in a couple of days, she only took cups. That was how I weaned her. If only I had that advice with my first child!

Hi K., have him watch you throw all the bottles out. He will understand. You can tell him he is a big boy now and he does not need the bottle anymore. I am a mother of three. My youngest is 19 months and I took him off the bottle at one year. He didn't know what hit him. Haha when you do it that young it is easier. Also he is at the age where he is trying to win, don't let him. Take care and good luck.

Hi Kelly,

We have always started the sippy cup at about 10-12 months (But all my kids were breastfed so they rarely took a bottle which may make a difference in the age). I know you have probably tried all the sippy cups out there but I must ask if you have tried the Nuby?, it seems to be an easier transition from the bottle because of the soft tip. I babysat for a little boy who was 15 months at the time and his mom had the same problem, I bought one of those cups for him and he did fine! Hope this helps.

I didn't have a problem with getting my kids off the bottle. I used the nubby (spell?) sippy cups that you can buy at wal-mart. They have the same type silicon top as a bottle and so they think they are still getting a bottle but they aren't. Of course both mine were off a bottle by 10-11 months. My problem is with a pacifier. Which is brutal!!!! I wish you the best of luck. Try the nubby cups and see how that does.

I had that same problem with my son. He would drink from a straw, but then he wanted his bottle. I found a cool little sippy cup that the top feels like the nipple from the bottle. It's called Nuby and you can get it at most grocery stores or pharmacies. The top of is really soft like a nipple to a bottle, but shaped like a sippy cup top. I started him out on these, when regular sippy cups failed, and he loved it. Then later I was able to move him to a hard spill proof sippy cup. I don't know if it will work for you, but it worked very well for me. Oh, and I think it is great that he has learned to drink from a straw early. I started with my son when he was ten months old and loved going to restaurants. It totally eliminated the clutter of bottles in my diaper bag. I would just order a separate drink for him.

I was told to try to stop around 12 months. I tried to wean my daughter gradually, but she would do the same thing... cry until I'd give in. My advice would just be to throw away every bottle in the house. He will learn very quickly after you don't give in a few times (because you CAN'T because there are no bottles in the house) that the cup is his only option.

Hi K.,
My daughter didn't like the sippy cup either. She prefers the one with the straw also, but it took some training, because we tried the one that you have to turn up and suck first. So, she kept trying to turn the sippy cup with the straw up also. Well, to answer your question, your son maybe getting a little confused. When I started the sippy cup I used it solely, and I had to take it to the daycare for her to use there also.
I took her off the bottle prior to her first birthday, but you know the timing is different from child to child. I was able to do this (I think), because I used the sippy cup that worked like the bottle first. Keep us posted!

I have actually heard the cups with the straw is best for them. Because it is a different kind of sucking than with a sippy cup with the stopper. My 15 month old daughter prefers them - and I do too because they don't spill. When I started giving her sippy cups, I took the plug out so that she could learn how to drink from a regular cup - so that I didn't have to wean her twice. She did fine with it but kept making a mess when tipping the cup over. I really only use the straw ones and now she can drink from a regular straw which is great!

Dear K.,

I had both of mine off of the bottle around 12 months. I just began deleting, one bottle at a time, until they were completely off of it. Don't go back and give in, just be patient with him. He WILL drink from the cup as long as that's his only source of liquid. Give him something he really likes to drink (besides milk, like juice) and don't react to his "fit" pitching. Just keep tabs on his liquid intake and don't let him get dehydrated. The sooner you start and not look back, the sooner he will give up the bottle and go to the cup.

Have you tried a "Nubby" sippy cup? They have the rubber nipple. I had the same problem with my first daughter and that's the only sippy cup she would take. I think it was the confusion of going from a soft bottle nipple to a hard one on a sippy cup. The soft nipple on the "nubby" brand sippy cup worked for us! Good luck!

I didn't have much problem with changing over from bottle to cup. However, I did it a little differently. Once I got my 13 month old down to only one bottle at night, I just made the bottle disappear one day. It was actually amazing. It took maybe 2 nights, but then she got used to not having the bottle at night. I just make sure she gets plenty to eat at supper so that it will sustain her through the night. I hope this goes well and remember, you have to be stearn. Once you take the bottle away, make it disappear for good. I am not sure about the time of weaning, but I was told the earlier you wean them the better (like around 12-15 months). This is because they don't realize what's going on. Hope this helps.

I am also trying to introduce my daughter to a sippy during the day instead of her bottle...the only one that I have found that she likes are the Gerber transition cups. They have a soft spout on them instead of the herder plastic ones that most of the other cups have. I got her 2 of them at Wal-Mart for less than 8 bucks. And so far so good. No fussing or throwing yet!

My older daughter was the same way. She fought me to the bone for her bottle back. One day we were at Aunties house, and Auntie gave her a regular cup to drink from. And from then on we never saw another bottle. She went from bottle to a regular cup. I had to hold and tilt it for her to drink from, I was allright with that.

I have found that the best way to stop the bottle is to do just that. Go cold turkey. He doesnt understand why he gets it sometimes and then not at others. As hard as it is the easiest way is for the bottle to go completely bye bye. No bottles at all in the house (that way you wont be tempted to give in when he fusses) He will miss it for a few days.. but when he realizes that it isnt coming back he will accept the cup.

I have to confess that my son had his "ba ba" until he was a little over two years old. Giving it up was a very slow process, but I don't think it hurt him. We would alternate between cups with a straw (he liked these because he loved McDonald's shakes). We tried sippies since he turned one and he would have nothing to do with them.... Once he developed a favorite TV character (SpongeBob) we bought a couple sippies with his favorite characters on them from this show. That made him want his sippy all of the time!!

At that point he would only get his bottle when he was tired or upset. Eventually when he would ask for his "ba ba" we would put milk in his sippy and give him that (we called the sippy "ba ba" when it had milk in it. We finally threw the bottles away and he was fine with that and he began to associate the name "ba ba" with a milk sippy. He would mention his bottle sometimes and we told him that bottles were for babies and he was now a big boy. He was fine with that. :)

I guess I am all for a child going at their own pace and not stressing them too much. He won't go to prom drinking out of a bottle, right?

My son drank from a bottle until he was 2 yrs old, then i asked him if he was ready to be a big boy and drink from a cup or sippy, he said yes. So i said you can throw your bottle away in the trash and he did. Later that day he asked for the bottle and i said remember you threw it away. He cried for a little bit then used the sippy. He asked for a few days and i just reminded him that he threw it away and finally he forgot about wanting the bottle. We did not let him use the bottle to go to sleep he had to brush his teeth before bed and nothing but water after that. He was breast fed and only had my pumped milk or soy milk when he got older from the bottle, while he was at daycare.

Mother of a 4 year old boy and 2 1/2 year old girl.

My DR recommends 12 months however personally my son was 18 months when I finally took his bottle. One night after he went to bed I put them all up where he could not see them and that was it. For about three days he asked for it, but after that he was fine with not having it. Hope this will help.

I just found a sippy that my 13 month old likes! It's Noby and has the sippy part in the middle of the top - I think he feels like he's drinking more from a bottle. I've tried all types, but he finally drank an entire cup of this yesterday. Also, you may want to try not giving him his morning bottle and trying to hold him off as long as possible. He may break down and try the cup if he gets thirsty enough. Good luck! He'll get it!

I took off the plastic/rubber piece on the underside of the "nipple". You know the one that makes it spill proof. That way the child does have to work to get the water out. My 10 month old loves it like that.

We only put water in it, so it doesnt really matter if it spills.

My son went to cups at 12 months and he hated the hard spout cups. So I got him the Gerber trainers (they have the blue spouts) and he loved them. After he got the hang of sippy cups with those I was able to give him the hard top ones no problem. I'd offer him cups 24/7 and toss all the bottles. He knows you have them and if you don't have them to offer, he'll give up the fight. As far as throwing the cups, ignore it and any tantrum that comes with it. My son used to throw his when they were empty. We ignored him when he did it or would tell him 'no throw' and had it back to him. He got the idea and now either hands it to someone or puts it on the kitchen table.

Good luck!
S.

My 2 1/2 year old and my 12 month old gave up the bottles the same day. I went to the doctor (who had a different philosphy on this than my last one) and she freaked that they were on the bottle. So that night we "gave" them all to a baby. I think it took two days, but after that they didn't even ask for the bottle again. You absolutely cannot give in and give it back. I know it is hard, but you can do it! :o)

Hello! Not sure if you have found anything that works yet but I tried a couple sippy cups for my baby. The ones I got were kind of flat. So, I found Nuby sippy cups at walmart. The spout or nipple is rubbery like the bottle nipple and round as opposed to some flat ones. Maybe that will work for you.

God bless and good luck with it

Should've gotten rid of bottle at 1 year. A good thing is to do is that only put formula/breastmilk in bottles. NEVER put juice in a bottle. I had no prblem with my first two and I have another coming up on her first birthday! Good luck!

Mine were breastfeed, but they would have nothing to do with sippy cups. We discovered by trying it at a restaurant one night that our son could use a straw - he liked the large one at the restaurant. I think many children do not like sippy cups because they are by design difficult to get the water flowing. If you have not already, try the straw varieties. Our favorite were the Playtex Insulator Sport Straw cup. It does not make a big mess, but it allows a greater flow. Sometimes you have to skip the kid stuff altogether for awhile to adjust to a cup. My friend's son would only drink from a bottle or an open glass. She decided an open glass was better than carrying around the bottles - just could not drink on the go until he learned to use a straw.

Hi K., my son was off his bottle completely at 8 1/2 months. He started using the cup with the handles on it for juice and then one day we left his bottle at my mom house and that was the last time he used it. I saw just go cold turkey on it. It work great for us.
S.

I had this problem, but I started weaning my daughter when she was 11 months old from the breast and bottle. She was a breast fed baby, but I did have to supplement with a bottle when I went back to work, so she did take a bottle also. I used the NUBY sippy cups. www.iluvnuby.com and they also carry them in alot of stores (i.e. Walmart) The spout on these cups are more like a nipple on a bottle (soft and they also make one with a straw type spout) and my daughter's dentist is pleased with her teeth. He told me that it isn't the type of nipple that causes teeth problems, it is the child being allowed to to go to sleep with it. Also, the way I got my daughter to take the NUBY sippy cup was to add some SUGAR FREE chocolate syrup to it. Walmart carries the SUGAR Free kind. My daughter is 4 years old now and yes I still give her the sippy cup during the day when she is home...it helps with the spills. We had her 6 month checkup on Janaury 4, 2008 and she is cavity free. Hope this helps some. I am a 44 year old first time mother of a 4 year old.
G.

Your son may be manipulating you. He knows if he cries long enough you'll give in and give the bottle back. What we did was pack all the bottles up one night while he was sleeping and replaced them all with sippies. When he had no other option he took the cup. I also think it might help to let your son be involved in the cup he uses. Let him pick out some with cool patterns and colors that capture his attention. My son also used the cup with the straw first, but adapted to the regular kind fast. What's cool though is he can use a straw cup at restaurants with no problem as well as a sippy. So, if his sippy gets left behind and he go out to eat he has no problem drinking from the cup with a straw. He's also getting really good a drinking from a normal cup, but that takes a while.
You're going to have to be strong and let him cry for a while. Once he realizes you mean business and he's not getting a bottle he'll start using the sippy. If he gets thirsty enough he'll use what is available. Good luck!

Hi,K.
My name is J. and I have a 4 yr.old son. My son was off the bottle before he was a year old. I took sometime but I COULDN'T give in to the bottle. He will get thirsty. And it will get easier. My biggest problem was the pacifier. That took a really long time to get over. I hope that you can for the answer that works for you and your son.