Hi Moms - I have a soon-to-be 22-month old and I know it's time to wean him from the bottle. One of the issues our pediatrician had was giving him a bottle at bedtime and trying to potty train at the same time. He only gets 2 bottles a day, and does not get one at bedtime so that is not an issue. Also, he loves to brush his teeth so dental hygiene is not a concern. He absolutely refuses to drink milk cold, and even if it is warmed up, will not drink it out of a sippy or regular cup. I am debating whether or not it is more important for him to get his milk, or to wean him and him not get his milk. Unfortunately, he has two stubborn parents and is even more stubborn than the both of us so I am sure he will not drink his milk if he doesn't get it in a bottle. I am just trying to weigh what is most important and what is best for him. Part of me feels that he is not even 2, and to just wait. Any opinions or thoughts out there? Thank you in advance.
I would give a sippy cup with water or a cup before bed and read him his favorite book.If he does'nt like it, take something away( like the park
When my daughters refused milk from a cup, I spoke to their dr. and was told that as long as they were eating dairy that I didn't need to worry about their calcium. As for him only drinking the milk warm...You could try to warm milk in a cup and put cold milk in the bottle and offer them both to him...If it's the warm milk he prefers, he'll give up the bottle when he realizes that he can only have cold milk in the bottle. Good luck!
Dear L.,
Some kids are more stubbron than others. It may be that he is just testing the boundries. I know some people don't believe that, but with my daughter who is three did that. She was like your son and would not drink milk unless in the bottle. So when I took away the bottle I would always offer her milk after about a three days she started taking the milk from a cup. Some times I did put some syrup in there for flavor but not always. Let me tell you that my daughter to this day loves milk whether it is white or flavored. So I personally don't think that a couple of days is going to hurt with out milk. I would try it and see. If your not comfortable give him the bottle back. Good luck.
B.
Hi there;
I am a busy Mum of three, from New Zealand - I have 10 month old boy/gal twins, and a 2.5 year old!!
We just weaned our 2 year old off bottles completely, after going through a similar situation that you are in right now.
I got the idea from Super Nanny actually (A UK programme, that helps parents raise their kids effectively!).
We gave all her bottles to the Bottle Fairy (her Grandmother); we put the bottles in a cute basket and put ribbons etc on it, and placed in in her Grandma's car.... Grandma took the bottles home to her house, and Brianna (our girl) rarely asks for them anymore!!
Try it and let me know how you get on - it DOES take willpower - and a few nights of grizzles; but I am sure it will work soon enough!
Another suggestion is that you could give her a "grown up" hot chocolate drink, complete with a fancy straw; just like the ones you can get at trendy cafes!!
C. J
Put a tiny bit of milk in a sippy cup and tell him that he doesn't get a bottle anymore. Tell him he's a big boy and will not get a baby bottle. Put a sippy cup with juice with his milk cup. At meals tell him he has to drink his milk or he doesn't get his juice.
I watch a 22 month old that we switched to sippy cups a few months ago. She wouldn't drink milk out of a cup either. And as long as her mom was giving her a bottle with some milk later in the day she continued to fight me on the sippy cup. Mom stopped and after a week or two she came around. It takes awhile but they will give in after awhile. Don't worry about his bones getting depleted or his teeth rotting because he doesn't get his milk for a week or two. It is nice outside and he will get more than enough vitamine D from the sun as he plays. Make sure he gets other dairy products like cottage cheese, cheese slices and things of that nature to make up for the protien.
Just don't let him have that bottle anymore. You put your foot down and after awhile he will understand you mean business. He will give in don't worry.
I weaned my kids from the bottle when I changed to whole milk so that's a year old. I would warm up the milk in the sippy cup and (I know this is too much sugar but they drank more milk than any kids) I would put strawberry quick in their milk as well. Just enough to give it a little taste. They too had a hard time drinking milk from the cup at first but then (of course with the quick) they drank it. I believe the earlier you get the bottle away the least amount of attatchment and easier to wean them from it.
Relax---he's not even 2. What's a couple of bottles of warm milk a day? So long as he's not walking around with a bottle hanging out of his mouth there really isn't anything to worry about. He's still a baby, and he's sorting things out. He has so much going on right now--walking, talking, trying other things in a sippy cup (at least I assume he is since 2 bottles of fluid a day is pretty low for a 2 year old) and to be a big boy ---cut him (and yourself) some slack on the warm milk in a bottle--he still is and needs to be a baby at times. The warm milk is his security. His health is more important---no kid has ever gone to college with a bottle in his mouth. Relax and enjoy him.
When my now 16 year old was 2, my sister said I was spoiling her by warming her milk. I was pondering that, and later that day my sister called back to say she was sorry to be so bossy, and that upon reconsideration, she realized she liked certain beverages warmed too, like coffee or tea. I continued to warm her bottles for several months, till she completely used a cup. I'm happy to report that she now doesn't take a bottle or request her milk be warmed! :) so relax, snuggle up with your little one and his warm milk, and enjoy the moment. They pass quickly. This is not an issue of right or wrong, just preference. Bless you as you raise your little one. -N.
when you are ready to wean him from the bottle realize there may be a few days he wont get milk and thats ok- he can get calcium from other sources. just remember the longer you wait the harder it will be.
From my experience with my soon to be three year old is that she will be as stubborn as possible to see how much she can get way with it. Your son my refuse to drink milk but if you stick to your guns and don't give in to him, he will take a sippy cup. You'll find now that he's getting closer to two he"s going to be testing you much more and what you will let him get away with. My daughter was very attached to her pacifier but when she turned two we did the whole pacifier ferry thing but she still grieved for 2 days which was heartbreaking for me but she worked through it and was then fine. It's hard because you feel such guilt but in the end it's whats best for them. Good luck!!
Why don't you simply hold off on milk in a cup for awhile. Take the bottle away cold turkey...it has NEVER failed for us or our friends when something needs to stop. It's rough for a bit, but they get the idea quickly. Give him milk in other ways... with his cereal, for example. And, you can try giving him a DAB of sugar-free chocolate syrup in milk so it's a "different" drink. I say a DAB...only b/c you don't want him then ONLY wanting chocolate milk. Use JUST enough to give it a bit of chocolate flavor, then use less and less as time goes by until he reaches plain white milk. Also, our girls found they LOVE getting milk at restaurants b/c it comes in a "neat new cup" and they can bring it home with them. If you DO get chocolate milk there, make it once in a while and ask the server if they can do half chocolate, half white milk to dilute it. And really, if he's getting dairy elsewhere (yogurts, cheeses) he's probably getting a good level of calcium every day.
Good luck!
He will drink other fluids from a cup? If so, I would put up the bottle and offer milk and water from the cup. Might try adding some strawberry or chocolate flavoring to the milk. If he'll drink flavored milk, slowly decrease the ammount of 'flavor' until he's drinking straight milk.
It may take a week or two, but once he realizes the bottle has gone byebye he will quit expecting bottles of warm milk.
I switched to a sippy that is almost like a bottle. I think it was nubby that makes a set with three different tops that go onto the cup and then I made his milk less and less warm each time.
