I know the ped and the'books' say by around 12mths., but is that when you *really* do it? My dd is 8mths, formula fed, and I don't think she'll have any trouble because she doesn't ever sleep from a bottle, but I'm looking ahead and wondering what you all did? Thanks!

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 08:30 pm:

I breastfed DS for 6 mos. and then transitioned him to the bottle. He was totally off it by 12 mos.. It wasn't a comfort item for him so it was pretty easy.

DD never took a bottle no matter what we tried. She nursed for 16 mos.. The weaning process was gradual, starting at 12 mos..

By Frasersmama on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 08:52 pm:

I am in the process of introducing cow's milk to dd now that she is a year old as an alternative to pumping when I am not around. I am still breastfeeding, but I give her milk from a sippy cup. I started with the sippy cup at 6 mos with water and now that she is a year, she has no trouble taking milk from it. We have never really done the bottle thing except for the rare occasion dh and I got out for an evening and dd stayed with the grandparents. Does your dd use a sippy cup? Try giving her formula in a sippy cup, starting with only one feed/day and then if she does ok with that, increase by one feed/week. No hurry, but I also would agree that better off the bottle by one year cuz it can really do a number on their teeth due to the muscle development from sucking on a bottle (different than sucking on a breast).

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 09:03 pm:

That's good to know about the teeth thing...I didn't know if there was a real reason behind the weaning or not. She drinks mostly water from a sippy cup, and same as Trina's ds, my dd doesn't use the bottle for comfort at all. The only time it ever seems to make her the slightest bit sleepy is at bedtime. Thank you guys!

By Palmbchprincess on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 10:17 pm:

12 months, the bottle went. It a day or so of whining, but they were happy with sippy cups. The binky was worse by far, that went at 10 months, and it was about a week before they got over that. We got rid of sippy cups at 2, advice from a speech therapist who was evaluating Shane, because it impedes their speech.

By Kaye on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 11:06 pm:

My oldest gave hers up at 9 months, we switched her to cows milk because of an allergy issue, she would never take the milk from a bottle, so it just went away. She had been using a cup since about 4-5 months. My middle kid gave his up at about 10 months, he saw how much more and how fast he could drink when he swiped big sisters cup. So it was easy too. Then my little guy, we took it from him at right at a year. We had a day or two of fussying, but it was okay. I think the key is to start with the sippy young, , give them the chance to use straws, different cups, etc. They naturally will switch, especially if they are around older kids.

By My2cuties on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 11:44 pm:

10 months with both of my girls, it is just when it seemed "right". They were willing and I wasn't going to make them take a bottle for longer. They walked at 10 months so they looked too big to have a bottle. And Crystal is right about the sippy cup also, almost time for my dd to give it up come June.. She only uses a cup though for nap and at night so maybe it won't be that hard.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 - 11:52 pm:

Older dd was done with the bottle at a year. Younger one a few months past a year. I dragged it out a little longer, since she was my last baby and I liked giving her the bottle before bed and snuggling with her. Then one day, we were out of milk and I realized I didn't really need to keep doing this with her, so I stopped. It was no big deal to her. I think she might have been using a sippy cup during the day. Wasn't really a traumatic thing for either kid.

By Rayanne on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 12:55 pm:

Rylee use to have a bottle and then I would rock her to sleep. This stopped around the time she was about 9 months old. I still gave her a bottle, but then she started putting herself to sleep. Around 11 months I started giving her sippie cups, and she did just fine. She never cried for her bottle once.

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 01:29 pm:

I introduced DD to sippy cups around 9-10 months old and only gave formula in the bottle. 8 ounces morning and night. The rest was in a sippy cup. On her 1st birthday, I took away her bottle and she never missed it. And she was one that I thought would be hard to break from the bottle because she was very attached at one point but it wasn't hard at all.

By Vicki on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 02:41 pm:

Dd was about 14 months when she gave up the last bottle. At about 12 months, they were gone except morning and night. By 13 I had it down to only night and then she gave that one up about 14 months old. It was more me than her I think that had a hard time on the night one. I LOVED giving her that bottle. Such a sweet relaxing quiet time for us.

By Breann on Thursday, March 3, 2005 - 08:46 pm:

1 year old for both of my kids. We just tossed them. That way it wasn't an option anymore We didn't have any problems.

By Babysitbarb on Monday, March 7, 2005 - 01:36 pm:

12 months for both of my DD's. I gradually broke them. I started at 11 months taking away all but the morning and night bottle, than at 11 1/2 it was just the night time one and than a day or so after their one year b-day it was gone. Never was a problem. I starte them both on sipper cups early so they were use to cups.I do the same with my babysitting kids.

By Eve on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 09:12 am:

My DD had a serious attachment to her bottle! So, I started at 12 months, but it took some time. She was happy with her sippy cup of milk. She just wanted to lay down and drink it.

By Lauram on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 11:49 am:

I gave juice (diluted) in sippy cups. I never put formula in them or never put juice in bottles. They were off the bottle by 12 mo and then I put milk in the sippy cup.