MOM's- am I doing this whole sippy transition wrong?!

mamatotwins0812 · August 2013

Sigh. I've been feeling flustered since the 12 mth appt where we got the whole milk and sippy cup go ahead. They transitioned to milk great, down to 2 bottles and 3 meals great, but we are struggling still with the milk in the sippy. They drink their water at meals just fine but when it comes to morning and bedtime, they want a bottle. Last night I fed them what they would take and figured "if they're hungry, they'll eat it", and let them leave about 3oz each. This morning though (first morning trying the sippy), they flat out refused it. I tried again and again and even a few hours later before morning nap, and they still wouldn't take it. I tried putting it in a bottle and viola! Magic. I've read so much about not giving in, staying persistent and they'll get it etc etc but when you're literally wrestling 2 whining, crying, hungry/thirsty babies, at least for me, survival kicks in and I went back. Am I a horrible mom if I let them stay on 2 bottles a day a little longer and keep trying? I'm exhausted emotionally from beating myself up over this (and other MoMmy moments lately).

yinyang124 · August 2013

Maybe try different sippy cups. I can't recall if I've suggest this to you before, but we had no success with bottles or sippys until we tried the Nuby soft spout. I wouldn't force it too much though, and definitely don't beat yourself up!

Missa_g · August 2013

There is nothing that says a bottle goes from being good to evil just because they turned a year old. They were preemies, right? We didn't transition until 12m adjusted.

We offer milk at meal time only. Our favorite sippies are the take n toss straw cups, they're super cheap and the boys drink from them without issue. We have a sippy of water available at all other waking moments. We put them in their high chairs for breakfast when we get them up, then do a snack about two hours later [we put a blanket down on the floor and they know to sit on it while they eat], then lunch, then nap, then another snack, then dinner, and bed. They're offered about 20oz of milk between those three meals, sometimes they drink it all and other times they barely touch it. There are lots of other dietary calcium and healthy fat options if they don't drink the milk.

mamatotwins0812 · August 2013

yinyang124 said:

Maybe try different sippy cups. I can't recall if I've suggest this to you before, but we had no success with bottles or sippys until we tried the Nuby soft spout. I wouldn't force it too much though, and definitely don't beat yourself up!

Thank you

. I know they can use these sippys bc they are the same ones I take with us when we leave the house for water. They're capable, just really seem to have a preference for their milk to be in a bottle

.

mamatotwins0812 · August 2013

Missa_g said:

There is nothing that says a bottle goes from being good to evil just because they turned a year old. They were preemies, right? We didn't transition until 12m adjusted. There are lots of other dietary calcium and healthy fat options if they don't drink the milk.

I love this....thanks for the reassurance. It's so true yet I feel like there is this secret stigma attached that things need to be done in a certain way or you're a failing mom. I needed that reminder so thank you. They were preemies, and I often forget that too bc they're so on track with almost everything else. I've been falling victim to "comparing myself" to my singleton mom friends who's LO's all seem to be far advanced, and I think it's got me in a funk. I just needed to hear that I wasn't a failure if at 12 months and 1 minute my kids still used a bottle...thanks ladies.

Jen0204 · August 2013

What we did is offer milk at meals in the sippy cups and let them finish that before nap time/bed time (if there was a long time between meal and sleep we would stick it in the fridge). On the first day or two they would only drink an ounce or two out of the sippy cup, and then we would dump the rest in the bottle. By day 5 they were only leaving an ounce or two so we put all of the bottles away. If I were you I would offer milk at meal times instead of water and see how that goes. If they're thirsty before bed you can offer water then. Maybe switching it up will get them to drink milk out of the sippy cup - since it's meal time and they're used to using it then). Our favorite cups are zoli cups, which are awesome because they have weighted straws that move with the cups (so if the kids tilt them back, the straw moves to the top of the cup with the liquid).

carrotcake06 · August 2013

Could you keep the morning / evening bottle for now and just offer milk in a sippy at other times not associated with a bottle? Then maybe they'll see it less as a replacement and more as an addition?

Give it a couple weeks for them to take a sippy of milk. Maybe then tackle the bottle but as PP have said, I don't see an issue w keeping the bottle a little while longer.

I BF my oldest and that's essentially what we did: offer milk in a sippy only and continue BFing morning and night. Milk sippy was gradually introduced as an accompaniment to a meal and BFing continued. We dropped BFing sessions over the course of 12 to 20 mo. when he weaned completely.

bethCT · August 2013

Our twins are 13 months and about a year adjusted (5 weeks early), and they use a few different straw sippies for water but also refuse milk from it. I want to move them off bottles because they annoy me, but this morning Spencer did about 10 oz of milk from a bottle. They are getting what they need and growing so I let them have the bottles for milk. I pushed the transition from sippies to real cups in my mind

Also, if it helps, I would love to get our guys off pacifiers but DH has decreed that sleep is more important and I agree. We are toot ired to fight it and they sleep really well. Their college roommates will be confused but maybe they will start a new adult paci trend LOL

caden · August 2013

I didn't change to sippies right at 12m. I don't remember what month we did it at. Maybe 14m? But I had 1 who was fine with milk in sippies and 1 who wasn't. I was advised to switch cold turkey and that it would take 2 or 3 days and then he would be fine with the sippies. That is exactly how it happened for us. On the 3rd day he finally caved and has never needed a bottle since. During his 2 days of no milk we just did a lot of dairy foods & water sippies. So just throwing it out there as an option if you decide it's time to switch and have a stubborn one

Oh and I got different (but similar) sippies for milk than the water sippies. I have no idea if that matters, but it was one of the things I tried that stuck.

kgs0505 · August 2013

I'm going to suggest Nuk active cups. they have the feel of a bottle by their cup shape, and the spout is longer like a nipple, but it's a real sippy. it's the only cup my son would use when we made the switch.

BananaPancake · August 2013

I wouldn't worry too much - they're still so young, and the sippy is something that probably just feels wrong! I think a couple of mine did milk in bottles until about 15m and once they were really getting plenty of FOOD, we started letting them dial back on the milk more and didn't push it as much. 12m is still so baby to me - if you've got a 3 year old wandering around with a bottle, you've got a problem. But toddlers and bottles are fine. They have a LOT going on at this age - don't push too many changes too fast. Just offer sippies first and they'll eventually do more in the sippy than in the bottle.

megs2011 · August 2013

I am having a similarish problem. My take sippies fine with water. I'm trying to wean from the boob but they won't take pumped milk from a bottle. We have tried sippies the last 2 nights. Last night they drank it up (only did about an oz and then nursed). But tonight they only drank about half of what I gave them (maybe 1.5 oz) and then I nursed them. I've given up on bottles and hope they take to the sippy. Good luck! FWIW I don't think giving them morning/night bottles is that big of a deal.

mamatotwins0812 · August 2013

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I'm definitely going to try them and get this figured out.

mirnb · August 2013

I wouldn't worry.....my boys sound like they were very similar to yours.....I knew they could drink out of them but just refused when it was milk.....I just kept at it.....trying at least once a day.....but if they left a lot I would dump it into a bottle for them to drink...the process probably took a few months but one day they decided the sippy cups were ok for some reason....and we haven't looked back! There are too many battles you can have with a toddler....I would just let this one go and eventually they will do it!

AmyJoy728 · August 2013

I'm late to this but I was told to start the transition before the 12mo appt. I tried and got them on milk but they wouldn't use the sippy. The ped agreed that the milk was more important than the sippy at that point. I just went in for the 15mo appt at 16mo and had tried a new type of sippy Nuby soft sport and L would drink most of the 7 oz but P maybe 1/2 oz on a good day.. So I've been letting them finish the milk in a bottle. Now that we are almost 17mo I'm going to be more foreceful about finishing the sippy with breakfast and not letting them use bottles and substituting the lunch bottle for a sippy. They still lay down to drink their sippy though LOL

Nikkdam · August 2013

I think the pressure to move them off bottles at 1 is really early. Our 2.5 year old still has his milk in a bottle before bed. He does brush his teeth afterwards. I have started telling him the bottles are for babies and we'll get him a big boy sippy cup. I have order this and when it arrives it will become his bedtime milk bottle and we'll get rid of the bottles. He may kick up a fuss but once the bottle are gone they r gone!! However I don't think a 1 year old understands as much...

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