Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

Problem with weaning 1 year old of the bottle

My 1 year old loves his bottle dearly, it is his source of comfort. He knows how to drink from a sippy cup, but there are days where all hell breaks loose if he does not get his bottle. He will cry bloody murder and throw his sippy cup until he gets his bottle. I try to not give into him, but after 20 minutes of crying, I give him a bottle so he won't make himself throw up. Also, he prefers to go to sleep with a bottle and will wake up if he does not have it, I am trying to put an end to it, but I need help. Note: the bottle is empty when he is sleeping with it. 

Re: Problem with weaning 1 year old of the bottle

  • Dude, my daughter is the same way. She LOVES her bottle. She's about to turn 14 months old and I still give her a bottle before nap time and bedtime. I was in a rush to get my first child off bottles but I'm a little more laid back this time around because this is my last baby :( I plan to have bottles gone by 15 months at the very latest.

    I found that I had to try different sippy cups with each of my kids to find out what they liked. Then just keep offering it. Eventually you will have to bite the bullet but you have time to do it slowly.

  • Get a cup LO can be excited about. Something with a favorite character like Minnie Mouse or Elmo. And then, don't give in!!! Seriously. If LO throws up, he throws up. Giving into him when he does throw up makes it so he will scream to the point of throwing up to get what he wants because he knows you will cave to anything then. After a few days he will forget the bottle. I know it's hard to listen to their tantrum, but you just have to do it. That's why being a parent isn't easy. But you ARE the mommy so what you say goes, and he just learn it one way or another.
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  • my 21 month old was OBSESSED with his bottle and it was clearly for comfort, the way other toddlers want pacifiers I think. He was never interested in milk from a cup so I know its not that he wanted milk specifically, he drinks water from sippy cups just fine. 

    We started at age 1 cutting out 1 bottle a day slowly til we got down to a morning and bedtime bottle last month.  We then cut out the AM bottle since he wasn't that interested. The hardest to stop was the bedtime bottle but I know it was bad for his teeth so we stopped. Doctor said cold turkey was the best way so thats what we did.  We had a few tantrums at bedtime but now he seems ok.  We made sure to keep all other bedtime routines exactly the same.  We made sure to pack away all the bottles so he wouldn't see them/be tempted. 
  • We are going through something similar with our 20 month old. She drinks water fine out of her straw sippy, but freaks out if we put milk in it. We have tried different types of sippys, even ones with her favorite character. We also tried putting the milk in her bottle and having her drink it through a straw. Nothing is working. She just isn't drinking her milk at all. The only time she will drink it is if it's in a milk box. Not sure what else we can try.
  • I went cold turkey when we dropped the bottle at night. Offered her a sippy of her milk and she refused. It was a rough week but eventually she got over it. She was the same way about not drinking milk out of a sippy (would only drink her water from one) but eventually started drinking milk in one after offering at every meal. I made sure she was getting plenty of dairy through yogurt and cheese in the transition. I think the change is harder and scarier for us sometimes. Just stick to your guns and he'll eventually get over it. Good luck!
  • @apinkpelican did you still offer water or just milk? She keeps asking for a drink, and I don't want to refuse her water. She seems like she will be ok without drinking her milk as long as she has water.
  • @apinkpelican did you still offer water or just milk? She keeps asking for a drink, and I don't want to refuse her water. She seems like she will be ok without drinking her milk as long as she has water.

    I offered milk in a fun sippy for awhile while we were reading nighttime books. Then I started offering while we were still downstairs so she'd get out of the habit of having it right before bed. She will now drink milk with meals. If she'll drink water before bed that's probably better than milk anyways since its after you brush teeth
  • When we started weaning baby #1 from a bottle, we kept 1 bottle on Sundays as a special treat for a while.  Sundays we would stay in our pjs, hang on the couch, have a bottle and watch football
  • @OliveOyl2014 20 month olds don't need milk.
  • We are going through something similar with our 20 month old. She drinks water fine out of her straw sippy, but freaks out if we put milk in it. We have tried different types of sippys, even ones with her favorite character. We also tried putting the milk in her bottle and having her drink it through a straw. Nothing is working. She just isn't drinking her milk at all. The only time she will drink it is if it's in a milk box. Not sure what else we can try.

    Give her milk in a box then! She really doesn't need milk if she's getting calcium from other sources.
  • @OliveOyl2014 20 month olds don't need milk.

    I know she doesn't need it, but she likes to drink it. Just not out of the sippy.


  • We are going through something similar with our 20 month old. She drinks water fine out of her straw sippy, but freaks out if we put milk in it. We have tried different types of sippys, even ones with her favorite character. We also tried putting the milk in her bottle and having her drink it through a straw. Nothing is working. She just isn't drinking her milk at all. The only time she will drink it is if it's in a milk box. Not sure what else we can try.

    Give her milk in a box then! She really doesn't need milk if she's getting calcium from other sources.

    Unfortunately it's only chocolate milk that she will drink out of a box, and I don't want to give that to her every day.
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