What Age Should I Start

[mummy2lilly]

Hi All,

Happy New Year.

At what age should i start weaning DD off bottles? Ive been trying her on sippy cups and other sort of cups but she isnt taking to them too well. But she is only 11 months old. Ive been told she should be completely off bottle by one. Is that to soon?
She has her water or Juice in a 4oz (125ml)
And she has her S26- Soy in a 8oz (280ml) Bottle.

Im not sure if she should be on bottles longer because the MCHN said to me that DD will need to be on S-26 Soy until she is 2 years old because dd cant have cows milk or any other formula as she get sick from it. Plus they cant have the soy ( our soy milk) until she is over 2 as its to rich for younger children.

So at what age should i start trying to get her off bottles? If i dont do it soon will it do anything to her teeth ( Make them not straight things like that)

Thanks everyone

[kylza]

I chucked ds bottles out at about 12months and changed to a hard spout cup, I don't think he even noticed. You can still put milk/formula in them. I just got sick of cleaning bottles.
Now at 20 months he drinks out of either a cup with straw or a cup with hard spout and if I'm really patient just a normal cup (he usually tips it everywhere).
Ds has only just started to have a small amount of watered down vegetable juice in the last few weeks, not really necessary at a young age.

[BabyPaparazzi]

I dont think it is overly necessary to remove them by a certain age. It can depend on a few things, like how much milk they are still drinking and when, and just the individual child really.

DD is 20mths and still has one bottle of an evening. Its a Nuby, its not a teat bottle but a soft spout, which she has been on since around 6mths, one of the reasons cause she still drinks over 300ml bottles, and not many take this amount, especially sippy cups. During the day she has her milk/water/juice in sippy cups or normal cups.

I dont see if affecting her teeth, as long as she is not taking a bottle to bed because that can cause teeth decay problems.

DD was also on normal soy milk not formula by 12 months, my gp never said it is to much for her tummy and it never affected her.

[BabelFish]

It depends on your baby. My DD is 17 months old, still has two sleeps a day and still has three bottles a day.

Meh, whatever.

She loves them, that's the way she likes to drink her formula and it's part of her bed time routine. She drinks her water through a sippy cup or through a cup with a straw, or just a normal cup.

She has always been a baby who has taken the lead and will wean herself when ready. She's heading down to one sleep a day now, and so she will have one bottle less a day. And I'm gradually reducing the size of her bottles, too.

There IS no **should** with babies. I personally think 11 or 12 months is WAY too early to remove the bottle, and as many people breastfeed far past this age and nobody blinks an eye, it should be the same with bottle feeding.

I don't know why people are so intent on removing children's comforts so early. They're just babies, let them be babies.

[Lilahh]

How long have you been offering sippy cups? I've been offering DS's his sippy cup with water since he was 4.5 months, he is nearly 7 months and has only just started getting used to them. Maybe it will take your DD a little while to get used to them?

[Annabella]

I breastfed til my kids were over one, but when they were 1 I started giving them milk in a sippy cup once or twice a day (had been giving them water in a sippy cup before then though). I didn't want them to start having a bottle coz so many kids I know are attached to their bottle even at 2 and 3 years old and I just didn't want that issue so skipped it all together.

If I were you I'd start introducing a cup once a day then increase it gradually til you get rid of the bottle. But thats just me, it doesn't really matter to most people.

[cwsmum]

I have always given drinks in cups from 6mths, by drinks I mean water/milk with or between meals. For my kids bottles were always part of their pre-sleep routine.
My eldest was still having a bedtime bottle at 2.5yrs, my 2nd bub gave bottles up on her own just after she turned one and my baby who is 13mths old still has a bottle before his day sleep and at bedtime each night.

I don't think it matters when they give up bottles, it's not the bottles that cause probs with their teeth, it's what you put in them. In a perfect world bubs woud finish their bedtime bottle then we'd brush their teeth and tuck them into bed...but I know that never happens here, my bub often falls asleep while he's drinking his bottle...but if you can avoid giving thinks like juice in the bottle then you, hopefully, will avoid too much damage to their teeth.

I think that at 12mths bubs should be having most of their drinks from a cup and bottles are for before sleeps only. But that's just my opinion, you do what suits you and your bub :)

[lochiebearsmum]

lochie is 3 in feb and still LOVES his bottles before he goes to bed (and a pat on the bottom!)... i really dont mind if he still wants a bottle and a pat on the bum at 18 i would be happy to do it!

[JLeesmum]

lochie is 3 in feb and still LOVES his bottles before he goes to bed (and a pat on the bottom!)... i really dont mind if he still wants a bottle and a pat on the bum at 18 i would be happy to do it!
i think ill be doing that for a while too!

[Opinionated]

Whenever you both feel comfortable. The only problem is if she is going to bed with the bottle, constant formula in the mouth can cause tooth decay. If it is a bottle before bed, do it as long as you both want to.

[Myztiks#1Fan]

i dont believe there is any written law to say you must remove bottle from a child at the age of 1. i think its a bit ridiculous esp as some children use bottles for a bit of security. my son gave up bottles when he was 2 and i was quite upset by that as it meant he was growing up faster than i wanted him to. if your happy to continue giving your DD bottles, go for it. same with dummies. if coop still wanted his bottle at 2.5yrs, i would be more than happy to give one to him but he has been without it for 6mths now and hasnt asked which is great as i have none in my house anymore