Dropping bottles

[catherine]

Hi there,
my son is nearly 12 months and is still having 4 bottles a day. Totalling about 1100mls. He's eating 2-3 meals a day plus snacks. He is normal size but I can't help thinking he is drinking too much milk.
At what stage should I drop a bottle? If any.
Any advise on this would be appreciated.

Catherine

[bubbalove]

I changed my son to 'sippy' cup by 12 months, and I found that it reduced the amount of liquid he drank. The bottles are too easy ;)

[xkwzit]

Hi Catherine
I have also read the kids who are drinking their milk / juice from bottles tend to take too much of their calories this way instead of from "real" food. This might be more of a problem if he becomes a picky eater in toddler years, as he can easily fill himself up with milk (or juice) at the expense of food.

I started to gradually change DD1''s milk drinks from bottles to cups when she was about 15 months old (she was still having 3 bottles before that and didn't look like she was going to give them up). First to go was the lunchtime bottle (which she didn't seem to miss at all), then the breakfast bottle (although she went through a period of drinking milk from a cup at day care but not at home :( ). If she wasn't drinking enough milk, we made sure she still got her 3 serves of dairy for calcium. We let her decide when to give up her night time bottle (we just offered every night "bottle or cup?"), I think she was almost 2.

Best of luck (although its a bit early to worry, esp if he seems to still be eating plenty of "real" food)

[possum]

Hi there, :)
I must agree with bubbalove, I 2 changed to a 'sippy cup' when 12mths old for all 3 of my boys. the cup process worked well when they got use to it, and yes they did whinge and refuse to use the cup, but they then realized that if they wanted a drink of milk than they would have to use their 'big boy' cup.
It does take time, but perservere with the cup. Just keep the bottle for a nighttime drink. My boys did have a bottle prior to going to sleep until they were 2 and a half. :D
luv possum :)

[Ivy-Rose]

Hello,
I did what the others have said and that was change from bottle to sippa cup at 12mths.
I thought you might look at the sippa cups and go OH MY as there are so many on the market that claim to be nonspill.
I then thought as that are so many you may like a little bit of info on what people are finding best. I bought about 5 differnet brands all ranging from cheap to mighty expensive and they all leaked to some degree. I then bought a playtex spill proof cup. It comes in two sizes that I know of and I usually buy it at woolworths. It also has the easiest valve to clean as some of them you couldn't clean. The replacemnt vavles are easy to get from woolies to. I have only ever bought 1 packof them in 2 years. I could put my kiddies to bed in the hot queensland summer with a drink of water and know the bed was dry and the water had not leaked. I aslo knew that if we travelled and the cup landed upside down or on the floor that it wasn't going to leak.
I know this is a bit of the track for your question. But I hope it helped and saved you money.
Emma