Bottle weaning a toddler

My little girl is almost two. I breast fed her until she was 15 months old. I made the huge mistake of giving her a bottle when I quit breastfeeding. Now she is addicted to the bottle! I have tried various transitional bottles but she refuses to drink from them. I am starting to worry about her teeth. Has anyone tried the sink or swim method: just cutting out the bottles and she can drink the milk or not? I am thinking about doing it. Any advice or suggestions?
Thanks! Smiley

posted November 3, 2008 - 10:19pm

Comments

jjandmom wrote 8 weeks 1 day ago

I got both of my kids off the bottle (sounds so funny) as soon as hey turned one per our pediatricians recommendation. The first was super easy, I don't think she even missed it.

The second was another story. He was breastfed for a year but had bottles as well. When I switched to milk, he wasn't a huge fan of the sippy cup. I admit, it finally came down to "no cup, no milk". After about a day or so, he was sipping away.

Of course, that's just my experience, I'm not sure what others have done, but it worked for us!

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bellecruz08 wrote 6 weeks 1 day ago

With all 3 of my children i used a sippy cup with a VERY soft, flexible tip that feels almost like the nipple of a bottle. Sorry i do not remember the brand because it has been a while! (my kids range from 13yrs old to 6 yrs old) I was only able to find them at Wal-mart. They are NOT a major brand name so they only cost a few dollars. And unfortunatley they are NOT spill proof.

Also, i am a dental assistant and have been in the field for almost 10yrs. The hardest but most important thing to do is only give them the cups during meals or while being supervised so they do not get used to sleeping with them. That is when their teeth will most be affected. And they also learn to not use them as a comforting object. It did make bedtime hard for all of us for a few days, but it is worth it. Hope this info is helpful. Good luck!

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