BYE-BYE BOTTLE; HOW TO TRANSITION BABY OFF A BOTTLE

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We’ve been a little behind on our transition from a bottle to a cup. I’m sharing a few tips that helped us kick the bottles and transition Oliver to a regular cup.

Toddlers begin major transitions as soon as they turn a year old. It’s actually quite overwhelming for the parents as well; Transition to whole milk, No more formula, No more bottle, the list goes on. I’m here to tell you that my kid is 22 months and JUST kicked his bottle habit. Clearly everything turns out okay.

I’m sure you’re wondering where to even begin this process.

The sippy cup aisle at Target. That’s where.

I tried this one, this one and these were a no-go as well.

It’s a huge bummer, but I wasted so much time and money trying to find the perfect cups for Oliver. The Contigo water bottles were great from the start. No leaking and they are perfect to throw in the diaper bag for traveling. Oliver seemed to enjoy the sucking/straw transition so we made these as his permanent water bottle.

Finding a cup for his milk was an entirely different process. No matter how many different cups I tried, he wanted his milk every night in a damn bottle. It was a comfort habit. I was okay with it for a little bit, but now that another baby is coming along, I knew we needed to kick the habit asap.

• Offer Early – I started offering a sippy cup at every meal when he was 9 months old. This let him get comfortable with the idea of having milk from a cup. It gives them the opportunity to play with this new contraption and find new ways to obtain their milk.
• Milk at Mealtimes – Once we transitioned off formula and onto whole milk with meals, I made the decision to only offer milk at his meal times (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Each time he had milk, it was 3-4oz in a cup. He was still taking a nighttime bottle before bed to fill his belly.
• Cold Turkey – This tactic works for some, but it didn’t work for us. I wanted to keep my sanity a little longer so we did a gradual wean.
• Persistence – Keep at it and keep bottles out of sight! I would have problems when Oliver can see his bottles because then he knows they are available! Out of sight – Out of mind.

I think we finally purchased these straw cups for Oliver and I provide milk twice a day in them. He thinks they are fun and I don’t think he has even noticed I threw away his bottles!

Side Note: I am in no way a professional, I’m just trying to figure out motherhood and these items and tactics are what worked best for us. Every family is different, do what works for you Mama! 

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How did your transition off a bottle go? I want to know what worked for you! 

P.S. Check out Toddler Meal Ideas: Breakfast & Lunch! 

Summary

Article Name

Bye Bye Bottle; How to Transition Baby off a Bottle

Author

Kelsey Kosztowny