Ditching the bottle
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18276
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Topic: Ditching the bottle
Posted By: MrsMojo
Subject: Ditching the bottle
Date Posted: 16 June 2008 at 1:25pm
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Michaela still has a bottle of milk before her afternoon and night time sleeps and also first thing in the morning. She only has about 100mls in the morning and 250mls before her sleeps.
I've decided it's time to ditch the bottles for various reasons. 1. The bottles we have are getting old and if you believe everythign you hear they may cause cancer. I'm too much of a cheap ass to replace them. 2. She's doing really well with her potty training and I'd like to get rid of the bottles now so that if she regresses due to the change it's not a big deal for us because we're still prepped to deal with accidents and also because I don't want her having a bottle at bedtime when we start night training at some point down the track. 3. I checked her teeth the other day and it looks kind of like some of the enamel is chipping (I may just be seeing things but I'm so pedantic about her oral hygiene and I think sipping the bottle at bedtime isn't helping).
I've already decided it needs to be done cold turkey rather than slowly weaning (mostly so DH and I aren't tempted to give in and let her have the bottle). D-day is this Saturday since I'll be home over the weekend to deal with any fall out.
What did you do to prepare you bottle (or dummy) addict? Did you use the 'fairy' technique and how well did this work? -------------  
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Replies:
Posted By: AliaDawn
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 10:13am
We gave up the bottle at about 18 months, he didn't even seem to notice! Will probably be harder with your little miss at that age though  Good luck!-------------  
 
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 10:54am
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If you are wanting her to still have milk, just swap the bottle for a cup or a sipper bottle. Let her have cuddles on the couch with you before bed, then put her to bed as normal.
We asked Nyah to throw the bottles away, we got her to cut the top of the teats too (so none of us were tempted to give in) and she did so willingly, and then we took her to the supermarket and she picked out her own sipper bottle. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 11:33am
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Yeah I think what Mel said about going and buying a special 'big girl' cup is a good idea. You could roll play with a doll, and enphasise that bottles are for babies and she is such a big girl that she doesnt need one anymore etc.
We got rid of Isla's a lot earlier than we intended cos she was really addicted to sucking on it, and even tho we only gave her cold water in it overnight,...we were having to get up up to 6 times a night to give it back to her if she lost it in her cot. She then wouldnt drink any mlik for several weeks, but now will take milk before bed from a straw cup. So be prepared that she might not want to drink any milk for a while,....and if u really dont want her to have the bottles back,..through them out so u cant be tempted! Good luck! |
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 12:24pm
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Thanks for your advice ladies.
I'll definitely get Michaela to throw out the bottles herself and cut the teats, I think that's a great idea - thanks Mel.
Michaela has several sipper cups but drinks from normal cups during the day now. I do like the idea of buying her some kind of treat to "replace" the bottle but wonder if she would see using a sipper cup as a step backwards. What do you think?
She is totally bottle reliant when she's sleepy, partly because DH has always used it to get her to sleep and partly because it was the only way to get a decent quantity of liquids into her for several months while she was anal retentive and although we could see it leading us to bottle addiction the immediate issue was sorting her BMs.
We have been talking about how baby's drink bottles and big girls don't and she actually rejected her bottle this morning (although it wasn't until after she'd drunk half of it). -------------
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 12:52pm
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Ok if you think she'll reject the sipper cup, buy a sipper bottle with the straw.
Its good that you've been talking to her about it, and I think you may be on to something, as long as she understands that it's very important for big girls to drink their milk to make them big and strong... (or seomthing like that?) ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
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Posted By: floss
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 1:10pm
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We only just gave Sienna's up a few weeks ago and she is just over 2, we did it cold turkey and told her what a big grown up girl she was, we also did the buy her a special cup as well which she liked.
I think its the parents who have a bigger deal then the kids I was so scared that we would have a huge hassle over it but she didn't mind and excepted it stright away. Good luck ------------- My beautiful big girl Sienna 15.04.06 Double the trouble double the fun Noah & Lola 10/11/07 |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 1:26pm
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Maya was 22 mths, we left hers out for Santa on Xmas eve and he left her a My Little Pony cup in it's place which she had her milk out of after that. It wasn't a sippy cup, just a normal cup.
The gremlins still have 2 bottles of 250ml each a day but I'm in no hurry to ditch them coz they are not good sleepers at the best of times and it's a part of their routine that they anticipate. Maybe by this Xmas when they're just over 2. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 17 June 2008 at 1:33pm
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Good idea, I might pop to kmart and see if they have any novelty cups she loves Dora the Explorer atm (and Ice Age the movie - I get her to brush her teeth by asking her if she wants big strong teeth like Diego, the saber tooth tiger) -------------
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Maya wrote: