Lucas has become completely obsessed with his bottle and asks for it all the time!
I hear “ba ba” so much it gives me a headache and usually it’s before 9 AM.
It’s become somewhat of a joke… he’ll waltz up to me, put his hand my leg very affectionately and say “ba ba” and sway his body back and worth, to which I respond very enthusiastically, “no ba ba, how about a sippy instead?”.
He rarely takes me up on this offer.
I know that the bottle and/or milk bring him a lot of comfort and I would rather he have a bottle than be sucking on a pacifier, but he is seriously addicted and I’m starting to worry.
Our pediatrician told us that he should ONLY have 24 oz. of milk a day, which we try to limit to first thing in the morning, just before he naps and at bedtime.
Most of the time this ration works pretty well, but it doesn’t keep him from asking for his beloved beverage.
Our pediatrician also told us that he should be drinking solely from a sippy cup by the time he was 18 months.
Oops!
Lucas knows how to drink from a sippy cup, but prefers the bottle.
He’s never drank water or juice from a bottle and refuses to drink his favorite libation from a sippy cup. Bizarre, no?
At this rate, I feel like weening him off the bottle is going to take FOREVER! Any advice?
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I understand your dilemma but don't think you need to worry too much. Mattias had a baba until he was 3. I know, crazy right? I just never told that to our doctor! He only drank milk out of it and mostly only at night before bed (and sometimes in the car on the way to school) but he asked for his baba all the time and we'd go through those 2-pack Costco milks in no time. It drove Lance crazy but I figured he'd grow out of it and he did. I actually kept his favorite bottle and put it in his memory trunk, might whip it out to show his first girlfriend! 🙂 Try different sippy cups, maybe one with a soft straw that is kind of like a bottle, maybe he'll take to that. And just stick to your routine of limiting his baba time and keep offering him cups or sippy cups. Good luck!
well, my two year old is also addicted to his bottle. He will only drink milk from his bottle and I have to be the one to give it to him, even though he will use the sippy cup for other things.
It is definitely a comfort thing for him. I too try to limit it to nap and bedtime, but if he insists on it at other times, I only fill it 1/4 the way up.. so he is really not drinking all that much milk.
He is not the snuggliest kid, so when he wants the bottle that's our time to cuddle. Sometimes I wonder if he is too old… but you know what, he is only two! he is still a baby in so many ways, I've decided to just enjoy this time. I know soon enough he will outgrow it.
My Mateo is 2+ and drinking from a bottle. My mom NEVER took away bottles from her 5 kids and yet we all gave them up when we were ready. I learned a lot from my mom – parenting without overthinking. In the 60's and 70's when my siblings and I were growing up, they didn't have all these "new-fangled" ideas about parenting. I cannot take away somehing that gives Mateo so much comfort. He gave up nursing when he was ready and he will give up the bottle when he is ready.
And remember – nobody goes to kindergarten with a bottle!
My lil' guy is going on two and still loves his morning bottle and night time bottle. We limit it to only 6 oz. each time of milk…I know he's suppose to be off, but to be honest…I don't really see the harm in it.
It's the only way I can get him to drink his milk, and I know he finds comfort in it. I'm with Mai above on this one…I feel he'll give it up when he's ready…They'll have a lot of vices growing up…this one I'm less worries about.
Good luck, do what you feel is best for you guys and you can't go wrong.
Some kids like the novelty of a straw.
Maybe you could offer him a sippy cup with a straw with water in it?
If that doesn't work, how about letting him keep his bottle but put water in it (except for the times when he would normally have milk)?
If those things don't work, I wouldn't worry about it too much. He won't take his bottle to kindergarten! 😉
Our DD was totally addicted to her bottle which is why I took it away as soon as she turned 1. That sounds terrible, I know, but I knew that the longer I waited, the tougher it would be. She's 14 months now, and has no issues with her sippy cup. You might try only putting water in his bottle and only putting milk in his sippy cup to get him switched. He will reject both for awhile, but eventually will get thirsty and give in to the milk in the cup. Hang in there!
I felt the same way about Emma's pacifier. It started to become a full blown obsession. He'll either give it up on his own, or you will come to your breaking point. You'll know when the time is right. My kids were never into the bottle, but a friend of mine slowly watered down her son's milk and the bottle eventually lost its appeal. Don't worry though! He should be over it by the time he graduates high school. 🙂
It's so hard to take away their coping devices.
With both of my boys, I took away the bottle, cold turkey, the day after their 1st birthday. It's usually a struggle but we just didn't give them the option. The 1st day or two are hard and there is alot of crying (me and the baby) but after awhile they both got the hang of it.
Now, we are breaking the binky habit on my 16 month old. We took it away last week and he can only use it while sleeping. So far so good.
Good luck and be strong!!!
Specifically about the milk…Kate was obsessed with milk, too, and I started to water it down after her first sippy in the morning.
And for sippies?? She wouldn't gradually transition, so we quit the bottles cold turkey.
Each kid has a different timer I think. Some stop early, some later. I wouldn't be too worried. Eventually he'll be ready.
I have to say that I will drink my favorite libation from any type of cup (wine). Not sure what that says about me!
I remember starting the water in the sippy (since back then, they all seemed to leak!) and transitioning the milk into the sippy. I think we started only allowing milk with meals in the sippy, and water was the "anytime" drink. It may have taken a while, but pretty soon milk was associated with meals and water was what you got when you were thirsty.
So hard when they are hooked on something, though!
This sounds like a frustrating experience!
I have gone both routes. With Connor he drank from a bottle until he was 2 1/2. It was comfort for him at bedtime and I was okay with that. He used a binky until he was 3 (to sleep). He quit both cold turkey (same with diapers) and now he thinks it's so funny he ever drank a ba ba, used a paci and pooped in a diaper.
The day Noah turned 1 it was cow's milk and a sippy cup. Don't sweat the bottle thing. If it comforts him then he deserves it. You'll know when it's time. Maybe give him milk in a sippy cup for meals…….
I found that with my now 5-year-old the best way to have her give up a bottle, pacifier, etc. was just to do it cold turkey. She wasn't good at letting things go slowly! Kind of like me I guess. 🙂
Sounds like a lot of mom's have had this similar issue so that should provide you with comfort. He will get there when he is ready and in the meantime just stick with only those three bottles a day!