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My 15 month old still wants her bottle

My 15 month old daughter insists on having her bottle three times a day and I want her off the bottle completely.  I've managed to wean her off formula and she is happy to drink cows milk but only if its in her bottle.  I've tried just about every single baby/toddler drinking vessel available to buy but she largely ignores them.  She will drink water from her beaker and I have tried putting milk in that but she refused to drink it. I have tried taking away her bottle completely and she flatly refused any drink offered to her.  It seems that if I give her milk it has to be in her bottle or not at all.  I wouldn't say she's fussy but she's easily put off and the slightest change with her drink, has in the past, had her refusing any kind of liquid for days. image It worries me sick when this happens although I do give her extra yogurts, jellies, fruit and milky cereals, etc to keep her hydrated.   I know I should just take the plunge and take the bottle away but I'm worried that she'll start refusing drinks again and also how do I get her to drink milk if she refuses it in her beaker?  I really would appreciate any advice and if anyone else is in the same boat I would love to hear from you.

Thank you x

Replies

  • Hi Dark Star.

    When I've weaned them off the bottle I've first made sure they can actually drink reliably from a beaker,we use Anywayup cups,but whatever you can get then drinking out of.Once I know they can I just stopped using the bottle.My youngest decided for himself around 11 months,I think it just took too long with a bottle and he realised the cup was much quicker and he'd get bored half way through his bottle.

    The hardest one was my 5th,then 13 months at most,I used to feed her the bottle on my lap so I just switched the bottle for the cup but still did the feeding like a baby thing.She protested for a couple of days but after that would drink a little before accepting it wasn't so bad and just drank it anyway.It only took a few days to convince her and I felt very mean doing it,but bottles were soon forgotten

    Maybe try  giving the beaker at every meal.Will adding diluted fruit juice encourage her to drink more fluids,so she's getting used to the cup,so you know she can use them.It takes a bit of practice with a lot of sippy cups,but it doesn't take long,my youngest was drinking nothing but bottles at ten months,I thought he'd never manage the cup, and by the time he was 12 months the bottles were in the bin.He's now 13 months and has milk with his breakfast,juice mid morning,juice with lunch,juice mid afternoon and milk after tea.I don't want a baby with a drink in his mouth constantly but he's getting plenty of fluids plus the two cups of milk a day.

     I think the later you leave it though the harder it is to introduce these changes.

  • hwy my son is 29months and he still wants his bottle. i wouldnt worry all babys are different some want bottles all the time and some dont want one at all. If shes not eating food that much just start giving her vitamin drops xx
  • Glad to know I'm not the only one! My 18-month old will drink anything out of any kind of cup or beaker... except milk! And I've been trying for over 6 months.

    We never gave her a dummy, so I think she uses it as a comforter at night as she's been holding the bottle herself since about 4 months.

  • i wouldn't worry too much about it - my first daughter was still sitting on my knee and having a bottle at bedtime til she was about 2 and a half although she was drinking other drinks during the day and then one day she just said she wanted her bottle downstairs before bed.  All children are different and yours will do it when the time is right and the more upset you get the harder it will be for all of you and it certainly won't make it happen any quicker.  keep smiling
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