Thinking of transitioning your toddler from a bottle to a cup?

Deciding when to bottle-wean can be a difficult decision for parents. Many experts suggest starting to wean off the bottle at 12 months, as babies over the age of one are more resistant to change. But often, your one-year old is not ready.

Some toddlers are very attached to their bottles, but there are many good reasons for transitioning to a cup. Prolonged bottle usage can cause:

• Tooth decay and ear infection.
• Lack of interest in eating (filling up on milk and juice).
• Your child to become overweight - drinking too many bottles over a 24 hour period can cause your toddler to take in extra unneeded calories.

Usually, the night-time bottle is the challenging one to wean but it can be done - with persistence and some of the strategies listed below you will have success:

• There are times you should avoid bottle-weaning eg arrival of a new sibling, moving to a new house or any other major changes.
• The first thing you could try is simply switching your toddler’s bottle for a cup. Hand your toddler the cup without making a big deal and see what they do. They might be interested in it and want to give it a try. Or, they might completely refuse it. If this happens, don’t push the issue. Simply give them a bottle and try again a few days later.
• The best way to introduce a cup is gradually. Introduce a sippy cup early. When the decision has been made, go shopping with your child for a new cup and let them pick out a sippy cup. Sometimes having control over the change is enough for children to wean themselves.
• In the transition phase you could try offering them the cup filled with their favorite drink after they have had a meal. Be careful about offering lots of juice when you are weaning. It might seem like a great way to transition from the bottle to the sippy cup, but it can also create a new habit you will need to break. Make sure your child gets plenty of water, the appropriate servings of milk each day for their age. Occasionally offer juice. A one to two year old only needs 4 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese a day. A 9 oz bottle of milk contains more than half of your toddler's daily requirements.
• Over a gradual period of time (dependent on your child’s willingness) gradually replace their morning and night time bottle with a cup. Usually the night bottle is the last one to go.
• Many people try offering diluted milk in the bottle and undiluted milk in the cup, others try offering an unappealing drink in the bottle eg grapefruit juice, making the milk in the cup seem more attractive.
• If your child wakes in the night, try offering them a sip of water from their sippy cup.
• If your child has friends that are drinking from cups it would be a good idea to do some socializing with them. Have a party or play date where snacks are served and make a big deal out of some special cups that you have provided for the event.
• Many parents worry that their child will not drink enough if they don’t have a bottle. Be inventive, use lots of different types of cups or tumblers, crushed ice etc to tempt your child to drink.
• Try to be positive with your child, don’t ridicule them. Remind them how well they are doing and praise them when they ask for a cup.
• Usually the most emotionally charged bottle time is bedtime. You will need to create a special bedtime routine that is not centered on drinking. Start with a quiet game, then bath time, story time, maybe some talking time with favorite toys in which you ask them how their day was and then make the toys respond. Involve your child in your routine. Tuck your child in bed and tell them (not read) a story about your childhood. Tell them about your favorite toy, bike etc. Make the bedtime routine a time for sharing and not a time for drinking. Make sure you end up with them in bed, so that when they are sleepy, you can kiss them good night.
• If your child wants to go back to a bottle, try distracting them and make sure you give them lots of extra hugs and attention.

If you can’t get your child interested in weaning, it might be too early. Remember that weaning takes time and patience, both on your part and on your child’s. Try and be calm and positive while your child is learning something new. It will help the process go smoother and everyone will be a lot happier.

Remember – Never put your child to bed with a bottle as it can cause ear infections and tooth decay.

By Tracey Richardson

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