It can be stressful for parents and babies when the time comes to trade bottles for sippy cups, but it is important to wean your baby to prevent problems, including tooth decay. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies be weaned from the bottle at around 1 year of age. By this time, your baby may be very attached to his bottle. Take small steps to make the weaning process easier for the whole family.
Step 1
Place a small amount of breast milk or formula in a sippy cup and offer it to your baby once a day at mealtime.Show him how to drink out of the cup, but do not force him to use it.
Step 2
Wait until your baby is drinking from the cup at one meal, and then offer it at another meal, recommends the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital.
Step 3
Continue to increase the amount of milk or formula you offer your baby in a cup, and decrease the amount of bottles you offer him. Eventually, he will be drinking all of his milk or formula from a cup.
Step 4
Make the bedtime bottle less attractive if your baby is very attached to it. Gradually dilute the milk by adding water over a few nights, recommends The National Institutes of Health. Your baby may give up the bottle on her own at this point. If not, she may put up less of a fight when you take the bottle away.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid weaning your child from the bottle during a period of stress, advises UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. During major changes, such as moving to a new house or the addition of a new sibling, it is best not to put extra stress on your baby. Keep bottles out of your child's sight during the weaning process to help him forget about them. (Reference 3)
- Be sure to offer your baby breast milk, formula or, if he is older than 12 months, cow's milk in his sippy cup. If you give your baby juice or water in the cup, he may begin to associate the cup with these drinks and the bottle with milk, warns InteliHealth.com. This may make it harder to wean him from the bottle. If your baby continues to have a bedtime bottle, it should only be filled with water to prevent tooth decay. Give any bedtime snacks or milk to your baby before you brush his teeth to keep them healthy. (Reference 1)
