As your child approaches her first birthday, she will likely make a transition from drinking out of a bottle to drinking out of a cup. Kids Health recommends you begin weaning your baby from a bottle to a cup at about one year of age. If you wait longer, your baby may become very attached to her bottle and resist giving it up as she gets older. You may dread taking the bottle away, but with several different strategies, the transition can be easier for you and for your baby.
Eliminate Bottles Gradually
It may be more traumatic for your baby if you stop giving him bottles all at the same time. Instead, Kids Health recommends gradually eliminating the number of bottles you offer your baby each day. Healthy Children adds you can replace your child's midday bottle with a cup of milk to start the process. After a few days or a week, replace another bottle feeding with a cup. Continue replacing bottles with cups until the only bottle remaining is the bedtime bottle. Eliminate this one last, since it is often the most comforting for young children.
Dilute The Milk Or Offer Plain Water
Your child sucks on her bottle with the expectation that milk will come out. If you dilute the milk with water, she will likely be unsatisfied with drinking from the bottle. You can continue offering a bottle filled with plain water, says Kids Health, and chances are your child will stop asking for a bottle because it is not providing her with what she wants. Healthy Children adds that many children continue to want a bottle at bedtime for security, and offering it with only water will likely only last for a few nights before your child stops asking for a bottle to go to sleep.
Offer Praise
If you help your child feel like a big kid, he is more likely to embrace using a cup instead of a bottle. Kids Health recommends telling your child since he is getting bigger, he gets to drink out of a cup just like his brothers or sisters or like mom and dad. The incentive to get to do what everyone else is doing can motivate your child to give up the bottle. Give your child his very own cup to help him feel like the transition is special. Kids Health also suggests praising your child in front of others so they also have a chance to help him feel proud of his accomplishment.
