Struggling to wean 14 mo off baby bottles (who treats them like a dummy), any tips welcome

[Lochie]

My 14 mo boy will only drink milk out of baby bottles (i.e. the tommee tippee ones he's had since birth with soft teats). I've tried to give him milk in sippy cups with a spout but its a no go. He will drink water out of sippy cups, but because I am never sure how much fluid he is getting I have stuck with baby bottles for milk.

He also now will not go to sleep without a baby bottle of (cows) milk - this means that for his pm nap and bedtime I have to give him a small baby bottle of milk (or watered down milk) as it is like a bit of a dummy to him, he likes to suck on it until he is asleep. If he wakes in the night he also will not go back to sleep without a bottle of milk. This is now causing serious problems as again last night he woke up covered in sick (third time in 2 weeks), I know its not good for him to be lying on his back and drinking milk at this age and it seems to be causing him to vomit (not surprisingly).

The problem is when I have tried to go cold turkey from the bottles its awful. He gets into a massive state when trying to sleep and the only way he will calm down is if he comes and sleeps in mum and dad's bed, which I don't mind really, but I don't want to be posting again in a few months asking how to wean him off sleeping in mum and dad's bed!!!

Anyone else struggled with transition from baby bottles to cups? I know cold turkey is probably the answer but we have all been ill with flu and I work and study as well so am trying to prevent major sleeplessness as I can't really afford not to sleep :-(

Thank you in advanced from very very tired mum

[Ko]

could you perhaps try to burp him while he is very sleepy - even if it is say 3 quarters thru the bottle and so he has a quarter of the bottle left to suck on? i know you want o weann him off the bottle but perhaps that could be a short term help. my little one has vomited a couple of times if he hasn't been burped. good luck xx

[gnulover]

Not sure it helps but neither of mine drank milk out of anything but a bottle for over 2 years. My youngest still does (2yrs 3 months). He drinks out of cups, glasses, mugs and anything else you can fill with juice but refuses to drink his milk out of anything but a baby bottle. Have decided it will happen in time so am not stressing - although he doesn't take it to bed. Without wanting to start a different debate but if he is using it as a dummy, have you tried giving him a dummy instead of the bottle. You will still have the issue of weaning him off it but you will hopefully stop him vomiting in his bed. My son weaned off his dummy at 18 months within a couple of nights (those 2 nights did seem like a lifetime however!) so it may be an easier solution in the short term.

Good luck

[Lochie]

thanks both....hmmm yes dummy is interesting. He did have a dummy at about 12 weeks old but rejected it when he was about 6 months old so we thought we were lucky and have tried not to reintroduce it, but maybe that is an idea.

Thank you gnulover you put my mind at rest, I guess I can't force it. I went as long as possible yesterday refusing to give any milk in bottle but by 3pm gave in as he hadn't really drunk any fluids all day. Managed to put him to bed last night though without a bottle which was a big first hurdle, so have decided to do it little by little - first thing is to stop him going to sleep with a bottle, the rest will have to follow!

And Ko thank you I did burp him last night as per your suggestion before putting him down after his milk and he didn't puke, so probably worth doing that in future.

thanks all! x

[Ko]

also how much dinner is he having and has his tummy got enough room for a bottle of milk too?

i know baby ko has had times when he has drunk so much milk that his tummy couldn't cope with it and he vomited for that reason.

baby ko has a whole bottle of milk straight before bed too, but he has a very early dinner (3 hours earlier!)

i think you are doing the right thing in changing things slowly. good luck xxx

[number 2]

have you tried either tommee tippee sports bottle things or asda's own. it's the only thing i could get my boy to drink milk out of other than a baby's bottle. he still looks at baby's bottles very longingly! and he takes his drink to bed with him. they don't leak!

http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/trainer/