How to Wean Your Baby off the Bottle

Eventually, the time will come to wean your baby from the bottle. A little one̵7;s physical dexterity and growth will bring him to the point when it just makes sense to pack the bottles away and switch to cups for drinking. Babies have a variety of reactions to this transition -- some adapt easily while others may struggle a bit.

Things You'll Need

  • Sippy cup

Instructions

    • 1

      Introduce a sippy cup to your baby so your little one develops a proficiency for drinking from them prior to weaning, advises social worker Kim West, with The Sleep Lady website. A child is ready for sippy cup introduction by between 3 and 6 months, states the UCSF Benioff Children̵7;s Hospital.

    • 2

      Choose your weaning time wisely to facilitate success. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends weaning a child from the bottle by 18 months of age at the latest. The AAP advises parents to discontinue formula and switch to cow̵7;s milk after a child's first birthday. Weaning from bottles during this transition often works well for children.

    • 3

      Cut out bottles gradually instead of eliminating them overnight. Begin by dropping the least important bottle of the day -- perhaps your baby̵7;s lunchtime bottle or morning bottle. Distract your little one by offering a cup of milk and some food to help him over this first hurdle. After four to seven days, your baby should acclimate to this reduction, and you can drop the next least important bottle. Keep eliminating bottles by using distraction and replacement techniques until only the bedtime bottle remains.

    • 4

      Fill the bedtime bottle with 2 ounces less milk than normal to begin the process of dropping it. Every two days, subtract 2 ounces of milk. At the 3-ounce point, you might replace half of the milk with water or switch to all water for the bottle. Chances are, your little one won̵7;t have much interest in it and you can distract him away from it with songs or stories. Make the final transition by offering your baby a drink of milk or water from a cup at bedtime before brushing his teeth.

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