How to stop baby from bottle feeding

Stopping the Bottle (for Parents)

Reviewed by: Madhu Desiraju, MD

Primary Care Pediatrics at Nemours Children's Health

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Many toddlers become attached to their bottles. Besides providing nourishment, bottles also mean comfort and security.

It's important for parents to start weaning babies from bottles around the end of the first year and start getting them comfortable drinking from cups. The longer parents wait to start the transition, the more attached kids become to their bottles and the harder it can be to break the bottle habit. Longer bottle use may lead to cavities or cause a child to drink more milk than they need.

Switching from bottle to cup can be challenging, but these tips can make the change easier for parents and kids.

How Should I Start the Switch?

Most doctors recommend introducing a cup around the time a baby is 6 months old. In the beginning, much of what you serve in a cup will end up on the floor or on your baby. But by 12 months of age, most babies have the coordination and hand skills needed to hold a cup and drink from it.

Age 1 is also when doctors recommend switching from formula to cow's milk. It can be a natural change to offer milk in a cup rather than a bottle.

If you're still breastfeeding, you can continue feeding your baby breast milk, but you may want to offer it in a cup.

Tips to Try

Instead of cutting out bottles all at once, try dropping them from the feeding schedule over time.

For example, if your baby usually drinks 3 bottles each day, begin by stopping the morning bottle. Instead of giving a bottle right away, bring your baby to the table and after the feeding has started, offer milk from a cup. You might encourage your baby by saying something like "You're getting so big now and can use a cup like mommy."

As you try to stop the morning bottle, keep offering the afternoon and evening bottles for about a week. That way, if your child asks for the bottle you can say that one is coming later.

The next week, stop another bottle feeding and provide milk in a cup instead. Try to do this when your baby is sitting at the table in a high chair.

Generally, the last bottle to stop should be the nighttime bottle. That bottle tends to be a part of the bedtime routine and is the one that most provides comfort to babies. Instead of the bottle, try offering a cup of milk with your child's dinner and continue with the rest of your nighttime tasks, like a bath, bedtime story, or teeth brushing.

Other tips to keep in mind:

Spill-proof cups that have spouts designed just for babies ("sippy cups") can help ease the move from the bottle. Dentists recommend sippy cups with a hard spout or a straw, rather than ones with soft spouts.
When your child does use the cup, offer plenty of praise. If grandma is around, for example, you might say, "See, Emma is such a big girl she drinks milk in a cup!"
If you keep getting asked for a bottle, find out what your child really needs or wants and offer that instead. If your baby is thirsty or hungry, provide nourishment in a cup or on a plate. If it's comfort, offer hugs, and if your little one is bored, sit down and play!
As you wean your baby from the bottle, try mixing the milk in the bottle with water. For the first few days, fill half of it with water and half of it with milk. Then slowly add more water until the entire bottle is water. By that time, it's likely that your child will lose interest and be asking for the yummy milk that comes in a cup!
Get rid of the bottles or put them out of sight.

If you have problems or concerns about stopping the bottle, talk with your child's doctor.

Reviewed by: Madhu Desiraju, MD

Date reviewed: June 2022

How to Transition Your Baby from a Bottle to a Cup

Written by Barbara Brody

Whether you breastfeed, bottle feed, or do a combo of the two, at some point you'll wonder: Is it time to move on to a cup?

If you just breastfeed, the easiest switch is to skip bottles entirely and go straight to cups around the 1-year mark, or whenever you decide to stop nursing. If your child happily sucks on bottles, their first birthday might still be a good choice. That's because you're already changing from formula to cow's milk around that time.

Missed that window? Waiting until your baby is a little older? No worries, but don’t wait too long. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests saying bye-bye to the bottle before your baby is 18 months old. "I'd say definitely before age 2, but the sooner the better," says Keith T. Ayoob, EdD. He’s an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y.

As a registered dietitian who works with kids, Ayoob snatches the bottle from kids as old as 5 -- and he says it isn't pretty. "You have to know your child, but in general, the longer you wait the harder it is."

Why the Bottle Needs to Go

A bottle gives food and comfort to many children, so letting your little one use it for as long as they like might seem harmless enough. But there are several reasons why it's smart to switch to cups:

Bottles boost tooth decay. Milk has lactose, a type of sugar. And if you're giving your child juice in a bottle (though you shouldn't), that's even worse. "The acid in juice is a nightmare for teeth," Ayoob says.

Milk should remain an important part of your child's diet, and juice is OK now and then. Sucked from a bottle though, the sugar and acid will stay longer on their teeth, which could lead to cavities. Letting a baby go to sleep with a bottle is especially bad, because your body makes less saliva (which helps to wash away food particles) while you're asleep.

Prolonged use of a bottle is linked to obesity. Research shows that kids who are still using a bottle at age 2 are more likely to be obese by the time they're almost 6. Ayoob says some kids walk around with a bottle in their mouths all the time, even though they’re eating plenty of solid food. This can result in too many calories.

He says that being too attached to the bottle could have the opposite effect, too: With some picky eaters, the bottle becomes the “go-to meal," and a child may not be eating enough of his breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Bottles could mess with her smile. Constant sucking can change the position of her adult teeth down the line. It can affect the development of her facial muscles and palate (roof of her mouth), says Peter Richel, MD. He's the chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. This can easily lead to an overbite that might later need to be corrected with orthodontia such as braces.

Drinking while laying down increases the chance of ear infections. If your little one loves to curl up with a bottle, watch out.

"Some of the milk kind of gurgles up in the back of the throat, and it just sort of sits there while bacteria grows," Ayoob says. "Bacteria can crawl right up the Eustachian tube [in the throat] and into the ear."

Giving the Bottle the Boot

Your child should know how to drink out of a cup before you take away the bottle. Many pediatricians tell parents to introduce sippy cups around 6 to 9 months. That's when kids commonly start drinking water and other liquids besides formula and breast milk.

If, from a young age, you start giving some milk (not just water) in sippy or regular cups, then things will be easier when you're ready to get rid of the bottle for good, Richel says.

Once you decide to ditch bottles, there are two main ways to go about it: Go cold turkey, or slowly wean her off. Whichever way you choose, experts agree that sticking to it is key. "Cold turkey is the quickest but most difficult for parents, because they feel they are being cruel," Richel says.

Just don't expect either way to be easy. Even if you opt to wean slowly, "there will be some pushback," Ayoob says. "If you're trying to do it without any resistance whatsoever, you're in the wrong business."

Cold turkey: One day, you simply make all the bottles disappear. If your child is old enough to understand, it might help to include them in the process. For example, you can warn them that today is the last day for bottles, and that starting tomorrow, they are going to drink only from "big boy" cups.

Weaning: The idea is to slowly swap out bottles in favor of cups. For example, you might fill in a cup for the bottle at just one feeding a day, then add a second cup the following week.

No matter how slow (or fast) you want to go, Ayoob says you should take away the mid-day bottles first, then the morning one. Get your child used to eating something solid first thing in the morning, he says, before you remove the morning bottle.

Most experts (and parents!) agree that taking away the nighttime bottle is the toughest final step. "Denying your baby a bottle, especially that last one before bed, can be incredibly challenging for moms and dads,” says Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, coauthor of The Mommy MD Guide to the Toddler Years. “It makes it far more difficult to get babies to sleep, and when babies don’t sleep, neither do their parents."

To make things easier, she says to have a bedtime ritual in place. This keeps you from solely relying on the bottle to ease your child into sleep. "A nice warm bath, rocking while reading a story, and snuggling with a lovey can be great sources of comfort, security, and relaxation before bedtime, even when the bedtime bottle is no longer a part of the routine," she says.

Common Concerns

Nervous about stopping the bottle? We asked the experts to offer some extra help and support.

You're thinking: "She hates sippy cups."

The fix: To protect her teeth, try a cup that doesn't have a solid spout. It's too similar to a nipple, says Ayoob, who says a straw is a better choice. But in the end, "the best sippy cup is the one your child will drink from happily and consistently," McAllister says. "Buy a few different types and experiment. When you find one your child likes, buy a few!"

You can also have your child use regular, non-sippy cups. Still, it might take some time for her to learn to use it by herself. Give her something thick -- like vanilla yogurt or some puréed fruit that's been thinned with a little water -- to cut back on spills, Ayoob says.

You're thinking: "She'll drink water or juice from a sippy cup -- just not milk."

The fix: "Some children love the bottle so very much that they will be stubborn to take milk from anything else, but this is a temporary hunger strike!" Richel says.

Not willing to wait it out? Take the nipple off the bottle and offer it with a straw instead. Or start putting water in bottles and milk in cups and give your child a choice. "Tell her, 'Milk comes in a cup now. Water comes in a bottle. Which one do you want?'" Ayoob says. You can also try to make milk in a cup more tempting by flavoring it with puréed strawberries or other fruit. "A strawberry 'milkshake' might tempt her to drink from a cup," McAllister says.

You're thinking: "If she refuses the cup, she won't get enough calcium."

The fix: Don't worry about them not getting enough calcium, even if they refuse milk from a cup for several weeks. Just be sure to feed them other sources, such as cheese and yogurt. Broccoli, soy milk, and calcium-fortified orange juice are good picks, too.

You're thinking: "He's going to throw a tantrum."

The fix: Let them. Throwing a fit is hardly out of character for a toddler, and they'll get over it. "If the parent is willing to put up with a meltdown for a day or two, it will go away," Ayoob says. "Remember, if he can drink from a cup, you're not denying him liquid."

You're thinking: "She'll never fall asleep."

The fix: Many children are used to having a bottle to settle down, but that will change. "Infants and toddlers can learn to self-soothe without the sucking that they have been accustomed to from pacifiers or bottles," Richel says. "It simply takes a bit of time. But it will happen."

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How to wean a child at 2 years old from a bottle

Many mothers of infants are wondering how to wean them from a bottle. After all, for babies, the sucking reflex is innate and therefore it can be quite difficult for them to give it up for a long time.

Contents

When should I wean my baby off the bottle?
Ways to wean
Some tips and tricks to wean your baby off the bottle

When should you wean your baby from the bottle?

First of all, it is worth understanding whether the child himself is ready to refuse to drink from a bottle of his favorite mixture, porridge or even water. After all, this ritual, for a child, means not only a way to saturate or quench thirst, but also gives them some calm and satisfaction of a natural reflex. Especially if the baby is bottle-fed and deprived of the mother's breast. Then he, thus, makes up for breastfeeding by sucking on a bottle of formula. Which replaces his delicious mother's milk.

Do not rely on the advice or personal experience of others and acquaintances. All children are individuals and have different needs.

Some of the babies already at 8-9 months of age easily refuse both the bottle and the nipple, while others are ready to give them up only closer to 2 years.

But still, after this age, it is not worth delaying the refusal of the bottle, as well as the separation from the breast. At 1.5-2 years old, any child is already quite capable of doing without bottle feeding. Because at this age, as a rule, children are already accustomed to such adult appliances as a spoon and a plate. And many with great pleasure and curiosity get acquainted with the "adult" food and new dishes.

In addition to age, there are several other signs that indicate that the baby is ready:

the baby already knows how to hold a mug and a spoon in his hand with great interest,
the baby does not ask for night feedings.

But, regardless of the age of the baby and the signs of growing up, you should not start weaning at the wrong time. Father-in-law, if there is some event related to stress in the child, then it is worthwhile to wait a while with the rejection of the bottle so as not to aggravate the situation. For example, admission to kindergarten, moving, or recent illnesses.

Methods of weaning

Be patient, do not wean the child abruptly and at once. To begin with, it is worth weaning the child from night feedings and from drinking formula or water at night from a bottle. It sometimes takes 3 to 5 days. On the first night, the baby will certainly be nervous, and demand to provide him with legal bottle food. But, it is worth distracting him with something at this moment. For example, shake your arms and sing a lullaby.

If the child is strongly attached to the ritual of night feeding and is naughty, try to walk more in the evening so that he sleeps better at night. Give your baby a relaxing bath before going to bed, and when you go to bed, give him a soft toy that will be nice to hug at night. This will distract him from thinking about food and allow him to sleep soundly throughout the night.

Be sure to maintain tactile contact to help him calm down and feel secure. Thus, in subsequent nights, he will remember less and less about food at a later time. Pediatricians advise to stop such feedings from 1 year.

Tips and tricks to wean your baby off the bottle

Try to alternate between bottle feeding and drinking from a cup or cup. Let the baby get used to his new dishes. To interest the baby, give preference to bright colors of mugs. And the drinker should be comfortable, with two handles and a non-spillable lid.
Encourage your baby to be interested in mom's dishes. Let's hold the spoon in our hands, even if it's not quite right yet. So the baby will quickly get used to new devices and lose interest in drinking from a bottle.
Let the baby solemnly present his bottle to one of the younger children of his acquaintances. This gift will serve as a symbol of growing up. Be sure to praise your child for their generosity and offer a small gift as a consolation.
Pour diluted or lightly salted milk into a bottle and regular milk into a mug or cup. So the child will get used to the fact that milk drunk from a mug is much tastier and will refuse a bottle.
A 2 year old is old enough to explain that big babies don't drink from a bottle like babies do. Children at this age usually like to imitate their parents and older children, so they quickly get used to new devices for drinking and eating.
Purchase a non-spill mug with a straw inside. Now on sale there are many models of various colors and shapes, with drawings of your favorite cartoon characters or animals. Surely there is something suitable for your child. Drinking from a straw is similar to drinking from a bottle. So it will be easier for the baby to survive parting with the bottle and he will already feel more adult.

Regardless of the chosen method, the main thing is that the weaning should take place calmly and, if possible, gradually, so as not to disturb the delicate psyche of the child. Each mother chooses an individual method for weaning and saying goodbye to the bottle for her baby. Sooner or later, the child will still wean from drinking through the nipple. But it’s better not to delay the process after the child’s two years of age. Otherwise, this habit passes into the period of growing up of the child, up to 4-5 years. Similarly, long-term bottle-sucking harms the baby: