I'm trying to get rid of the bottle for DS who is nearly 2, and I need some advice. I've taken baby steps, but tonight is the first night for not offerring a bottle at all. HELP!

He used to only have one bottle a day, but after travelling around Malaysia for 3 weeks we got into bad habits and gave him more bottles through the day (and the night - argh - what was I thinking??)?

Of course he now wants one all the time, and it's a constant battle. When I give him his one daily bottle (after bathtime) he clings on to it forever and won't let go. this is now causing issues with going to bed because he wants to take the bottle, and we have huge tantrums if we take it off him (we never used to have this problem - he used to smile when we put him to bed)!

My main reasons for getting rid of the bottle are:
- waking at night and wanting it (and i need my sleep!)
- walking around with it hanging out his mouth
- future problems with teeth
- he's nearly two (although is this a real reason, or just me capitulating to pressure...?)

I need to be sure that I'm doing the right thing before I get rid of it completely. At the moment I think it's actually causing more problems than it's solving, but I don't want to get rid of it if I can start to 'manage' it instead - i.e. allow him one bottle a day as a comfort item before he goes to bed, but he brushes his teeth afterwards, and doens't sleep with it.

Does anyone have any tips? So far we have:
- removed all the bottles from the normal cupboard (and hidden them)
- during the day - substituted the bottle teat with a sippy cup top (we use the Avent bottles, and can replace just the teat, but use the same actual bottle)
- put some cordial in his cup to encourage him to drink and carry this rather than the bottle (I know, I know - this is another habit that I'll need to get rid of later - what are your thoughts?).
- put water in his sippy cup during the night - this seems to be working, because in the morning there's definitely less water, and he hasn't had any night wakings for the three nights that I've tried this.

What I haven't tried yet (and want to start tonight is putting his normal milk in his sippy cup in the evening (rather than bottle). This essentially gets rid of the bottle forever.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I want to be bottle free within the week!

Don't make it hard for yourself. At nearly 2 it's a want, not a need to have a bottle to drink from. He won't remember his parents took his bottle away when he's 3. Sorry, but it sounds like you are making it all very complicated when what we are talking about is changing a drinking vessel.

Please, please don't give him cordial as an incentive to drink. Try and use a normal sippy cup (the $3 Sistema ones from Coles are great), not an avent bottle with a different teat, because they are too simliar in terms of the vessel. Or start using a normal cup under supervision. Leave cups of water lying around the house so that when he is thirsty there's always something on hand.

We just replaced all milk from a bottle with a sippy cup at about 12 months except the morning one because he could have that in bed with us without spilling. Then we told him no more baby bottles at about 18 months (even this is late for a bottle in my mind), just big boy cups. Because he loves being a 'big boy' it wasn't a drama.

My daughter is nearly 3 and only has her bottle of warm milk when she is ready for sleep - one in the middle of the day and one before bed. I would love her not to have the bottle at all because she has no problem drinking from a normal cup but with nearly 3 years of habbit I think its going to be hard to break the habbit.... I suppose it will be a few bad days of weaning her off and then (just like the dummy) she will soon forget about it... that is all I can suggest but am really going through the same problem... good luck.

My three year old loves her bottle still (at home.. no bottles anywhere else and certainly not in bed) and her dummy. On a few occasions I have mentioned the thought of getting rid of them but it is all too hard after 2 years for me. These days I tell myself that she is only a baby / child for a short time and I should enjoy it..she certainly is!

Shelagh

My DD is 3 and a half and still has her night time bottle

Hi

My boy will be 4 in June and we just stopped giving him his milk in the bottle 4 months ago.

There are no set rules to follow. Just try and cut it down to the one bottle before bed. Then down the track slowly introduce the glass of milk before bedtime.

We now give him warmed milk in the glass and he and his sister sit at the table and have their milk together. They go to the toilet, story time then bed.

Don't feel you have to do it straight away, however if he is 4 yrs old and still has a bottle then maybe you may have a problem down the track.

DD1 is three in June so her bottles are going away on her birthday. I feel like it's time & I'm concerned that they are messing with her eating & her teeth. I water down the milk but she would still drink from it all day if I let her. It has the potential to be really hard but it has to happen & we are prepared for it. I have a cup with a robot on it to replace it & have been talking it up since Xmas so there are no surprises.

Good luck! xx