While I have worked on bottle weaning as an OT with the families I service, I haven’t had to as a Momma. My kids avoided the bottle at all costs (they were breast fed for a year), which is a whole separate issue. Needless to say, getting rid of bottles in my house was no biggie. However, I know all to well that I’m in the minority. Kicking the bottle habit can be a source of stress for toddlers and their parents. I’m going to approach this two different ways. First, for those of you that are being proactive and are reading this before your baby is one year. Next, for those of you that are at your wits end because you didn’t realize it would be such a nightmare struggle with your 18 month, 2.5 year, or worse – year old. If you are in the latter situation, read it all because those core strategies will still prove useful.
When Is It Time To Wean?
The answer is very clear: By one year of age. However, it is reasonable to be working on it until 15 months of age. The most important reason for weaning by age one is tooth decay, if you want to read more about that see the American Dental Association’s explanation. In addition, toddlers should be moving on to more advanced skills like drinking from an open cup and straw, which help to strengthen the muscles for speech development.
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Weaning For Tots Under 16 Months
First things first, you need to introduce some other vehicle to get liquid out of besides a bottle, the earlier you do this the better, from 6 months up. Ideally, to start transitioning from a bottle, begin to offer your child a sippy cup of water when they eat their baby food. The point isn’t really to have them drink a lot, it’s for practice. I’m going to give you fair warning that your babe will spit it out, throw it on the floor, and do their best to try to make it leak on their tray. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory, but don’t fret about the mess, before you know it, they will be drinking like a pro. You won’t be using a sippy cup long, but cups like these are my favorite from a therapeutic standpoint because babies can easily hold on, they are short (long ones are hard for babies to manage), and they have a hard short spout.
Also, if your child seems to have trouble getting anything out of the sippy cup, only add a little water and take the valve out (the little plastic thing on the inside of the nozzle that makes the cup “no spill”). After they get the hang of it, you can put the valve back in.
Once they reach 9 months, begin to introduce a straw. Babies are capable of this skill around this time, but if they don’t pick it up right away, alternate sippy and straw cups at meals. Want to know how to make straw drinking happen or what kind of straw cup to use, click here, I have a very detailed post that covers the whole topic. When they have mastered drinking from a straw, leave the sippy cup behind for good.
9 months is also a good time to start a bedtime routine, if you haven’t already. It is important that the routine is more than just bottle feeding. Include a stories or songs. This will be important when you want to take that bottle away.
By this 9 month mark, they will also be beginning to try some table foods. Meals should start to account for more of their calories and you will see their schedule start to shift a bit as they eat more. Follow your child’s lead and move towards having them drink from a bottle after their meals except for the morning and night time bottles. By 10.5-11 months, this should definitely be the case. Take your time and do this one bottle at a time.
In the 10th-11th month, begin to pull back from one bottle during the day and add a snack so that they are getting 4 meals total throughout the day. Your child should be just about done with baby food, too. If you need more help on that, check out my posts on Transitioning Your Baby to Table Foods, Part 1 and Part 2.
At 11.5-12.5 months, all bottles but night and morning should be gone. Since they aren’t allowed to have milk yet, place cold formula in their cups. If you feel they aren’t drinking enough from the straw cup, then immediately following the meal, give formula/breast milk in a bottle.
As soon as they hit 12 months, begin to mix milk into their formula. Start with 25% milk to 75% formula/breast milk for 3-4 days, then move to 50/50 mix for another 3-4 days, lastly go to 75% milk and 25% formula/breast milk for 3-4 days. Then, you can go to straight milk. This whole process will take 1.5-2 weeks. During this time, also begin to offer breakfast within 30 minutes of them waking and no bottle. Give them their milk mixture with breakfast. If they drink enough, then skip the bottle after or finish them off with the bottle until they are drinking enough at meal time.
For more information on mealtime routine for this age group, check out our flexible toddler meal schedule.
There will be a lot of give and take during this time, and honestly, it is where I see a lot of parents get caught up. Parents worry they didn’t eat or drink enough and grab for the bottle to ease their mind. This is understandable, but I would ask you to pause before you do that, if your child is a healthy weight. They may make up those ounces in another meal or maybe they already had 12 ounces and a serving of cheese earlier that day. This may sound a little harsh but, babies and parents need to learn not to rely on the bottle so heavily. Toddlers don’t always eat great, it is part of toddler-dom. Of course, there is a caveat to this. If your child has special needs or is of low weight, you should absolutely talk to your doctor and possibly a dietitian/nutritionist first.
Babies caloric needs go down around 12 months, and they no longer need 20+ ounces of milk everyday, although it is okay if they drink that much for a time as long as they are eating well too. By one year, they only need 16 ounces of milk and less if they are getting dairy/calcium from other sources such as cheese and yogurt. The year between one and two is a transition and by two, most doctors don’t want kids drinking more than 16 ounces a day. Click here for a specific nutritional guide.
The last bottle you will get rid of is the nighttime bottle. If you are worried they will wake up hungry, you can give a bedtime snack. This is where your bedtime routine comes in handy because you’ll want to emphasize the story, song, and/or favorite blanket, not the bottle. You can also try to change some part of the routine up. Maybe Dad does bedtime instead of mom and tries skipping the bottle. They may surprise you and let it go that easily. If they don’t start to, put less and less milk into bottle every 5-7 days and keep an emphasis on the other parts of your routine.
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Extra Tips:
- Try Different Cups – sometimes the novelty of a new cup with a favorite character on it or one they picked out in the store can be enough to win them over. However, the goal isn’t to replace the bottle feedings with a cup feeding. Meaning, if your kid takes a sippy cup before bed, then that’s defeating the purpose.
- Milk is for Mealtime – Only allow milk to be drank at meals, otherwise, it will fill them up and make for a poor appetite at the next meal. You can give water in between. Early on, it is a good idea to use different cups for milk and water so your child isn’t confused.
- Use Different Liquids – If your child is really lacking motivation in drinking from a cup, try putting juice, flavored water, milkshakes (these are harder to get through a straw), or strawberry milk in their cup (try blending fresh strawberries into milk). It may be the hook they need. This should be only temporary strategy. Then, slowly move to them being able to drink plain milk or plain water.
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- Never put any other liquid but formula or milk into a bottle. This sends the message that the bottle is here to stay.
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Weaning for Tots Over 16 Months Old
Follow the above steps and tailor them as they make sense to your child’s age. Also, pay close attention to the above “extra tips”. They can really go a long way with older children. Here are a few strategies for the older tots:
1. Systematically remove all bottles until you are down to one. As I mentioned before, begin with the middle of the day bottle first. Use distraction when they ask for their bottle during the day, give them a “special drink” and/or give them a favorite blanket/stuffed animal for comfort. If they don’t have one, begin to encourage it, so they have something else besides the bottle for comfort. Try to keep them on a feeding schedule so you know that they have eaten enough, the schedule is really important!
2. Go cold turkey. Of course, I would still encourage you to remove all but one bottle before doing this, so it isn’t too much of a shock. Also, start to talk about it a few days ahead of time, don’t make it a surprise. This isn’t for everyone, but it is a valid option.
3. Have a bottle fairy visit your house. Believe it or not, this has worked for quite a few of the families I work with. Your child probably needs to be 2+ to grasp this concept, but you can collect all the bottles together and put them in a box or basket with your child. Have your child say goodbye to the bottle because they are a big boy/girl and they don’t need them anymore. Remind them often in the days leading up to this event and especially the day of. When, they go to sleep that night, they disappear. If they ask for the bottle, calmly and briefly remind them the fairy took them.
If you have more questions or a strategy that worked please share! And, if you’re looking for trying to get rid of the binky too, check out Everything You Need to Know About Pacifier Weaning.
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 14 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
My 16 month old drinks milk from a straw cup when she wakes in the morning. Should we cut this out? She has been waking at 5am and I’m wondering if wanting milk is part of it. Thanks!
Hi Courtney! Thanks for reaching out! Yes, you can definitely try to take that serving of milk away so that it hopefully helps stretch out her sleep longer! Maybe try waiting to serve the milk until breakfast? We have a sample schedule for 1 year olds that might be helpful- check it out here 🙂
Best,
Kalyn
Thanks for amazing content. I think it is very helpful for new born babies.The post is very informative and creative. I Loved it.Carry on
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! So glad you found this post helpful!
Best,
Kalyn
Hi…we have an almost 9 month old. He still drinks 2-3 bottles during the night…we have tried to cut these out but he wakes up wanting them. Any suggestions? We are working on adding more table food vs baby food. He also drinks from a sippy cup and an open cup during the day (we just got the straw sippy you recommend). He only drinks 2-3 bottles (4oz formula) during the day and maybe 2 oz before bed, waking up 2 hrs later wanting a full bottle. We cut the night bottles down to 3 oz. Any suggestions? We would like to be off bottles by 12 months. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for reaching out! Sounds like you guys are definitely on the right track, with adding more table foods into the mix! Those solids will really help keep him fuller longer. For those nighttime bottles, perhaps try to give him a bigger size bottle (or sippy/straw cup) prior to bedtime. That might fill him up enough to delay him waking as frequently during the night for more. Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
Hello,
My 10 month old refuses to drink water. I tried offering it in an open cup, a straw cup, even a bottle, but he just doesn’t want it. I tried to put formula and very smooth purees in a cup and straw cup, but he refuses to drink too. He only drinks formula in a bottle.
I should mention that I have been offering water in a cup at every meal since he’s 6 months old (I put a cup on his table, near his food). One time, he drank a bit from a straw and it made him gag/cough, so maybe he just associates the cup with a bad experience?
I am a bit concerned because I am trying to cut the midday bottle and I want to make sure he stays hydrated.
Would you have any recommendation? I try to stay away from sippy cups, but do you think I should give it a try?
Thank you!
Hey Emilie,
Thanks for reaching out! We do also prefer to skip the sippy cup for mouth development. It sounds like he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of the open cup or the straw cup yet. THIS article might be helpful. Also, a few ideas that might be helpful in teaching- using flexible, disposable medicine cups for teaching babies to drink from an open cup sometimes work well. The thin coffee stirring straws are also a good starting place, especially if he’s had some coughing in the past. Don’t be too discouraged if you have to temporarily try out a sippy cup to make things work.
Best,
Andrea
My son is 26months… He still drinks 3 bottles of formula a day.. hates cows milk.. and is an extreamly picky eater… he does t want any food at all… some days are worst than others… I have tried cold turkey… taking away a bottle.. everything… He can starve himself… I want to wean him from the bottle as I think this is holding him back when it comes to eating food. I have no idea what to do… I feel horribly defeated… I have no idea what to do
Hey Sarita,
I’m so sorry you’re having these troubles, it sounds really stressful for you! 2 years old are still expected to drink toddler formula or cows milk during the day, so that is ok. A thought to move off of formula, you could start mixing in a very small bit of cows milk and slowly change it over time. Sometimes the slow changes are easier to handle. Another thought is to start working on straw drinking with your little one, it’s a great thing to start during mealtimes. Please reach out if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
I have a straw cup that my 12 month old uses for water, but if he should use a different kind of cup for milk, what should he use (that is not a sippy cup)?
Hi Anna,
If the straw cup is working for water, we suggest using that for milk as well. Straw cups or open cups (with supervision) are the best recommendation for this age, and offering the milk at mealtimes will help the process of using milk with meals as opposed to comfort like bottles offer.
Best,
Laura
Your Kid’s Table team member
Hi Sarita,
I can really recommend the formula “Else”, my son loves it. It is plant based, no weird ingredients that you can usually find in formulas, and tastes really good. I even take leftovers with my coffee. And of course no problem for sensitive stomachs! No wonder many kids don’t like cow’s milk – I think it’s for cow’s babies mostly.
best regards,Carmen
Hi there,
My son is 15months old.
He’s decided in the last week he don’t want no more then 2oz of a 9oz milk bootle at night. Just pushes it away. He is still going down to sleep at his normal time and waking up as normal. Is morning bottle he’s having about 4-5oz of 9oz.
Should I totally remove the night bottle? Should I maybe give it to him a bit earlier in a different bottle?! I’m concerned as I was under the impression babies still needed there calcium intake. Please help.
Hey!
Thanks for reaching out! After babies hit 12 months of age and start increasing their solid foods, they naturally start needing a little bit less milk/formula. We suggest starting to move milk to being served during mealtimes as much as possible around that age. Here’s a sample mealtime routine to give you some ideas. Please reach out if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
Hi
I have a 2.5 year old daughter I’m trying to get off the bottle. She was born 8 weeks premature, spent almost 5 weeks on a NG tube and has never been a good drinker. she tends to be a bit of a picky eater and more of a grazer than anything. Ive tried e4very Sippy cup style I can find but she still will not drink milk from anything else. She doesn’t drink a lot of fluids but she will usually drink a small amount of juice at dinner. Never water. I’m 7 months pregnant and trying to get rid of the bottle before my next baby comes to avoid jealousy over the bottles. Any suggestions?
Hi Rebecca,
Congratuations on adding a new little one to your family so soon! We know that weaning from a bottle can be really tricky for some toddlers! Open cups or cups with straws are the cups we usually recommend. A cup with a character can also make it more fun for your daughter. We have a post dedicated to teaching your child how to drink from a straw. You can check that post out HERE. We hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
My lo is 21 months and still uses a bottle for nap time and bed time. I’ve tried to get him to drink milk out of a cup but he takes a sip and then shakes his head and asks for water. I’d gladly go coke turkey but fear he won’t get enough calcium for other foods. He’s stubborn so I’m afraid he simply won’t drink milk at all. What should I do?
Thanks for reaching out. I’d try to utilize a different cup for his milk to start. You can try different cups with favorite characters as this can be engaging but also trying a straw cup. Kids can really take to these and find it fun to utilize.
Best,
Desiree
Hi, we are going to start weaning our almost 12 month old daughter off of formula, she has been drinking water from a 360 cup for about 3 months now, she doesn’t do well with straw cups or sippy cups she just chews the silicone spout. She is very oral / sensory seeking (everything goes in her mouth) Do you recommend using the 360 cup for her formula / milk combination until she is fully off formula, or do you recommend keeping it in the bottle, or using a different cup completely (i.e something with a hard spout).
Thank you!
Hey Tara,
From an oral motor standpoint we always recommend a straw or open cup! However for this transition period, if you are having a hard time with the switch, you can look at what works for her at this time and then work on making the cup switch later!
Best,
Desiree
Hi deirdre here my son is 11mths old is off his formula and he is now on juice but he’s drinking to many bottles true the nite im trying my best to cut him down but he just keeps wanting the bottles all true night wat shut I do if I don’t give him the bottle he’d cry true the nite for his bottles anybody know what I could do plz
Hello,
Thank you for your helpful article. I have twin boys and one understands the sippy cup, but neither understand the straw cup (I’ve tried your suggestion) or 360 cup. The one who understands the sippy cup just plays with it, but doesn’t sit and drink from it during meals. For both boys, I’m concerned about hydration by just giving up the bottle (they will drink whole milk from the bottle).
What are your suggestions about hydration with neither drinking milk or water from a cup?
Thank you!
The boys are 13 months.
Hi Alisha,
Thanks for the post. Our son is 2.5 years old now. I have introduced the cup when he was 11 months old for water and eventually, he started drinking juice from the cup as well. I tried to give him milk in the same cup but he refused to drink from it.
I have stopped giving him milk in the afternoons and it has really helped him with his appetite. He only asks it before sleep. Finally last week, one fine day he did not ask us for milk for a couple of days and we have taken this opportunity and got rid of all his bottles. It has been a week now. I offered him milk in his sippy cup but he spitting the milk and showing me the shelf which used to have bottles in. He is also not sleeping until midnight after which he gets tired and sleeps.
Should I continue giving him the sippy cup or should I just wait until he completely forgets the bottle before offering milk in the cup?
Hey Jenny,
You can try providing the milk in a new novel cup something with characters he likes, etc… to make it more fun for him and having a different cup than he drinks water/juice from to start. We do also recommend a straw cup, as this can be fun for kids as well as providing some great sensory input into their mouths!
Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hello,
Thank you for your helpful article. I have twin boys and one understands the sippy cup, but neither understand the straw cup (I’ve tried your suggestion) or 360 cup. The one who understands the sippy cup just plays with it, but doesn’t sit and drink from it during meals. For both boys, I’m concerned about hydration by just giving up the bottle (they will drink whole milk from the bottle).
What are your suggestions about hydration with neither drinking milk or water from a cup?
Thank you!
Hey Gina,
I’d keep offering and working on the straw cup and open cup. You can look for a cup with characters that they are drawn too, making sure to keep it out throughout the day. At this point, you can still provide the bottle at times to make sure they are getting their hydration. Check out this article on the Straw Cup
Best,
Desiree
So i think imight have just replaced a bottle with a sippy cup. He doesnt drink formula its milk but how do i stop giving him the sippy now?
Hi Janet,
It can be tough to get rid of the sippy too! You might want to try an open cup or a cup with a straw. You can help with small sips of an open cup. We also have a great post on how to teach drinking from a straw. It might give you some good ideas. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
My LO is 11 months. She has been drinking water from a straw sippy for months with no problems. I took away all bottles except for the bedtime bottle. She will drink from a cup and straw unless its milk!! As soon as she tastes the milk, she lets it dribble out and refuses it anymore. My husband is worried that she will starve. She eats table food and eats very well. Only 1 nap a day. How do I get her to drink milk from a cup?
Hey Carletta,
So great she is able to drink from a straw cup! I would be continuing to offer the milk in during meals. You can also try to make it silly and during play to get her drinking it! I’d keep providing it consistently as well so she gets into the routine of it!
Best,
Desiree
My LO is exactly the same. She’s 19months and drinks water no bother from a cup but will not drink milk from a cup. She will, however, drink milk from a bottle. If I was to stop the bottle I don’t think she would mind at all but I’m wary of her then not drinking any milk apart from what she has in her cereal/yoghurts/cheese etc… would treat be enough for her? Should I just cut the bottle?
Hey Rachel,
You can try to offer the milk in a straw cup, this still provides them with some sensory input and it great for them. You can learn more about transitioning to straws in this post
Best,
Desiree
She can drink from a straw cup no bother and drinks her water from one. But will not drink milk from any cup other than a bottle. So I suppose my question is does she need to drink milk at 19months or can I take the bottle off her cold turkey and keep offering it in a cup without worrying that she won’t take it?
Rachel,
If they are eating well you can definitely try it. I know a lot of parents have. You can see how it goes, just be consistent for a while and you can go from there if that is something you are comfortable with.
Best,
Desiree
Hi Alisha,
First time mom here and oh my this journey is hard. lolz
My LO is 15 months, she is only 17.8lbs and she is about 30-31 inches long, under the standard weight. It has been a beautiful journey with her but her eating habit. lolz
We started her on solids at 9 months because she just refused solid at 6 months and only want her milk. right around 12-13 months she would have solid breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a bottle right after. If she skips a meal she usually would take a bottle. She usually drinks between 4-5 oz per bottle. Her intake of solid is actually not very much. A bite here and there, most end up on the floor. If puree food she would have maybe only 3oz and if like spaghetti for saying only one handful if we are lucky.
Now that we are in the 15 months, she recently consumes less milk as it seems she is enjoying a bit more solid as she now has a total of 8 teeth. She now only has 3 bottles of milk if we are lucky and that would be morning afternoon and before she goes to sleep (and sometimes she skip it too). Her solid intake is the same at 12-13 months. Not much only some meal we are lucky that she is eating stronger but most are just carb. Everything else she will have a taste here and there but never the same amount of how she eats her rice. Since at 12 months I’ve been trying to get her to change to a sippy cup for her milk with no luck. She only wants her milk in the bottle. She only uses a straw, sippy, or the 360 bottles for her water. Any tip for this new mom? I hope to be patient with her and find a way to understand what she needs. I want to get her off the bottle and start drinking her formula/whole milk from a cup but she still can’t seem to do it. What am I doing wrong? 🙁
Sincerely,
Ashley
I am having the same problem as Ashley with our 14 month old. Please help us with getting rid of the nighttime bottle.
Hey Christy,
So sorry you are having trouble getting rid of the night time bottle. I’d work on some of the suggestions in the article. Changing up your bedtime routine and making it new and fun for them. Also decreasing the amount of milk that is in the bottle every 5-7 days, making sure there isn’t much emphasis on having a bottle before bed! Be consistent! Hope that helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hi my son is nearly 1 year and a half next month I can’t seem to get him to come off the bottle he uses it for fluids during the day he has only just recently dropped having milk altogether for some reason he won’t have it before bed when he used to want it all the time I suppose is a good thing but he has vitamins but I can’t seem to get him to come off the bottle during the day and he sleeps terrible is wakening and wanting to come into mummy and daddy’s bed 🙈 I mean when your tired you just give it and it has Been going on for a while but I’m just needing some advise really
Hey Sam,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d try to transition to a straw cup during the day to see if you can get him on something other than the bottle. This is a great first step but also provides some feedback/input with the sucking motion from the straw. You can learn more on how to get them drinking from a straw HERE
Best,
Desiree