Generally, a baby will be ready to be make the transition from the bottle to cup sometime between the ages of 9 months and 18 months. There are basically two things that must happen for your baby or toddler to be weaned from the bottle. The first is that your baby’s sucking need has to slow down or stop. The second is that he has to be able to control his hands and mouth well enough to drink from the cup. Weaning from the bottle is one of the significant developmental milestones that your baby or toddler will go through. It signifies that he is growing up; he is drinking like mommy and daddy, and well on his way to being able to do many more things for himself.

To help the transition from the bottle to a cup, there are some things that you can do early on. First, during those first few months of your baby’s life, you should only use the bottle when it is time for your baby to eat. Don’t give your baby a bottle in bed. If you give your baby a bottle in bed, she will begin to associate the bottle with comfort and security, not just with food. This is perhaps the most important thing that you can do to make the process of weaning your toddler from the bottle a successful and easy transition.

When it is actually time to start making the transition from bottle to cup, you can give your baby or toddler a little bit of milk in a cup at a time. Initially, he won’t be able to drink enough milk from the cup, so you will need to end the meal with a bottle. As time goes on, he will be able to drink more and more from the cup. Once he is able to drink around 4 ounces from the cup at each meal, he is ready to be weaned. This slow process also gives your baby time to get used to the idea of using a cup, and time to practice using a cup.

For older toddlers who are reluctant to give up their bottles, you can use a variety of techniques. You might reason with them that, at their next birthday, they will be giving up the bottle. You might trade her bottles for a toy or a small pet. Use positive reinforcement to remind her that she is getting “so big” by being able to go from bottle to cup.

While the process of making the transition from bottle to cup can be difficult, it is important to be patient. When she is ready to give up her bottle, she will.

Posted in Baby and Toddler

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