The reason these ages are recommended are:
- Old habits die hard. There are probably a number of habits going on as it is...maybe there is an attachment to being rocked to sleep every night, a pacifier, etc. The longer these habits go on, the harder they will be to kick.
- Tooth decay.
- Toddlers who are drinking from a bottle might be drinking more juice or milk than they should be - the result? Too many liquids, not enough solids. These kids can miss out on important nutrients and become fussy eaters. And if your child goes heavy on the apple juice, you may end up with a child who has chronic diarrhea.
- A child who is constantly totting around a bottle only has one hand free for exploring their world and a mouth too full to talk.
- Just like weaning from the breast, try not to start the weaning process during change in your baby's life (things like illness, teething, moving, your return to work, changing sitters, etc). Also, if your baby is really hungry, don't try to give him/her the cup - its just too upsetting to them if they haven't done well with it yet.
My son would only get more upset if he saw that I was about to offer him the cup instead of his bottle, I learned quickly that you can only give the cup when your baby is in a good mood - a cranky baby will want nothing to do with it.
- Slowly phase out the bottles by dropping one bottle-feeding session at a time and replace it with the cup. My experience was starting with the daily feedings, not the morning or night. You can also try to put 3/4 of their portion in a bottle and top off the rest of the feeding with the cup, then do 1/2 and a 1/2, then 1/4 and 3/4. When topping off, get the bottle out of sight (out of sight, out of mind). Once he got the hang of the cup, I put the bottle in a drawer and he hasn't seen them or been longing for them since. Or you can try only feeding them water in the bottle and formula/milk in the cup. This might give the feeling that bottles just aren't worth it anymore...the cup is where the good stuff is.
- Every time your baby uses the cup, praise him/her!
- Be patient - the cup wont happen in a day (or at least, that's not very likely).
My son was shown the cup - he hated it. Refused it. So I didn't try again for a week. Tried again. Hated it. Tried some other cups. Hated those. I let it go for about 2 weeks...didn't try at all. Then I tried again one day with the first cup that he had hated, but I took the handles off. He seemed more interested and over the course of about an hour, he drank the 4 oz that were in there. I was really proud of him! So we tried the next day again and he got the hang of it even better. The entire process probably took 2 months, but now there are no more bottles! After he downed that first cup, the first time, it was only a matter of days until the bottles were packed up.
- Also, you may need to give your baby extra attention during this time. The bottle isn't just what they eat from, its also a comfort thing.
Starting the cup:
- Wait until your baby can sit up with support.
- Be sure the cup you choose isn't breakable or crushable.
- You may have to experiment with what cup your baby wants. Each child is different.
- Be prepared for messes!
- When starting a regular cup that isn't a sippy, use the "sip-at-a-time technique:" Hold the cup to the baby's lips and slowly pour a few drops into his/her mouth. Stop each session when your baby tells you he/she has had enough (turning head, pushing cup away, or fussing). Know that a lot of liquid will probably fall out of your baby's mouth at first, but eventually he/she will get the hang of things.
- Eventually your baby may grab the cup from you; let him/her. There may be plenty of spills. I'll say it again - there may be plenty of spills. It happens, don't get upset, its all a part of learning.
- Once your baby can drink from a regular cup well, ditch the sippy cup just like you did with the bottle.
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