10 Secrets for Weaning Baby from Bottle 

By Kristi Patrice Carter

For a baby, the bottle is one of the most precious and familiar things they will develop a relationship with in the first years of their life. As months pass and they grow older, there comes the time when baby must learn how to spread his or her wings and leave the bottle behind. As you approach this intricate moment to introduce the transition away from the bottle, consider the following suggestions, which might make life a bit easier.  
 
1) Keeping meals and snack times consistent will help your baby get used to a feeding routine that allows them to gradually abandon the bottle. Children who are sitting on their own, eating from a spoon, and responding to solid food in a positive manner should enter the weaning stage. Place a sippy cup filled with their favorite drink next to each meal to encourage its use. The longer a parent waits to separate child from bottle, the higher the chances will be that the baby will face tooth decay and experience improper dental growth.  
 
2) When weaning your baby from the bottle, distractions should be kept at a minimal. Nothing else should take place at the same time that will cause anxiety or stress for your child. Renovating the house with the hammering of nails or packing up the house to enter a move across country are not good times to wean a baby from bottle.  
 
3) Don’t allow your baby to use a bottle as a toy or treat it as a pacifier. Your aim as a parent is to create an association with the bottle that conveys feeding time. When a baby views their bottle as a toy or something that satisfies boredom, it will be hard to ease them towards leaving it behind.  

4) Some parents have fared well by always holding the bottle and not allowing their baby to have control over their feeding. If a baby has never held their bottle, then they are less likely to notice the changes when weaning takes place. They can't miss the feeling of something they never had control over. If your baby has already acquired the tendency to hold their own bottle, using distractions will wean them from this habit.  
 
5) During the transition phase, a baby will need a little extra cuddling and attention. Some babies use their bottle as a security blanket and carry it around with them wherever they go. When they have less and less access to this comforting object, they may become moody. There is nothing wrong with introducing a friendly distraction as an exchange, such as a stuffed animal, new toy, or favorite blanket to make the situation smoother.  
 
6) Weaning a baby from bottle to a sippy cup is a popular transition. Many parents introduce the cup when their child has reached the age of 6 months. Allow them to familiarize themselves with one until they figure out what they are supposed to do with it. Every few days, get them interested in the proper use of the cup. By the time they are 8 to 10 months old, they will most likely be able to drink from it on their own.  
 
7) The weaning process should be approached with consistency. If you begin a plan, you should stick with it or the entire process will take much longer than it should. Your baby will most likely cry, whine, whimper, or demand their bottle, but you must be diligent in your efforts and not give in.  
 
8) Some babies have grown accustomed to drinking their juice from a bottle. If you want your child to graduate from a bottle to a sippy cup, success might be found by making a harmless switch. When your child requests their juice, some parents have filled their bottle with water or something with a sour taste. While the baby rejects this offering, try lifting a sippy cup filled with juice to their lips. Some babies will accept the sippy cup as a more desirable choice because it contains what they yearn for.  
 
9) The weaning process should be gradually enforced so that the baby is fully able to adjust. You don’t want your child to become weary of the process or get into the habit of exhibiting temper tantrums. Some babies use their bottle as a pacifier, which makes bottle weaning all the more difficult. Introducing new substitutes for their need and urge to suck on something is the best way to treat this situation. 
 
10) Parents who introduce bottle weaning as a fun experience are most likely to succeed in their initial efforts. Some make it a "party" and use music, dancing, and extreme amounts of praise to encourage their child to abandon their bottle and feel comfortable in using a sippy cup. The ultimate goal is to support your baby as they associate this new object with a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment.