Weaning from the Bottle:

For Better Health

By the end of this lesson you will:

• List two reasons why you should wean your child from the bottle.
• Identify the best feeding times to phase out the bottle.
• Identify three cues that your child is ready for solid foods.

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• Prolonged bottle drinking can damage baby teeth. Mobile toddlers tend to tote their bottles around, drinking  on the go, as opposed to infants, who are usually fed in a parent's arms, with the bottle being removed as soon as the feeding session is over. If the bottle contains anything other than water, what you have is an acidic solution that is washing over the teeth and decalcifying them, which can lead to cavities.

• Bottle drinkers tend to ingest more milk--typically up to 32 ounces a day.  Toddlers only need two to three servings of dairy a day, equivalent to 16 to 24 ounces of milk. While milk is a healthy food, kids who drink too much of it may not want to eat enough solid food, missing out on important nutrients like iron.  Remember, whole milk should be given until two years of age and cow's milk should not be introduced until the age of twelve months.

By the time they're a year old, children have the motor skills to sit up, hold a cup, and drink from it, so they no longer need a bottle, at least not for nutrition. One-year-olds are much less stubborn, have a shorter memory, and are more interested in pleasing their parents than a child just six months older. But if you've missed this window and your toddler is strongly attached to his bottle, don't despair. You can get him off of it.

Before the Big Switch
By the time babies are between 9 and 12 months old, they're often ready to make the switch from bottle to cup. At this age, they're more interested in what's going on around them than they are in sucking on a breast or bottle. But phasing out the bottle this early means planning ahead. Here are some tips:

•  Starting at 6 months, let kids occasionally drink from a sippy cup, so when you eventually do get rid of 
   the bottle, your child will already be acquainted with the cup.

•  Let babies get used to a cup while they're in the tub. They can pour water out of it, drink from it, or
   even make a mess with it.

•  Don't offer only juice in the cup and milk in a bottle. Otherwise your child may refuse to drink milk from a
   when you get him off the bottle. Offer milk in a cup to your child.

•  If you breastfeed exclusively until baby is 9 to 12 months, simply skip introducing the bottle entirely. At this
   age, babies have the necessary coordination to drink from a cup.


The Gradual Phase-Out
This moderate approach works best with younger toddlers. Over a period of about a month:
•  Decrease the bottles you offer, one at a time, and replace them with cups of milk or snacks.
•  Phase out the least important bottles first (usually the midday ones).

During this transition, these creative ideas may ease the process:
•  Let your child pick out a special new cup, or decorate one that you already own.
•  Try using a funny straw--it may make cups more appealing.

If you wean your 12- to 15-month-old gradually, chances are he'll be able to give up even the bedtime or morning bottle without a fuss.

Going Cold Turkey
For a child who is strongly attached to her bottle as a comfort object, a gradual approach may be too agonizing. And she may already be down to just one or two daily bottles. A sudden withdrawal can be painful for everyone, but it may be the most effective method. Here are some ideas to ease the process:
 
•  Get your child used to the idea of no bottles before you actually phase them out. About a week before the 
   big day, tell him that now that he's such a big boy, it's time for him to give up his bottle. Remind him every 
   day that soon he's not going to have bottles anymore. Then physically remove the bottles from the house 
   and let him see that they're not around.

•  Let your child participate in the process. Explain that you understand how hard this change might be for 
   him. The fact that you can talk about what's happening and why is one of the advantages of weaning an 
   older child.

•  Offer him a reward for making it through a day or night without his bottle.

•  Have a cup of water or juice ready for the time of day when she seems to demand the bottle most.

•  Talk with your child about replacing the bottle with a soothing object. For instance, suggest that she hug
   the teddy bear whenever she misses the bottle.

Getting your child off the bottle usually involves some trial and error--and sometimes tears. But here's the good news: Once you decide on a plan and stick with it, you will get results.

As you may already know breastfeeding provides infants with significant protection against a variety of infectious diseases, particularly in areas of the world with poor sanitation and contaminated water and food supplies.  Breastfed infants have fewer and less severe bacterial and viral disease, including meningitis, gastroenteritis, ear infections, pneumonia, and botulism.

A number of studies demonstrate that breastfeeding also helps prevent some chronic diseases, including type 1 diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, lymphoma, and asthma and other allergic disease. Some of the preventative effects of breastfeeding continue well beyond the period of breastfeeding, suggesting that breastfeeding enhances long-term immunological response.

Don't confuse a baby's desire to wean with a "nursing strike", which is a sudden refusal to breastfeed that is usually temporary.  Nursing strikes are usually caused by illness, teething or stress and last a few days or less.

It is not recommended that you start weaning your baby in a time of stress, such as when your baby is ill, if the family is moving or going on vacations, if your baby had recently entered into child care or during a growth spurt.

Wean gradually.  It is recommended that you wean to a cup to prevent tooth decay. Start by replacing one breastfeeding with one cup-feeding.  Choose a feeding that your child has the least interest in.  Don't replace the most important feeding first, such as the one in the morning or the bedtime feeding.  After three to five days, replace another feeding with the cup or bottle.  After another three to five days, replace another, and so on until weaning is complete.

If your baby resists a cup-feeding, you may need to breastfeed at that feeding a while longer or alternate breast and cup until your child accepts the cup.  If he refuses, make sure to offer warmed milk, as fresh breast milk is very warm.

While weaning, it is import to spend some extra cuddling time with your baby.  It's a good idea to involve Dad or another caregiver in weaning.  He can provide some of the bottle or cup feeding or share some extra fun time with your baby.

Be sure to read about when to start solids to your child.  Make sure he is developmentally ready for the cup and solid foods.


Making yourself comfortable while weaning.
•  If you experience full or sore breasts, pump a little milk - just enough to make yourself comfortable, but not 
   empty the breast.  Place warm washcloths on your breasts or massage them while you pump to help release 
   the milk. You also can release milk by massaging your breast during a hot shower.

•  A well-fitting bra also can help.  Don't wear sports bras or other tight-fighting bras, and never bind your 
   breasts.  These can lead to clogged milk ducts and breast infection, and won't dry up milk.

•  If your breast are leaking, change nursing pads often to avoid nipple soreness.

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Revised:  06-13-2008