weaning off bottles with 1 year old

73trix

I have dropped the afternoon one and am weaning off formula. Am i right that this should be replace with a snack like a banana/ yoghurt or something smaller? Not sure what's equal to 7oz formula.

Re. milk going forward, do you give the same as the formula - 7oz bottles? I tried stopping bottle altogether and using his beaker but God, he's so messy spilling the milk everywhere. I don't mind when beaker of water goes flying but milk? Urgh. Thinking of leaving the milk in beaker another while!

Moonbeam

my youngest is 17 months old now so she just gets a normal cup at meal times but when she is running around the house she is terrible for spilling her drinks just to see them spill.
Can he use a straw? Tommee Tippee sell brilliant sippy cup/bottles with straws that are hard to spill.
I didn't replace it with anything because the child eats for Ireland,she gets dinner about 18:30 and goes to bed about 8 .

monflat

Isit urgent that you wean him off bottles?
He's only young yet and they do love their bottles!
My 5 yr old refused a bottle after 18 months

My 3 yr old still has one atnight shock horror! it's a comfort issue with her
14 month old loves bottle. Especially when he tired!

You would be surprised how quickly they grow up.
Could you wait another while longer?

contrary_mary

Another one here who is in no rush to wean off the pre-bed bottle. My son is 16 months and loves his bottle (of cows milk) on the sofa between mammy and daddy, then it's cuddles, teeth brushed and into bed. He doesn't really drink milk during the day (though he'll drink loads of water) so just has whatever milk he has in his breakfast and then a yogurt for his morning snack, so I'm happy for him to get the extra portion of dairy.

Volume-wise I just pour in whatever I think he'll drink - e.g. slightly less if he's had a later dinner. I can always give him an extra couple of oz from the carton if he's looking for more. I didn't really replace the bottles with anything in particular as he had dropped to 2 bottles a day by 10 months and gave up the last daytime one without any trouble just before 1. I just stopped giving it to him. He eats plenty during the day.

I'm not planning to get rid of the bedtime bottle or soother (only used at naps and bedtime) until he has all his teeth, as he has a terrible time with teething so it is some comfort for him. The PHN would say I'm a bad mammy but in my eyes he's still only a baby!

Lucuma

I dropped the afternoon bottle before 12 months and then at 12 months changed from bottles of formula to sippy cup of cow's milk. I also didn't replace afternoon bottle with anything. She eats when she's hungry! I offer sippy cup of water plenty times througout the day which she guzzles away now (took her a while to warm to it but I persisted)

I use the Avent sippy cup with soft spout and handles - no risk whatsoever of spillage? Not sure what kind of beaker is being referred to here but I would only give a child that age a non-spilling cup?

The PHN told me to give less than I would have given in the bottles. So if I was giving 7oz of formula give 5oz of cow's milk.

The transition was seamless....they are malleable at 1yo so it's a good time to do it. Could be harder to get an older child to change their ways.

angeldelight

Very interested in this as we're going away on holidays the day after our little girl turns one. We're going on a cruise so won't have facilities to make bottles. Planning on switching her to cows milk a week short of her first birthday to give her time to get used to it but already stressing at thought of it. I'd like her to be finished with bottles by then too but could be too much happening at once

moving_home

angeldelight wrote: »

Very interested in this as we're going away on holidays the day after our little girl turns one. We're going on a cruise so won't have facilities to make bottles. Planning on switching her to cows milk a week short of her first birthday to give her time to get used to it but already stressing at thought of it. I'd like her to be finished with bottles by then too but could be too much happening at once

We were on a cruise with our 8 month old. They gave us a kettle for our room to make bottles. It was no hassle. Just if you decide to keep the bottles they will accommodate you.

Penny Dreadful

My little girl is 13 months old today and is having her first day of no formula. She had a slightly upset tummy and wasn't eating as well as usual a few weeks ago so didn't want to swap her food over and possibly complicate things more then. Also I had a tub or two of Aptimel left and wasn't going to waste that either.
So last bottle of formula at bedtime last night and now what I will do is give her one bottle at bedtime (200/240mls or so) and split another 100mls over the day into a beaker at breakfast and lunchtime.
She had already dropped down to 2 bottles more or less over the day anyway.

Cows milk is high enough in calorie though to not need any extra food to make up a deficit.

monflat

Op Are you trying to give up formula and start on bottles of cow s milk or give up bottles altogether?

Karen_O_

Great to read everyone's different experiences with weaning. I have a 13 month old that is extremely difficult to get to eat enough during the day. She's on 2 bottles, one 5oz mid morning and 8oz before bed which she doesn't always drink all off. I'm reluctant to reduce her bottles further since she hasn't taken to a beaker of cows milk or formula and isn't eating enough. She's now going through a phase of feeding herself which is great but only taking small amounts and when's she's decided she's had enough there's no getting more into her. Anyone have any advise for a small eater?? She's woken hungry a few nights. But is generally a great sleeper.

dori_dormer

Most kids are hungrier during the day rather than evening. Soo a larger lunch and smaller dinner perhaps? Not all children are savages, some don't need as much as others. If she's not losing weight I wouldn't be worried. My boy still takes 2 6oz bottles of cows milk every day. The rest is water. We are going to get rid of the bottles in the new year. Need to find another anti spill method though as he likes to have it during story time in bed.

Your child will eat what they need, over feeding will give them food issues in the future. Try to follow their lead. My child won't eat is a very reassuring book of you are worried!

dori_dormer

Or will she graze rather than one big meal? Leave fruit out and she might pick at it as she plays etc? It's great that she feeds herself!

bovril

I find the NUK cups brilliant for non spill. I'm currently trying my baby out on cows milk. She was using the basic Tommy Tippee cups for water but they are very messy and there was no way I was going to put milk in the TT cup. I was recommended NUK by a friend and they do not spill no matter how hard baby tries!

Karen_O_

dori_dormer wrote: »

Most kids are hungrier during the day rather than evening. Soo a larger lunch and smaller dinner perhaps? Not all children are savages, some don't need as much as others. If she's not losing weight I wouldn't be worried. My boy still takes 2 6oz bottles of cows milk every day. The rest is water. We are going to get rid of the bottles in the new year. Need to find another anti spill method though as he likes to have it during story time in bed.

Your child will eat what they need, over feeding will give them food issues in the future. Try to follow their lead. My child won't eat is a very reassuring book of you are worried!

She generally has her main meal at lunch time with a light meal in the evening, she only has small amounts though. She doesn't have a big appetite but I know she isn't eating enough to fill her. She gets snacks of fruit, raisins rice cakes etc in the afternoon. She's a very independent little lady :-) maybe the waking is because she's walking now so needs time for her to adjust to the extra activity, I will monitor her weight closely to she how she gets on. Thanks for the help I'm worried but she is so content and mostly let's me know when she's hungry. Think I'll check out that book.

dori_dormer

Perhaps she's just a grazer by nature? Little and often. I have the opposite problem - my boy ears everything in sight, be it day old crust of toast that I missed off the floor, or cat food. He's a bottomless pit. Not really fat but really heavy! Every child is different!

73trix

dori_dormer wrote: »

Perhaps she's just a grazer by nature? Little and often. I have the opposite problem - my boy ears everything in sight, be it day old crust of toast that I missed off the floor, or cat food. He's a bottomless pit. Not really fat but really heavy! Every child is different!

Mine too! HOpe I don't over feed him but he seems to have an ever increasing appetite. And more so since he started crawling and climbing in earnest. Has a big tummy and is very heavy but don;t think he is fat. I have started giving a bigger lunch and trying to keep the midday snack small and then a smaller meal for tea but had to increase this too recently as he was still hungry. Goes mad when he sees us eating out dinner- which we would usually eat later, but after he has eaten. Have to pop him into the travel cot now for 10mins so we can eat in peace!

Lucuma

73trix wrote: »

. Goes mad when he sees us eating out dinner- which we would usually eat later, but after he has eaten. Have to pop him into the travel cot now for 10mins so we can eat in peace!

My god I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that gave birth to a savage! I've had to resort to eating in the spare room with the door closed or once in the bathroom with the door closed and locked just to get 2 mins peace to eat something! Meals are no longer enjoyable as she just stands at our feet whining and crying as we're eating (even though she's just eaten and her belly is full!) no-one can ever eat anything in the house ever without her demanding some (even though she can't talk yet). I decided I wasn't going to feed her scraps from the table when she stands at my feet crying for some of my dinner, like training a puppy if I get her in the habit of it she'll keep doing it, if she learns it doesn't work she'll hopefully stop!
Travel cot sounds like a good idea, now I can see why playpens were invented

fall

Lucama my little girl is the same but I think it is wanting to be part of what's going on. I put her in her high chair and give her a bit of what we are having, rice, pasta, chicken, veg etc. The high chair sits in at our table and she watches what everyone is doing. I actually get to have my dinner then. If I leave her at me feet she whinges, smacking her lips at me as if to say gimme some! She is only ten months. Loves her grub.

moving_home

fall wrote: »

Lucama my little girl is the same but I think it is wanting to be part of what's going on. I put her in her high chair and give her a bit of what we are having, rice, pasta, chicken, veg etc. The high chair sits in at our table and she watches what everyone is doing. I actually get to have my dinner then. If I leave her at me feet she whinges, smacking her lips at me as if to say gimme some! She is only ten months. Loves her grub.

I do the exact same. I've had to get used to sharing my plate!

Lucuma

fall wrote: »

Lucama my little girl is the same but I think it is wanting to be part of what's going on. I put her in her high chair and give her a bit of what we are having, rice, pasta, chicken, veg etc. The high chair sits in at our table and she watches what everyone is doing. I actually get to have my dinner then. If I leave her at me feet she whinges, smacking her lips at me as if to say gimme some! She is only ten months. Loves her grub.

This doesn't work though coz she has to be fed as soon as we get in the door. Next thing on the list is cook dinner for ourselves, then we eat our dinner. If I feed her as soon as we come in (which is a must) and then feed her again while we're having our dinner......and she already has a dinner at 5pm at the childminders as well!! :eek:

fall

Our girl would have had her dinner too. It wouldn't be a meal just some food from what we are eating that she will pick at and explore. It buys me enough time to eat my ow n dinner. Did this with my first and he has always been a great eater, will try new things and sit at the table with us. I actually think they learn so much when they share these parts of our day with us. Trust me I totally get the stress of coming in after a full day's work, Rush hour traffic, collecting from child care x2, doing homework, making dinner, bedtime for kids, housework etc. If it means you get to sit down and eat your dinner in peace ( or as close to it as possible) it might be worth a try. ( you would amazed the mileage you will get out of a few strings of spaghetti or a few peas).

a_noodle_jenny

We were the same with a 13 month old... Kept bottles of formula for our two week trip. Cows milk made him poop more often which would be added stress on holidays - also we watered down formula eg 10oz water to 5 scoops of formula or less when he was hot. He never drinks water for us now but he did when weather was warmer in summer.
He's almost 17 months now though and still LOVES his bottles... No joy with any brand of sippy cup... His fav is a ballygowan sports bottle when he half swallows half spits out... It's so stressful trying to get him onto cup and pressure from others - am at wits end