How to Wean From a Bottle

The weaning process can be a difficult one if you aren't sure how to go about it. Starts and stops will only confuse your little one, so it is important to decide when how to go about weaning from the bottle before you actually begin. This helps make the transition smoother for your child and for you.

When you decide to wean your baby from his bottle depends greatly on personal preference, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Your baby should be physically capable of drinking from a cup before weaning from the bottle. That means your child needs to be able to sit up and be able to eat from a spoon at the very least.

Avoid weaning during traumatic or stressful times. If you plan to move in a few days, now is not the time to take away the bottle. Babies tend to rely on their bottle as a comfort object, so removing it right when they need it most is not a good idea. Other stressful times include during an illness or hospital stay or when a new baby arrives.

If your child really depends on his bottle as a comfort object, you will have a very difficult time weaning. The best way to go about this is to introduce another object to serve as comfort, such as a favourite toy or blanket. Start with small things, such as a fall. Give your baby his toy when he falls down instead of his bottle and comfort him with hugs and kind words. Gradually work up to more stressful situations, replacing the bottle bit by bit with his new comfort object.

For older children (over 12 months), a night bottle should no longer be necessary, although your child might still wake up and ask for one. To wean from the night bottle, which tends to be more difficult than during the day, try watering the milk down with a little more water each night until you are giving pure water. Eventually, your child will give up the bottle, since it isn't worth waking up just for water!

During the day, you can start by offering a cup instead of a bottle. Get your child used to drinking his milk from a cup and gradually withdraw the bottle. Eventually, he will expect the cup at mealtimes and will stop asking for his bottle. Now it is time to get rid of all his bottles, since going back and forth between the two will only confuse your baby and make it more difficult to wean.

Weaning from the bottle can be a bit of a challenge, but with a little planning, you will be fine. Just don't expect the process to happen perfectly overnight. Expect some tantrums and fussing and try to give your child a little extra attention during this period to help everything go smoothly.