How to Lose the Bottle

Babies as young as six months can be weaned off of the bottle and graduate to a sippy cup. Doctors recommend starting young, due to the fact that the longer you wait to wean a baby from their bottle they may come dependant on it or accustomed to use it and reject the sippy cup. When you have a child who loves their bubba and refuses to use anything else it can make you want to throw a temper tantrum and roll on the floor like a toddler. Below are a few reasons why you should consider ditching the bottle and tips you can try to help your infant grow accustomed to their new cup.

One drawback to waiting to use a bottle to long is a child can develop tooth decay. Tooth decay occurs when a large amount of sugar forms around the teeth and gums. For tooth decay to develop the sugar normally has to sit there for a number of days. Parents can prevent tooth decay by wiping and brushing their child’s teeth and gums after every feeding or at least twice a day. Making sure you don’t put your child down to sleep with a bottle in their mouth will help prevent tooth decay.

Your child can also grow accustomed to his or her bottle. They may see it as their security blanket and refuse to use anything else but their bottle. This can be a danger to their teeth and gum health. Starting your child on a sippy cup from the ages of six months to twelve months will help wean your child from the bottle more easily.

There are ways you can get your child use to using his or her sippy cup. It may take practice but it is a task that can be accomplished. With hard work and persistence you will see your child toss away their bottle for their sippy cup.

Letting your child pick out their first cup can make all the difference. It will help them feel in control and feel a sense of pride in themselves.  Take your child to the store and let them choose the cup. Even if it is expensive it will be worth it in the long run.

Introduce the sippy cup first thing in the morning. A lot of parents wait until the afternoon to introduce the cup. Professionals claim this is one of the worst ways to introduce a cup. Waiting until the middle of the day may confuse the child. Be persistent and once your child learns how to use the sippy cup make sure to stay with the sippy cup. To keep from going back to the bottle a parents best bet might be to throw the bottle out all together.