How To Get Toddlers To Leave Their Baby Milk Bottle
Mothers are really happy when they wean the infant from breast feeding to the bottle, as they get some time to themselves (as anyone in the family can then feed the child). However, bottle feeding is both a boon and a bane. The child gets so attached to the bottle that he/she is not ready to surrender it after crossing the first birthday. Prolonged use of the bottle leads to problems like ear infections and bottle mouths. Hence, it is imperative that the baby be weaned from the bottle at the earliest.
Start the Sipper Cup
As soon as the baby is able to sit on his/her own, the sipper cup should be introduced. It is going to be quite messy as the baby is used to a sucking motion, and for the sipper cup, he/she has to tilt the cup for the liquid to flow out. Hence, some mothers prefer to start the sipper cup only with water. However, it must be cautioned that babies are extremely clever and they will drink water from the cup but will insist on the bottle for milk.
The sucking motion used for a bottle is soothing for the babies, and is not surrendered easily. Therefore, parents should give small portions of milk through the sipper to avoid such a situation. It may take a few moths of repeated trials (that is everyday) before the child becomes proficient with a sipper.
There is a large variety of sipper cups available in the market, and parents will need to buy 2-3 types to see what works best for their child. Also, there are some sippers with a ‘flow lock’, which means that the sipper is spill proof. However, to drink from such sippers, the child has to suck with great force and may not like to do so as a bottle is far easier!
Try a Straw
Drinking from a straw involves a pulling (sucking) motion, and may work better with some children. However, here too, the child has to keep the glass/cup upright and not tilt it (as he/she would do for a bottle).
Whatever the methodology used, every toddler must leave his/her bottle some day and progress to other ways of consuming his/her milk. For some toddlers, the transition will be quick and easy; while for others, it may be tiresome.
