Weaning your Baby from the Bottle

Weaning from the bottle can take many months. Weaning begins when solid foods are started and ends when the baby is completely off the bottle at around 12-14 months old. Babies can wean from the breast much later.

How will I know when my baby is ready for a cup?

• They will sit up without support.
• They will be eating from a spoon that you offer them.

Extra Tips for Babies Older than 6 Months

• Carry snacks when you go out. These can take the place of a bottle when you are away from home.
• If your child insists on going to bed with a bottle, put only water in it or give a pacifier.
• Put your baby to sleep by rocking, singing, or reading to them.
• Do not take away the bottle when your child is ill. Wait until they are well and happy for better results.
• Cups with lids help stop spills. But just like bottles, children who carry cups with lids can get tooth decay. Around 15 months old your baby should be using only cups without lids to protect your child’s teeth.

Why should my baby give up the bottle around 1 year?

• To protect their teeth
  • The sugar in milk or juice can cause very serious tooth decay.
• To prevent problems such as low iron or extra weight gain.
  • Babies who stay on the bottle longer than a year often drink too much and may not eat enough of the other foods needed to grow well.

Start Early

• Do NOT put your baby to bed with a bottle. Try using a pacifier instead.
• Hold your baby and feed them before putting them to bed, then rock or hold you baby as they fall asleep.
• Never offer anything other than breastmilk, formula, or water from the bottle. Infants who never take juice or sweet drinks from a bottle may have an easier time weaning.
• Do NOT give up. Weaning is not easy and takes time and patience.

At 6 Months

• Give your baby breastmilk, formula, or juice from a cup that you hold. Use a small plastic cup with or without a lid. Start by offering the cup for a few small sips.

At 9 or 10 Months

• Start giving the cup in place of one, then two bottles each day. Replace your baby’s least favorite feeding time first. Then give breastmilk, formula, or juice in a cup instead of a bottle at other feedings.

Around 1 Year

• Your baby will be drinking from a cup that they can hold at most meals and snacks. Be ready for spills, they will happen.
• Keep adding more feedings from the cup and fewer from the bottle.
• Finally, give the bottle only at your baby’s favorite feeding of the day.

If your child will not wean:

• It is not uncommon for children to need extra sucking, even as toddlers. Use a pacifier or a bottle of water if your child needs to continue sucking
• Due to special health problems, some children may be slow to get off the bottle. Some children have trouble eating solids or are unable to sip from a cup with help at 9 or 10 months of age. Tell your nutritionist, nurse or doctor if your child is having these problems.