Weaning From the Bottle to Cup

Weaning from the bottle is one of the significant developmental milestones that your baby or toddler will go through. It is important for the child, because it shows the first signs if independence. Imagine his joy that he is now drinking like mommy and daddy, and soon will be able to do many more things for himself.

Generally, a baby will be ready to make the transition from the bottle to cup sometime between the ages of 9 months and 18 months. There are two main things that should happen for your baby or toddler to be weaned from the bottle. The first is that your baby’s sucking needs has to slow down or stop. The second is that he has to be able to control his hands and mouth well enough to drink from the cup.

To help the transition from the bottle to a cup, there are some things that you can do early on. During those first few months of your baby’s life, you should only use the bottle when it is time for your baby to eat. Don’t give your baby a bottle in bed. If you give your baby a bottle in bed, she will begin to associate the bottle with comfort and security, not just with food. This is perhaps the most important thing that you can do to make the process of weaning your toddler from the bottle a successful and easy transition.

What other techniques you’ve tried and they work when it comes to making the transition from bottle to cup? When it’s a good time to start? Please share your tips or personal experience with your kids below for your chance to WIN a lovely Twist N’Pop Straw Cup from BornFree®.

4 Comments June 30, 2010