Help!

Peggy,

My kids weaned off their last night-time bottle at 17 months due to an
accident that my son had. He slipped and fell face first into a coffee
table and caused some trauma to his front teeth. The poor thing couldn't
take his bottle *and* he couldn't sip his sippy cup (the spouts were too
rigid and hard), because it hurt!

So I came up with the idea to snip a hole in the tip of the nipple! We did
the same to my daughter's bottle too, so they would be on the same page, so
to speak. Charlie was able to drink his before-bed milk in relative comfort
because the flow was faster and so he didn't need to suck hard. Over the
next few days as his mouth healed, we made the holes bigger and bigger.
Finally, they just didn't desire the bottle anymore and switched to taking
their sippies before bed.

It worked out well and I don't think I would have ever thought of it had
Charlie not had that accident! We were starting to feel the pressure too of
getting them off bottles. I've read the other posts, and understand what
Chotii means about *why* folks feel the need to do certain things within a
certain time frame... But, everyone's different and this seems important to
you, so maybe this will work! As you make the holes bigger, they just don't
get that satisfaction of sucking. If you decide to try it, don't tell them
that anything is different... be nonchalant about it. If my memory is
correct, it only took about a week before they were off bottles completely.

P.S. Be careful too, as if they pull the bottle away from their mouth (or if
they hold the bottles themselves) it can be messy! We just had paper towels
handy at all times!

Anyway, good luck!

Lynn (Mommy to Charlie and Jenna 8/30/00)



"Peggy" wrote in message
news
My girls are almost 2 and I have still not successfully gotten them off
the
bottle and onto sippy cups. I first tried only their juice in cups, but
they wouldn't really drink it and just wait for their bottles of milk.
So,
I just decided to take the bottles away completely and give them cups. We
are now starting the third day of this and while one of my daughters is
drinking from the cup no problem, my other daughter refuses. She has
barely
had anything to drink in two days. When I give her the cup she throws it
away and cries. I'm worried she's going to get dehydrated so I'm giving
her lots of fruit. I thought if she got thirsty enough she would drink
from the cup. I know she's capable because I've seen her take sips
before.
What do I do if she still refuses to drink for the third day in a row? Do
I
relent and give her the bottle? I don't want to be inconsistent and I
don't
want to ruin my other daughter's progress by taking out the bottle again.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the meanest mother on the
face of the earth not giving her the bottle but if I don't do it now I'll
never get her off it.

Help!
Peggy

--
http://www.babygardengifts.com

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in. And btw I may be even "meaner" (ha ha ha) than
you, but I wouldn't even push the fruit and soup unless you live somewhere
that is 120 degrees or so right now.

After three months of trying and tearing my hair, ours were "cured" of their
"inability" to manage cups by being taken on vacation to Phoenix. By 9am
the first day, all three were on cups (they were about 19.5 months at the
time). The evening bottle took a couple of weeks longer, but one day we
just handed out cups during a pre-bedtime outdoor play session and that was
that.

Unless you are happy to go back and forth (I wasn't), just Present No
Substitute and you will win. :-)

--Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor (10/21/96)
and Holly (4/4/01)



"Peggy" wrote in message
news
My girls are almost 2 and I have still not successfully gotten them off
the
bottle and onto sippy cups. I first tried only their juice in cups, but
they wouldn't really drink it and just wait for their bottles of milk.
So,
I just decided to take the bottles away completely and give them cups. We
are now starting the third day of this and while one of my daughters is
drinking from the cup no problem, my other daughter refuses. She has
barely
had anything to drink in two days. When I give her the cup she throws it
away and cries. I'm worried she's going to get dehydrated so I'm giving
her lots of fruit. I thought if she got thirsty enough she would drink
from the cup. I know she's capable because I've seen her take sips
before.
What do I do if she still refuses to drink for the third day in a row? Do
I
relent and give her the bottle? I don't want to be inconsistent and I
don't
want to ruin my other daughter's progress by taking out the bottle again.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the meanest mother on the
face of the earth not giving her the bottle but if I don't do it now I'll
never get her off it.

Help!
Peggy

--
http://www.babygardengifts.com

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in. And btw I may be even "meaner" (ha ha ha) than
you, but I wouldn't even push the fruit and soup unless you live somewhere
that is 120 degrees or so right now.

After three months of trying and tearing my hair, ours were "cured" of their
"inability" to manage cups by being taken on vacation to Phoenix. By 9am
the first day, all three were on cups (they were about 19.5 months at the
time). The evening bottle took a couple of weeks longer, but one day we
just handed out cups during a pre-bedtime outdoor play session and that was
that.

Unless you are happy to go back and forth (I wasn't), just Present No
Substitute and you will win. :-)

--Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor (10/21/96)
and Holly (4/4/01)



"Peggy" wrote in message
news
My girls are almost 2 and I have still not successfully gotten them off
the
bottle and onto sippy cups. I first tried only their juice in cups, but
they wouldn't really drink it and just wait for their bottles of milk.
So,
I just decided to take the bottles away completely and give them cups. We
are now starting the third day of this and while one of my daughters is
drinking from the cup no problem, my other daughter refuses. She has
barely
had anything to drink in two days. When I give her the cup she throws it
away and cries. I'm worried she's going to get dehydrated so I'm giving
her lots of fruit. I thought if she got thirsty enough she would drink
from the cup. I know she's capable because I've seen her take sips
before.
What do I do if she still refuses to drink for the third day in a row? Do
I
relent and give her the bottle? I don't want to be inconsistent and I
don't
want to ruin my other daughter's progress by taking out the bottle again.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the meanest mother on the
face of the earth not giving her the bottle but if I don't do it now I'll
never get her off it.

Help!
Peggy

--
http://www.babygardengifts.com

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in. And btw I may be even "meaner" (ha ha ha) than
you, but I wouldn't even push the fruit and soup unless you live somewhere
that is 120 degrees or so right now.

After three months of trying and tearing my hair, ours were "cured" of their
"inability" to manage cups by being taken on vacation to Phoenix. By 9am
the first day, all three were on cups (they were about 19.5 months at the
time). The evening bottle took a couple of weeks longer, but one day we
just handed out cups during a pre-bedtime outdoor play session and that was
that.

Unless you are happy to go back and forth (I wasn't), just Present No
Substitute and you will win. :-)

--Janet
Elliot, Hanna, Connor (10/21/96)
and Holly (4/4/01)



"Peggy" wrote in message
news
My girls are almost 2 and I have still not successfully gotten them off
the
bottle and onto sippy cups. I first tried only their juice in cups, but
they wouldn't really drink it and just wait for their bottles of milk.
So,
I just decided to take the bottles away completely and give them cups. We
are now starting the third day of this and while one of my daughters is
drinking from the cup no problem, my other daughter refuses. She has
barely
had anything to drink in two days. When I give her the cup she throws it
away and cries. I'm worried she's going to get dehydrated so I'm giving
her lots of fruit. I thought if she got thirsty enough she would drink
from the cup. I know she's capable because I've seen her take sips
before.
What do I do if she still refuses to drink for the third day in a row? Do
I
relent and give her the bottle? I don't want to be inconsistent and I
don't
want to ruin my other daughter's progress by taking out the bottle again.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the meanest mother on the
face of the earth not giving her the bottle but if I don't do it now I'll
never get her off it.

Help!
Peggy

--
http://www.babygardengifts.com

I know I'm late chiming in, but have you tried just a regular cup? Maybe even
one of those cute little paper Dixie cups. Sometimes the novelty of drinking
like a big kid or an adult is enticing. Of course, she could only drink at the
table to minimize messes, but that's not a bad thing. Someone mentioned a
straw type sippy cup, how about a straw in a cup? Or water from a sports
bottle?

Just some ideas...
Stephanie
Jake and Ryan 9/3/99

I know I'm late chiming in, but have you tried just a regular cup? Maybe even
one of those cute little paper Dixie cups. Sometimes the novelty of drinking
like a big kid or an adult is enticing. Of course, she could only drink at the
table to minimize messes, but that's not a bad thing. Someone mentioned a
straw type sippy cup, how about a straw in a cup? Or water from a sports
bottle?

Just some ideas...
Stephanie
Jake and Ryan 9/3/99

I know I'm late chiming in, but have you tried just a regular cup? Maybe even
one of those cute little paper Dixie cups. Sometimes the novelty of drinking
like a big kid or an adult is enticing. Of course, she could only drink at the
table to minimize messes, but that's not a bad thing. Someone mentioned a
straw type sippy cup, how about a straw in a cup? Or water from a sports
bottle?

Just some ideas...
Stephanie
Jake and Ryan 9/3/99

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:43:30 GMT, "multimom4"
wrote:

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in.

Actually, we initially tried taking the bottles away, but when that
didn't work, we tried something else we'd read about in one of the
parenting books we had. The idea was to have a ceremony to celebrate
their outgrowing of the bottles.

We rounded them up and made an announcement that, since they were now
a big boy and girl, they no longer needed their bottles anymore and
were ready to graduate to sippy cups. The announcement was followed
by cheering and applause.

We had all their bottles and nipples ready on the coffee table along
with a big paper bag. One by one, we put each bottle and nipple into
the bag, with cheering and applause following each one. When the last
bottle and nipple had been placed in the bag, I took the bag out of
the house into the garage where it couldn't be seen by them (I wasn't
ready to throw them out, since I didn't know if this whole thing would
work).

Amazingly, it worked like a charm. Within seconds of removing the
bag, the kids picked up their sippy cups and started drinking. They
never looked back.
--
-Seth Jackson, proud father of Derek and Mariel(10/1/99). Pictures at:
http://hitmeister.home.mindspring.co...lypictures.htm

Music links: www.mp3.com/SethJackson
www.mp3.com/loudspeaker
www.SethJackson.net

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:43:30 GMT, "multimom4"
wrote:

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in.

Actually, we initially tried taking the bottles away, but when that
didn't work, we tried something else we'd read about in one of the
parenting books we had. The idea was to have a ceremony to celebrate
their outgrowing of the bottles.

We rounded them up and made an announcement that, since they were now
a big boy and girl, they no longer needed their bottles anymore and
were ready to graduate to sippy cups. The announcement was followed
by cheering and applause.

We had all their bottles and nipples ready on the coffee table along
with a big paper bag. One by one, we put each bottle and nipple into
the bag, with cheering and applause following each one. When the last
bottle and nipple had been placed in the bag, I took the bag out of
the house into the garage where it couldn't be seen by them (I wasn't
ready to throw them out, since I didn't know if this whole thing would
work).

Amazingly, it worked like a charm. Within seconds of removing the
bag, the kids picked up their sippy cups and started drinking. They
never looked back.
--
-Seth Jackson, proud father of Derek and Mariel(10/1/99). Pictures at:
http://hitmeister.home.mindspring.co...lypictures.htm

Music links: www.mp3.com/SethJackson
www.mp3.com/loudspeaker
www.SethJackson.net

On Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:43:30 GMT, "multimom4"
wrote:

EHC refused to take a sippy until I just took the bottles away -- I seem to
recall Seth had the same experience, with Mariel "holding out" for several
days just so a few more of his hairs would turn gray. So yours, like mine
and Mariel *will* give in.

Actually, we initially tried taking the bottles away, but when that
didn't work, we tried something else we'd read about in one of the
parenting books we had. The idea was to have a ceremony to celebrate
their outgrowing of the bottles.

We rounded them up and made an announcement that, since they were now
a big boy and girl, they no longer needed their bottles anymore and
were ready to graduate to sippy cups. The announcement was followed
by cheering and applause.

We had all their bottles and nipples ready on the coffee table along
with a big paper bag. One by one, we put each bottle and nipple into
the bag, with cheering and applause following each one. When the last
bottle and nipple had been placed in the bag, I took the bag out of
the house into the garage where it couldn't be seen by them (I wasn't
ready to throw them out, since I didn't know if this whole thing would
work).

Amazingly, it worked like a charm. Within seconds of removing the
bag, the kids picked up their sippy cups and started drinking. They
never looked back.
--
-Seth Jackson, proud father of Derek and Mariel(10/1/99). Pictures at:
http://hitmeister.home.mindspring.co...lypictures.htm

Music links: www.mp3.com/SethJackson
www.mp3.com/loudspeaker
www.SethJackson.net