[annaguat]

My girls will turn three begin Sept. they still take a bottle once or twice a day. They can also drink froma cup and do so most of the time. At twelve months I would not be in a hurry to take your little one of the bottle yet. Just do not put your baby to bed with a bottle and do not let him walk around with it. Also just introduce a cup or sippy cup with meals and snacks. Anna

[GuatMommy2Be]

Madeline is turning 2 and still on the bottle. My plan from day 1 has been to keep her on the bottle for the entire year after she came home. This was due to her security item being the bottle - and to help us bond. We were home TWO months and my pediatrician tried telling me that M was attached and we needed to get her off of the bottle. I did not argue with her, but I also did not take her advice. I understand that she's a doctor and this is protocol here in the US, however... I knew she was not fully attached to me (and still isn't...) and I felt I needed to do what was best for my daughter.. which is to keep her on the bottle until January.

You need to do what you feel is best for your son. Honestly, if I had tried at the two month mark to take the bottle away, for M, it would have done more damage to her emotionally and to our attachment.

[SKL]

My girls came home at 9 mos and 12 mos, and both continued to use bottles for about 3-4 months after that. I started letting them practice with cups from the first month, eventually started giving them sippies with meals, and one by one, substituted sippies for bottles. I would have stretched it out longer if the girls had not reacted well to the switch.

[guatparents2be]

Originally Posted by DDAmasa

There are much better ways to bond than through food and oral satisfactions, ie bottles. Current theory is its the first step to possible eating disorders and/or obesity later on. I'd start weaning him off it now.

the study that was done recently regarding obesity in bottles is based on a rodent study about the chemicals leeching from baby bottles. Chemicals in plastic feeding bottles could lead to obesity in babies, say scientists | Mail Online

sure one solution would be no bottles... but the other option would be to use green to grow bottles Green to Grow BPA Free Baby Bottles or glass bottles!

really though for the most part obesity in children, when there is not a genetic problem has to do with the junk they eat and how sedentary they are. show me a kid that is over 2 and is on whole grains, fresh veggies, lean proteins and quality fats, who doesn't eat corn syrup, soda, processed grains, sugars and meat or fried food, and is active that is over fat...anyone, anyone?

as for eating disorders, as a woman who has personally suffered with eating disorders in her past, i can say that yes, people whose comfort is derived from food instead of connection, self love and strong self esteem will be more prone to eating disorders. if you stick a bottle in your kid's mouth to quiet her and put her in front of a video, you might have a disposition to learn to comfort with food. but as an adjunct to bonding? imho, it is not only fine, but healthy and very positive.

we give our 22 month old (home 15 months) a bottle when he goes down for his nap and before bed. additionally if he asks for one, or just needs to be quiet, be held, and to connect with us. we brush his teeth after he has the (faux) milk, and sometimes he just has water in his bottle. it is comforting to him and i believe there is no reason to keep comfort from a child if it is not doing harm. now if he wants to bring a bottle to first grade? we'll be having another discussion.

[TeeTee]

My DD came home at 81/2 months and she took formula bottles until she was 15 months due to the fact that she wasn't a good eater. She is now 18 months and still gets 2 bottles a day of whole milk (we switched to milk at 15 months). She has jsut within the last 2 weeks started eating better and has been down to 2 bottles a day for less than a week. She never goes to bed with one and only drinks milk from her bottle. Otherwise she drinks from juice boxes with straws, or her sippy cups. Do what feels best to you, as far as your ped goes just tell her what she wants to hear...then DO what is best for your baby!!! There is no time limit on taking the bottle all children are different...12 months is still really young! Cuddle and enjoy giving the bottle...they grow up too fast!!

[LisaDR]

I kept the night bottle until 15 months or so he got a sippy at his nap time from 12 months or so... even when I went to the cup at night I still held it for a good long time.. I would sit in the glider and hold his cup. I loved it rocking in the glider ....finally I let go...

[hbrown22]

DD came home at 10 months old and was still waking in the night for 3 bottles! She took a bottle until about 16 months but we weaned her off the nighttime bottles pretty quick where we made it down to a bottle of water when she woke in the night. She also used sippy cups as well. Bottles were definately a security thing for her and I say to keep him on the bottle for a bit longer. But even now, DD is almost 4 and usually once a day she will come to me and say, "I want to do rock-a-baby", which means she wants me to hold her wrapped up in a blanket while she drinks her sippy. I don't care if she's too old for this, she is my baby still and we both love it!

[gwenrenee007]

Originally Posted by hbrown22

now, DD is almost 4 and usually once a day she will come to me and say, "I want to do rock-a-baby", which means she wants me to hold her wrapped up in a blanket while she drinks her sippy. I don't care if she's too old for this, she is my baby still and we both love it!

that is soooo sweet! I hope Mia still wants to cuddle when she is 4!

[saranbr]

If your child is just starting to eat solid foods, I certainly wouldn't take him off formula until that is more established-- and it might take awhile since he's just been through (and is still going through) a major transition in his life. Personally, I wouldn't push him for 3-4 months and just let him transition more to food on his schedule and suplement with formula. That will at least provide him adequate nutrition which milk will not.

As for how long for the bottle, that needs to be determined by what he needs security-wise. My three year old still gets one before teeth brushing and bed and I really don't see any harm in it for the time being. If I were you I certainly would not pressure him to stop using the bottle until he has been home at least as long as he has been away from you-- so not for quite some time. In the scheme of life bottles are a small thing so why make his transition any more difficult than it has to be? We switched peds about the time ours was giving me the get rid of the bottle line and we'd been home 4 months!

[dmg0703]

DS is 20 mths now and he is on 2 bottles: one at nap time and one at bed. Our Intl Adoption Dr said that she is fine with bottles - as long as he is getting milk in them. I think her direct quote was: "He won't be going to kindergarten with it...."

[lburg]

Our son came home at 10 months - he liked the bottles (esp at night) but also really wanted to eat what we were eating. We started letting him have both - then, around 16 months, he just didn't want the bottle anymore. He wanted to eat like a "big boy" - so he really transitioned himself off the bottle. Little did we know - he was lactose intolerant the whole time he was on the bottle (very loose stools, etc.) - and when he got off the bottle, his bowel movements and his overall mood were so much better! I think all along he was having tummy cramps with the bottles but no one caught it. So - I'm thankful he took himself off!

[Waiting4Zach]

My son came home at 15 months and was taking a bottle all the time. I have got him down to a bottle at nap time and bed time. I don't plan on taking it away until he is ready.

[jennsult]

I think every child is different. My DD came home at 12 months and was still strictly on bottles/formula. We had her off the formula and using a sippy cup within 2 months of being home with no issues at all. She literally stopped cold turkey. Once she got a taste of real food she never went back. I disagree that you need to keep her/him on a bottle for bonding purposes. My daughter and I had no bonding issues. I still give her milk in a sippy cup and hold her while she falls asleep. Just my opinion and again every child is different.

[mayaprincess]

I would leave him on the bottle. All of my family has kept their babies on the bottle until they were 2 years ols. Make sure you brush the baby's teeth and don't let the baby sleep with it. All will be well.

[EZ2Luv]

To remove the bottle immediately would be quite traumatic, but IMHO after the first month or so, I would gradually trasition to sippy cups. Most parents give bottles for themselves and babies and kids go along with it because well that is what kids do. Honestly all prolonged bottle feeding does is make it harder to break the habit and gets the kids used needing food and other things for comfort and self soothing.

I remember like it was yesterday my abrother who came to us at 14months old on the bottle and amom was terrified of taking the bottle away9His comfort). Suprisingly at 16 months old our neighbo who was babysitting had a talk with abrother and told him that he was now a big boy and no longer needed the bottle. Well abrother just took hold of his lovey and went to sleep. I think it hurt amom more than it did him since that was one of the few "baby things" she got to do for him because she missed out on his earlier months.
Now my own kids were onto sippies by 9 months old but they were bfed.\

Personally, unless there is something seriously wrong with the child a bottle beyond 18 months old is just not neccesary. There are many other ways to foster bonding. At some point one has to ask themselves "who is really the one wanting to hang onto bottles and binkies, the parent or child?" "Is this bottle or binky REALLY helping the child?" Stusiy after study shows that bottles and binkys have a negative affect on teeeth. Are you willing to have huge dental bills later on for braces and decaying teeth? What about ear infections? Are you willing to put you child at risk of needing tubes? The list goes on and on, but ultimately you are the parent and get to call the shots.
The fact that a pedi suggest something means nothing if you for some reason do not agree with them. You have to do what you feel is right for your child, but also be aware of the downside.

EZ