Weaning Babies From Bottle
Weaning babies from bottle is the process of introducing them to baby cups or sippy cups. Doctors may recommend that you start giving him a baby cup or a sippy cup when he is about six months old and ensurecompletely weaning from the bottle by the time he is a year old. Usually when babies are ready for weaning from bottle, they show interest in starting solids. If you allow him to use the feeding bottle beyond a year, he gets very attached to the nipple thus making the detachment quite tough. At this stage, your baby clings on to the feeding bottle for more comfort than nutrition. As loving parents, you can make this transition smooth. Remember that this transition is a big phase in his life.
If your baby has been feeding from your breast for about 9 months, then you need not wean him to a cup through a feeding bottle. In this case, the transition from the breast to the cup can be direct.
Are there any problems in allowing my baby to use the feeding bottle over a long period?
Allowing your baby to use the feeding bottle for an extended period of time has some problems. Some drawbacks in extended bottle feeding are:
- Remember the saying "Old habits die hard."? The longer your baby gets used to the bottle, the more difficult it is for him to part with the bottle.
- Older babies are more likely to develop tooth decay due to prolonged bottle feeding.
- If a parent feeds the baby and he is allowed to walk about with the feeding bottle after this, his teeth are always full of the liquid in the bottle. This causes cavities to be formed in his teeth.
- If your baby gets addicted to the feeding bottle, he is more likely to fill his stomach with more of liquids such as juice, water and milk. This makes them eat very little solids and turn out to be fussy eaters. Eating less of solid foods can cause them to miss out on vital nutrients.
- Your baby's physical development may get inhibited if he clings on to the feeding bottle. He will have only one hand free and his mouth movements are also restricted because it is always full.
My twin babies are 7 months old and I would like to start weaning the babies from the bottle. How can I do it without upsetting them?
You can opt for weaning the babies from the bottle with help and cooperation from other members in the family. Although it may be a bit upsetting in the beginning to find that they are being deprived of their favourite bottle, they will slowly get used to this transition. Some tips that you can use for successfully weaning babies from bottle are:
- Remain calm and do not panic. Once you have decided to wean your baby from the bottle, do not move away from that decision and give in to his cries when he misses his feeding bottle.
- Do not try to get your baby introduced to the weaning process when he is sick, tired or very hungry.
- Never allow your baby to handle the bottle himself. If he has no control over the feeding bottle, there are lesser chances of his missing it.
- Do not permit the baby to use the bottle as a source of comfort. If he sees the feeding bottle only as a source of food, the transition will be easier.
- Try giving him some milk in a cup before a bottle feeding session. He may show resistance for a few days but will slowly show curiosity in trying the cup.
- If your baby has a preference for any particular feeding bottle, use that feeding bottle for the last bottle feeding in a day. Gradually begin by decreasing the amount of formula in that bottle over a few days and offer the remaining formula in a cup or sippy cup. This decreasing can even be done over a week.
- If your baby is slightly older, tell him that only babies drink from feeding bottles and big boys drink from cups. Hug him as a sign of encouragement after he drinks from a cup or sippy cup.
- You baby will usually be most hungry during the morning feed. You can offer him the cup or sippy cup for this feed and or use both the cup or sippy cup and the bottle. Fill the bottle with lesser feed than the cup or sippy cup.
- Make the sippy cup look more bright, colourful and attractive than the feeding bottle. You may even consider buying transparent cups or sippy cups so that the baby can see the liquid.
- Ensure consistent meal and snack timings. Use a cup or sippy cup to feed him with liquids during meal times.
- Make sure there is no distracting activity or activities around you when you try to wean your baby from the bottle. Renovating the house or shifting the house can cause stress to your baby as he may feel he is in an unfamiliar environment.
- Replace one feeding bottle at a time with a cup or sippy cup. After a few days, introduce one more feeding from a cup or sippy cup.
- Give your baby only water in the feeding bottle and all his formula and milk feeds in a sippy cup. He will gradually find out for himself that the sippy cup contains more interesting food than the feeding bottle.
- You can also try to "cheat" your baby by hiding all feeding bottles from his view when you offer him the cup or sippy cup. When you do this, ensure that your baby finds his cup in almost any place that he is likely to look for his feeding bottle.
- Do not become upset if your baby messes the place as he explores the cup or sippy cup. Avoid taking his control off the cup or sippy cup and feeding him yourself to minimise the mess.
- Praise your baby every time he uses the cup or sippy cup. Clap your hands every time he lays his hands on the cup or sippy cup and cheer him after each sip.
- Take a sip of your favourite drink from your cup and hand over the filled up cup or sippy cup to your baby. He will enjoy imitating you.
Shopping Online for Sippy cups
There are quite a few options for buying online in India. That’s Cute has a range of sippers with straws and either with or without handles. Kid Studio has non-spill cups and cups with handles and straws in attractive shapes, sizes and colours. Sunbaby another online Indian store provides a whole lot of sippy cups with straws or sippers. They are also available with or without handles.
Some other products without an online buying option are - Bonne sippers are made of food grade polycarbonate and are available in different sizes and designs depending on the age of the baby. Sippers with spout cap are also available. Kids Kingdom has easy to use sippers with non-spill valves manufactured from recyclable plastic.
