https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:56:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2849104 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 21:40:32 +0000 Mrsbells 2849104@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@snarkybiochemist: we slowly cut out one bottle at a time and replaced it with a snack/meal and a sippy cup of milk </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2849043 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 16:49:22 +0000 Mamatimes3 2849043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For all 3 of my kids, I pretty much went cold turkey from formula to cows milk at 12 months. I tried the whole mixing 1/2 and 1/2 thing but I’m more of a rip the bandaid quick type person. It took a couple of days but they adjusted. By 12 months, each of mine ate a lot of normal food so they didn’t miss the formula. They’ll just increase their food intake if they are still hungry. </p> <p>I also switched to sippy cups for milk cold turkey but at different ages for each kid. My oldest was at 12 months because he was not particularly attached to it. My middle at about 15 months when he stopped falling asleep with the bottle (if it works don’t change it). And I think my youngest was about 18 months when her interest in it faded. There were some tough moments but push through! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848958 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:46:53 +0000 peachykeen 2848958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We never gave anything but breast milk/formula in a bottle for either girl - we made the switch directly to milk in a straw cup. I think there was less confusion this way and made dropping the bottle easier. We just went to offering milk with meals rather than before and it hasn't been an issue. Funny thing is I worried about the transition much more with DD2 than with DD1 but it has been totally fine. I do warm DD2's soy milk in the microwave for a few seconds because she doesn't seem to drink the cold as well, but I think they give it to her cold at school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848949 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:30:39 +0000 hellobeeboston 2848949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in the camp of not changing too many things at once and both of my boys LOVED their bottles (well, the second one not until 9 months old, but thats another story)... anyway, I cut the breastmilk/formula first and introduced cow's milk slowly in the bottle. We also upped the food intake... I know a lot of people just switch to milk in a sippy cup which is probably a better way to go, but I liked the slower transition. I also did NOT give milk at bedtime. Our dentist &amp; pediatrician said that was the big issue, the milk on their teeth right before bed.</p> <p>My older son wouldn't drink milk after we got rid of the bottle, and my second never liked milk that much, so we just switched to food and were sure to include a lot of dairy in his diet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848944 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:24:45 +0000 snowjewelz 2848944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With DD1, she was already on formula full time, so like a week after she turned 1 we just cold turkey stopped bottles/formula, replaced with milk in straw cup morning and night. Totally fine! No mixing, no gradual anything. </p> <p>With my 2nd, she loves to nurse so cutting the bottle was totally fine but to this day she doesn't really drink milk. She eats other diary products and also still nurses so I'm not concerned. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848943 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:24:21 +0000 Silva 2848943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Its obviously up to you, and you can talk to your doctor about it, but my two year old still takes a bottle before bed and nap. We switched from formula to cows milk at a year, and the transition wasn't a big deal for him at all.<br /> Both our pediatrician and our dentist (and my husband the pediatrician) said its really not a big deal as long as you brush teeth before bed (after the bottle). I was nervous about asking them, I figured they'd be shocked we were still letting him but everyone has been totally unfazed and acted like it was completely normal and absolutely fine.</p> <p>We just give about 4 ounces and he has it while we read a book (for a while we were still giving more like 6-8 ounces in the bottle, but he slowly stopped taking that much). Changing the order of the routine was a little bumpy, but not that big a deal- I think we made that switch around 14-15 months when he was no longer falling asleep while drinking the bottle. </p> <p>He's less and less interested in it these days, and maybe 1/3 of the time doesn't finish it (if he ate well right before, usually) so I suspect he will decide he's not into it at some point soon. I figure when he's a little older he can make the decision to have a sippy cup or just have milk at dinner like his big sister. It just doesn't seem worth it to me to fight him about taking it away given that we are brushing his teeth after and have been ok'd by the doc and dentist.</p> <p>Oh- and we stopped giving a bottle any other time right around a year, and moved to just doing snacks/meals (with milk or water in a cup).<br /> I also wanted to add that he still nurses 1-2 times a day, typically in the morning and before nap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848938 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:14:56 +0000 Sams Mom 2848938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I switched my son at 11 months because I had dried up, he was picky about formula, and I didn't want to buy 5 different brands to figure it out and then switch him to WCM at 1. </p> <p>I switched from breast milk or formula on occasion straight to 100% WCM in a bottle, it didn't seem to bother him. So then I switched to 360 cups within the week cold turkey no more bottles, and he took to it almost instantly. </p> <p>I know I'm lucky, but I hope you have an easy transition. My son was also a chow hound so most of his calories were coming from meals and not the bottle or boob. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848930 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 12:30:08 +0000 MrsSCB 2848930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it makes you feel any better, switching to milk and sippies was an easy transition for us! We did it very similarly to @DesertDreams88--first started mixing in milk, and then when he seemed fine with it, gave him all milk and he wasn't phased. Same with bottles vs. sippies. I sent one sippy and three bottles to daycare and he drank fine out of the sippies so then I sent two, and then all sippy cups. Full disclosure: we were transitioning from breast milk to cow's milk, but I can't imagine it would really be that different.</p> <p>My son was also drinking water out of sippy cups before this transition, and I think that helped. So you may even have a head start already if she's using the 360 and straw cups!</p> <p>PS: you don't necessarily need to do an ounce for ounce swap of formula for milk either. I think the AAP says no more than two to three cups of milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848913 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 12:02:12 +0000 DesertDreams88 2848913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Off the top of my head, cutting formula was way more important to us than the bottle, so we tackled that first. </p> <p>I think we did a 50/50 mix of formula and milk one day and he seemed fine with it so that next day we just switched over completely to cows milk in bottles. Same amount, same timing, etc. </p> <p>I think it was about 4 bottles a day - morning waking, wake from nap 1, wake from nap 2, and bedtime. Every couple of days we replaces one of those bottles with a 360 cup of milk instead. We were using a 360 cup for water already.</p> <p>So, to spell it out, it was like this:<br /> Week 1: Cup, bottle, bottle, bottle.<br /> Week 2: Cup, cup, bottle, bottle.<br /> Week 3: Cup, cup, cup, bottle.<br /> Week 4: cups all the way. </p> <p>We used small bottles of WCM for MOTN wakings until about 14m. But no big deal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/no-more-bottles-no-more-formula-how#post-2848903 Wed, 03 Oct 2018 11:47:17 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2848903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So at 11 months I'm starting to think about weaning E from bottles and formula when she reaches a year. How do I do this? She is a fairly good eater, 3 meals plus a snack most days and drinks somewhere between 24-28 oz of formula from a bottle. I obviously don't want her to be hungry and I don't want to screw up her sleeping but I know that getting rid of bottles around 1 year is important and my grocery budget would enjoy not having formula in it anymore.<br /> ETA She drinks water now out of a 360 cup and sometimes a weighted straw cup </p>