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We just did the transition with DS. At 10 months, we introduced milk in a sippy cup during meals. He didn't drink much, and he continued drinking his normal amout of formula. At 11 months, I started cutting down his bottles. He was taking 8 oz before each nap and bedtime, and 1-2 bottles of 6 oz in the middle of the night. The first week, I cut his daytime bottles down to 6 oz, and his middle of the night bottles down to 4 oz. The next week I cut his daytime bottles down to 4 oz; I continued to feed him 4 oz for his first night waking and just put him back to sleep without a bottle if he woke a second time. The third week, I stopped giving him bottles before his naps, and upped his bedtime bottle back up to 8 oz. I also cut his middle of the night bottle down to 2 oz. The fourth week, he started STTN. I also stopped giving him formula in his bedtime bottle, and started putting 6 oz of warm milk in there instead. So at 12 months, he was completely off formula and down to only one bottle of milk a day.

He has had a couple of 4 oz bottles in the middle of the night since then, because he's been teething. We also will start working on switching out his bedtime bottle for a bedtime sippy cup full of milk in the next week. We used this same method to wean our DD, and since we don't do CIO, this gradual approach has worked well for us.

@stargal: @Springtime: DS did cry some when taking away his naptime bottles and if he wanted more to drink during the middle of the night. With him, I've noticed that if we can just wait out the crying one time (I'm usually rocking him or holding him while he's crying; he's never left alone), it lasts about 30 minutes and he's perfectly fine without it the next time. With my DD, that kind of approach wouldn't have worked. With her, I'd let her cry maybe 10-15 minutes ( again while rocking her) before giving her a bottle. After a few days, she was fully adjusted. So I think you can vary your approach depending on what works for your kid.

We give DS a sippy of milk at mealtimes and snacktimes. The rest of the day he has his water bottle available at all times. Our pediatrician said he only needs 12-16 oz of whole milk a day, and he takes 8 oz at bedtime, so he doesn't really need much milk during the daytime. He probably takes 4-6 oz of milk over the day, and 8-10 oz of water.