Bottle or not?

Question

My daughter is a year-old and I want to break her from the bottle. She will drink water and juice from a sippy cup, but not milk. She won’t touch it until you put it back in the bottle. My sister-in-law says to let her “ditch” the bottle when she is ready. But her son is almost two and still on the bottle. Do you have any suggestions for me, and a way that I can nicely tell my sister-in-law that I think she is wrong?

Jess, OH

Answer

By 1 year of age, you all should be starting the transition to a bottle. It’s still okay to be taking a bottle, but your daughter sounds like she is transitioning to a “sippy cup” nicely. Some kids can’t be rushed, but a gentle nudge in the right direction may help.  Only use the bottle at bedtime/nap time, and then get rid of it altogether. You are on the right road, and almost there.