Advice for bottle weaning
by Mona Selinger
Most moms worry when they start to consider taking the elusive bottle away from their toddler. They expect that the joy will turn into crying or a screaming match making life unbearable for all family members. Bottle weaning can be met with happiness and success when you follow these 5 easy weaning tips.
Relax: Nothing gets little one more suspicious that he is not going to like something than a mum or dad who acts like something bad is going to happen. Create an atmosphere of fun for your baby by treating the replacement for the bottle as a prized possession, a gift, something really special that is just for them. Character cups are a fun way of helping your child look forward to using the cup instead of the bottle.
Do not take the bottle away all at once - you are asking for a traumatic experience if you do. If your little one is willing to progress this quickly then by all means go for it. Do not initiate this kind of drastic change yourself. Looking to your baby to be ready to start is the key to successful weaning.
Slowly introduce the cup to your little one. The process of weaning should build up gradually. Most babies are consuming three main bottles by the time they reach their first birthday. Don't make their actual birthday the magic day either. There are enough surprises and stresses associated with a baby's first birthday (gifts, parties, guests & family members & possibly strangers over) that adding to all the commotion by trying something new like bottle weaning may just be too much for your little one.
Moving from bottle to cup should be taken slowly and gradually. The simple method is to replace the bottle with a cup. There are a couple of easy ways to achieve this. The first way is to start with the first bottle - instead of giving the bottle give the cup. Another trick is to use both during the early feeding with more liquid (formula or milk) in the cup, than in the bottle. Your baby will be thirsty and drink the bottle fast. Show your little one the cup and that there is more to drink this way. Encourage him to try it. Take a drink from your own cup and say 'thats nice'!
Try and make the bottle not as attractive to your little one by diluting the contents (formula or milk) and giving what is in the cup, what the child is used to receiving. Positively reinforce the little one every time they use the cup. Make a game out of using the cup; as an example - each time your little one drinks you could make an animal noise. You will get lots of giggles and laughs and your little one will want more. You can the tell them to take another sip and you will do it some more. With time your child will be drinking on their own, just to hear your oink, cluck, or jump around some more.
Progress from morning bottle to afternoon bottle and then the last substitute should be the night time bottle. To make this last transaction easy, create a pleasant routine that includes the cup instead of the bottle. Use things such as a favourite bedtime toy or an activity like being held while you read along with the cup of formula or breast milk. If you normally use a bedtime snack include calcium items to replace the quantity of milk in a bottle if your child drinks less formula or breast milk from the cup than they would from the bottle. That way they are still receiving enough of the vitamins as they generally would from the bottle. Snacks that are be good to use include cheese or pudding. Avoid sugary foods where possible. Make sure that you brush their teeth for them afterwards.
For more tips on weaning from the bottle please like my page on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Weaning-Mums/241516469279245">facebook</a> or follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/startweaning">twitter</a>.
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New Unique Article!
Title: Advice for bottle weaning
Author: Mona Selinger
Email: dogmatic69@gmail.com
Keywords: weaning,bottle weaning,bottle feeding,babies,toddlers,parenting
Word Count: 650
Category: Babies
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