Throw that Baby Bottle Away

Washing bottles when you have a baby or more in the house can be a time consuming chore that most mothers would prefer not to do, but clean bottles are a must. Sanitation is important for the health of your child. When you stop and think about all the germs that could be lingering in the bottle nipples, it might actually gross you out. That is why most mothers boil them at least once a week. When it comes time, you should consider taking your child off the bottle, the sooner the better.

If your child is almost a toddler, it is time to start thinking about transitioning your child off the bottle. When children sucks on bottles once they have teeth, it can eventually cause dental problems and I am sure that most parents would oblige to having their children grow up with a deformed smile when they could have prevented it. It is important to use baby step techniques with children who are attached to their bottle when transitioning to sippy cups. If the are not attached to the bottle, it just might be an easy transition.

If your child is already emotionally and physically attached to his or her bottle, the first thing you should consider is browsing through the baby department at all the different style sippy cups they have. Some have handles which your baby may not take to easily. It is probably best to find one that does not have handles, perhaps one that is designed like a bottle. For the unattached, I would start with the sippy cups that have handles. This gives the child better control of the cup since he or she cannot create a suction to hold it by mouth. If you start out with the handled cup, gradually transition your child to the sippy cup without handles before he or she turns two. “What about the spout?” you may be asking. Yes, this part of the sippy cup could make or break whether you child will take to it. There are soft, tipped sippy cups, usually made out if plastic or neoprene, giving your child more comfort when drinking. A parent is likely to go through every cup they can find on the store shelves before they find one that their child is likely to accept.

During transition, if your child is still on formula, you should always wait till your child’s first birthday to give them cow’s milk. Never give them pure cow’s milk right away. Start off mixing about 1/4 cow’s milk to 3/4 formula for a few days, then gradually blend 1/2 and 1/2, then within two weeks your child should be ready for whole cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is hard on little one’s bellies, so it is critical to start off with small amounts until your child gets used to it.

Some tips that always helped me as a parent:

- Be sure to put the baby at the table during meals times. This encourages the child to want to drink from a cup because he/she will see you drinking from one.

• The earlier you transition your child the better. I switched my children to sippy cups at 6 months of age (sippy cup with handles). At this age they do not have as much of a preference for the type if cup you give them. My youngest son actually would never take a bottle, forcing the daycare staff to feed him with syringes, while he breast fed at home. The sippy cups he had no problems with. This can only be determined on a child by child basis because they do not all sit up on their own at 6 months or even eight months.

• Once your child can move around on his/her own, immediately begin transitioning to real cups. They may take a while learning how to control their body while holding the cup, but like I said before, the earlier the better. Just keep them sitting down whild doing so.

• If you child does not accept the sippy cup, do not force him/her. They will eventually take to one when they are ready. Just be sure to keep introducing it to them on a regular basis. For example, if your child absolutely dislikes the cup, put it away for a week. Exactly a week later, offer the cup again. They may refuse again. Put it away for another week, then try again. If it does not seem to help, increase your offerings to every three or four days. Stay consistent, but not forceful.

You should have gained some helpful tips from this writing. Children are not easy no matter the subject. Always remember to stay consistent and be open for changes.