Yes, Emma Kate is almost 15 months old. Well past the 1 year, "You're not supposed to give your child a bottle anymore" deadline. I have been thinking about-well-uh-dreading this time for several months now. We began giving her water in a sippy around December. She loves her water. So naturally when she turned 1 and we were able to give her cow's milk, I thought, "No problem!"
Boy was I wrong! That girl took one sip of milk from a sippy cup and made a horrific face, as if I had filled her cup with straight lemon juice. However, cow's milk in her bottle...just fine!
So I put it off. There were lots of times I had planned it, but she ended up with a cold.
Or teething.
Or a cold.
Today it wasn't even planned. I just decided today would be the day. She still has a runny nose...either from a cold or teething. (These days I can't tell what it's from.) But the bottles are gone. I decided that the girl won't get dehydrated...she'll eventually drink the milk.
I am armed with a couple special sippies that she can just associate with milk, of assorted shapes and sizes, the one in the middle having a spout that most resembles a bottle.
And I am banning her from water...until she drinks the milk.
Up until now, we have given her water at meal time and milk in a bottle before naps and bed.
So today when I gave her a sippy before naps, she played a little with it, biting at it, as though she had never drunk from one before in her life. And rejected it. But no problem. No drama.
Tonight, as we ate dinner, I offered her the cup with milk. She didn't even touch it. She DID however, reach relentlessly for all of our drinks, though most were milk as well. Dinner ended with nothing to drink for Emma Kate.
Oh here we go.
So I got her ready for bed, heated the milk from dinner in a sippy and sat her down on the couch to document her dismay...
And then to my surprise...
OK, so she wasn't thrilled. And she only drank a couple of ounces worth. And she cried really hard in her bed for quite a while...which is very unusual.
Is it too late to turn back?!?!
Got any tips for a mom whose boys gave her no problems with this transition?
I hope this is not a sign of the Mother/Daughter Battle of the Wills in my future!
P.S. I am praying that she doesn't wake up screaming for a bottle during the night...Oh please God...let us sleep well.
I will give you the same advice you've given me- just when you think you can't take it anymore, they figure it out on their own! You did great!
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, you're doing great! You made a decision and Emma Kate will eventually come around. Rachel was not really a fan of cow's milk from a sippy (we had started water in a sippy around 9 months and switched to cow's milk in a sippy at 12 months, while nursing morning/night). I only offered 2-3 oz of milk at breakfast, lunch and dinner and water the rest of the day. For the first 3 months, she only drank about 8-10 oz of milk a day (well below what the docs want), but I figured she would let me know when she wanted more. And she was eating cheese/yogurt/cottage cheese etc. She will now ask for milk over water and drinks anywhere from 15-25 oz a day. As with any change...it takes time and patience. Hang in there!!
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