This is a question every parent wonders about as their baby grows up. Whether you have started introducing solids or your child refuses to go to bed without a bottle in the evening, you are wondering up to what age you should give your child a bottle. As is often the case, there is no precise answer to this question, but several tips can guide your thinking.
SUMMARY:
- The bottle, a practical and reassuring object
- At what age can a baby drink from a cup?
- How to help your baby discover other containers?
- The sippy cup as a transition between the bottle and the cup
- Why switch from bottle to cup?
- In conclusion, there's no set age to stop the bottle
The bottle, a practical and reassuring object
A bottle is practical. It fits comfortably in a hand and slips right into mom’s bag. It’s full of nutritious milk, it doesn’t break when it falls (especially if it’s made of soft silicone 😉), and it’s almost always available. For babies fed with formula or for moms who choose mixed feeding and pumping, the bottle is the simplest, safest, and truly indispensable accessory for feeding up to eight times a day.
But, for most children, the bottle is also a very comforting object. Alongside the pacifier and favorite cuddly toy, it is one of the essentials your baby can’t do without and is always within arm's reach. In case of big distress, it becomes a source of comfort, and sometimes it’s behind that bottle that little ones hide when they need reassurance.
Finally, no pediatrician forbids the bottle after a certain age. The best way to gradually move away from it is to let your child manage their own needs and attachment. At the same time, you can regularly offer alternatives as a transition.
At what age can a baby drink from a cup?
Again, there is not really a strict age by which a child should be able to drink from a cup. Age one is considered a reasonable average, but it varies based on habits and skills. To introduce it, you can try occasionally or leave both the bottle and the cup available to your child.
How to help your baby discover other containers?
From one year old, especially if your child attends daycare or a childcare center, it may be beneficial to introduce containers other than the bottle, if only to diversify experiences. Of course, the bottle can remain available to avoid a change that is too abrupt, which could backfire and have the opposite effect you hoped for.
- Offer a cup, a straw, a mug, or a sippy cup and leave it, like the bottle, out in the open and within easy reach on the table.
- Have breakfast together as often as possible, with your youngest seated in their high chair. That way, they will see you eating and drinking using different utensils.
- Introduce other foods, such as very ripe fruits, for example, and see if your child is tempted to taste them.
To ensure this introduction goes smoothly, you can first offer the container empty so your child can discover its shape, feel its weight and texture, and try holding it… Then, between meals, when milk or water is less urgently needed, offer a small trial.
The sippy cup as a transition between the bottle and the cup
Among the various utensils to offer your child, the sippy cup can be an excellent alternative for a gentle transition from the bottle to the cup. To make things easier for you and your baby, at Élhée we wanted a soft and unbreakable sippy cup made from medical-grade silicone, like our bibRond. A customizable sippy cup thanks to its various elements that can be interchanged with the complete range. A sippy cup for babies that is practical and easy to use, with its anti-leak suction spout, which is also compatible with our bibRonds.
With the Bubble sippy cup for babies, your child can drink their milk, hydrate with water, or taste their first pressed fruit juices. Like the bibRond, you can also use Bubble as a container for baby food (the sippy cup is dishwasher and hot-water bath safe 😉).
Why switch from bottle to cup?
There really is no age limit for switching your baby from the bottle to a cup. Likewise, there is no real reason your child must stop using a bottle unless they want to. Rather than switching from bottle to cup, it’s mainly, at certain points, about transitioning from milk to water.
- Encourage dietary diversity
Once the introduction of solid foods has started, pediatrician recommendations hover around about 17 oz (500 ml) of milk a day. So, to go from 30 oz (900 ml) of milk up to 6 months, to 20 oz (600 ml) after 6 months, you need to drop at least one large 11 oz (330 ml) bottle or two small 5 oz (150 ml) bottles. This is the perfect time to gradually replace a bottle-fed meal with a solid meal.
- Establish dental hygiene
Every time your child falls asleep with their bottle, milk coats their teeth. Meanwhile, formula and breast milk contain natural sugars that can encourage the development of bottle syndrome or bottle tooth decay. Whether you keep the evening bottle or replace it with a solid meal, it’s a good idea to start brushing teeth as early as possible. That doesn't prevent your child from taking a bottle of water to bed, or even a training bottle with an anti-leak spout to help avoid small accidents.
- Foster independence
According to pediatricians, the longer it goes on, the harder it is for a child to let go of their bottle. But at daycare, and especially in preschool, bottles are no longer part of the routine. Introducing a cup or mug a few months before the start of school can really help your child get used to it and cope more easily.
In conclusion, there's no set age to stop the bottle
That's right: there’s no official age to stop using bottles! Nine months according to the books, but more like two or three years in reality—ultimately, it’s your baby who decides according to their own pace and needs. If you give them the time, they will show you when they’re ready to give up one, then two, and finally all their bottles.
Keep in mind that the morning and evening bottles are the most ingrained. Trust your child. Slowly but surely, in the course of a natural transition, weaning from the bottle will happen at your child’s own pace, as they take their first steps toward independence.
