How to Stop Bottle Feeding

Stopping bottle feeding is a difficult task for both the mother and the baby. The child just won’t want to let go off the bottle and the mother would want to start feeding the baby from a glass or a sipper. Almost all mothers ponder over when and how to stop bottle feeding their baby. Since the bottle gives a feeling of normal nursing to the baby, letting go off it can be difficult and stressful. The process takes time and must be done gradually. In the following lines, you will find many useful tips to wean the baby off the bottle, so read on.

The best time to stop the bottle is as soon as the baby starts to sit up. The first step you need to take to wean your baby off the bottle is by keeping the bottle out of sight. Understand that the moment a baby sees the bottle, he will start to cry and demand to be bottle-fed. It may take a couple of days or maybe a couple of weeks before the baby realizes that he is not going to get the bottle anymore. As soon as he starts to feel hungry, he will himself give up and agree to be fed. The child will forget the bottle in a couple of days, once he starts to take food normally.

Once you wean the baby off the bottle, start giving normal food in a stainless steel bowl with a spoon that has blunt edges. This ensures that the gums and teeth of the child are unaffected and don’t get hurt. Stainless steel bowls and spoons can be sterilized unlike plastic bowls, which can be cleaned in only warm water. Some families prefer to use silverware to feed the baby. It does not really matter whether it is silver or steel, as long as it is kept clean and hygienic.

Instead of force feeding the baby, try to make it interesting. Hand him a glass and pose a playful challenge by telling him to drink from it without spilling. Chances are, he might find it interesting and consider this as some game. When he ‘accomplishes the challenge’, praise and acknowledge the accomplishment. Like this, it is much easier to wean a baby off the bottle and in a couple of days he might just forget that he has to drink from the bottle. In case he finds some difficulty, assist him calmly and if he refuses, switch to the bottle temporarily. Try the same activity after a few days in a different way.

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