So, I have a bit of a situation. Since switching Tru from the bottle for his milk to the sippy cup for both milk and water, he has lost 2-3 pounds. Pounds which he gained, I believe, because of the breastmilk I was giving him 3+ times a day in his bottle which he chugged right down with no problems. He has been without bottle for almost a month and he still asks for them even though I don’t give them to him at all. I bought him several different kinds of cups… that’s an understatement really. He has a ton of different cups, including the exciting new “Elmo” cup I bought him last week. Soft spout, hard spout, straw, 360 – None of them encourage him to drink his milk any better. I have resorted to making him sit on the couch and drink his milk, but he almost NEVER finishes it and we waste quite a bit of breastmilk which is super not cool. Anyway, Tru was slow to gain weight in the months leading up to having Levi but once Levi was born and I started pumping for Tru, he gained about 8 pounds in 10 months. That was fantastic! He was a great weight and didn’t have any weight to spare. I can see that he lost weight in his face now. So, I’m at a crossroads right now… Do I just give him his milk in the bottle again – I mean, it’s only 3 times a day for a few minutes per time and he gets the calories and milk he needs so he can gain weight and be healthy – or, do I push forward with the socially accepted cups sine he is obviously wayyyyy too old to be taking a bottle, and just hope that he will start drinking his milk from the cups eventually and not lose any more weight? What would you do?
To be completely honest, I would continue to pursue with cups. I took Mackenzie’s bottles away at 1 year and it took her a little while but now she takes the cup just fine. I feel like you’re going to have a bigger battle on your hands if you go back to the bottle now and then try to switch again at some point. Could you try smaller amounts more often to get him to drink so he’s not wasting the milk?
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So, I gave in and let him have a small bottle today. I know I probably should just continue on with the cups because I’m afraid this will always be a battle with him even if I wait longer. But I think maybe I should have cut the bottles off slowly instead of all at once because he is so super stubborn… so I think I will try again starting now, cutting out a bottle at a time. Sigh…. it’s always so hard to know what to do!
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I have a tough-to-gain and tough-to-retain weight toddler and my first priority with him is always to get him to take in calories. I would go back and use the bottle and ignore any social criticism or side eye you may get. Then try again in a few months. But ultimately it is your decision.
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I decided to go back and start over, taking the bottles away slowly, one at a time. It’s not like he’s taking them out in public or anything lol. I think maybe I made a mistake just going cold-turkey with him. I’ll still use the cups for water and offer milk daily I think, but like you said, first priority is calories.
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Good idea to go with your gut on what’s best for him. Hope your new plan works for both of you in the long run!
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I hope so too! Thanks. 🙂
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Have you tried open cups? We took the bottle away around 13 months. It took a few days of adjustment but she seemed to do fine. Maybe reduce the number of bottles gradually. Instead of 3, start with two then go down to 1? But I also know how stressful a low weight kid is. We’ve never gotten past 25% in weight and I feel like 1/2 my day is chasing Harper around offer food.
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I decided to do what you suggested. I’m going back to the bottles and going to slowly cut back. Maybe I’ll just do 2 a day for now and then in a couple weeks, 1 a day. I think I made my mistake by going cold-turkey on him. I’d try an open cup but he has no coordination.
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The doidy cup is good for that 🙂 good luck!
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Gus is a TERRIBLE eater, and has always been on the low end of the weight charts. I used to drive myself crazy about his weight and his food intake. Honestly, one day I just stopped worrying about it. His doctors have never seemed concerned, so I figured why should I. This age is so hard anyway, because they’re so much more active, I think it’s normal for all 2-3yos to thin out a bit.
Some people are just skinny. If he’s active, and happy, and learning new things, and not begging for food and drink, then IMO you’re doing just fine.
I guess my point is, follow your gut and do what feels right. If you don’t care if he drinks from a bottle then give it back to him. If you really DO care, then stick with the cups and see how it goes.
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I decided to go back to bottles (and still use sippy cups too) and cut them back one at a time instead of all at once. The thing is, he really wants them and asks for them a lot. So I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t have cut them all out at once.
And you’re right about him just being skinny. He is and so is his dad. I guess it just freaks me out that he actually lost weight instead of just holding steady. …. who knows!
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I’d stick with cups and look for other ways to add calories, like I’m having to do with V. I had an opened container of heavy whipping cream so I’ve been spiking her milk with that, and focusing on giving her calorie dense foods like peanut butter and avocados. I think I’ve posted some of my methods on my blog this month.
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Those are great ideas. Lucky for me, peanut butter sandwiches are his favorite food right now and we’ve been eating avocados pretty often lately.
I decided that I’m going to let him have 2 bottles a day and still use the sippy cup too and cut the bottles out one at a time instead of going cold-turkey. It just freaks me out for him to lose weight instead of just holding steady.
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I know. It’s such a hard thing as a parent, when we’re hard wired to want our kids to eat and grow. I hope it works out for you.
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I thought my kids would be taking their bottles to school with them and they survived!!!!.
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Thank you! 🙂 that makes me feel better.
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