How to transition a toddler from baby bottles to cups
Toddlers often refuse cups and demand baby bottles despite already knowing how to drink from alternative vessels. This stubborn preference frequently leads to intense resistance and decreased fluid intake during the transition process, leaving parents searching for effective strategies.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Go cold turkey by getting rid of all bottles on a Friday to finish the transition by Monday.Did this help you?
- 2modeling straw use by drinking from personal tumblersDid this help you?
- 3trying a Munchkin 360 cup firstDid this help you?
- 4using a squeeze honey bear straw cup to push water upDid this help you?
- 5using Target brand squeeze and sip cupsDid this help you?
- 6leaving the cup near the child throughout the day until they are readyDid this help you?
- 7Trying different types of milk such as A2 milkDid this help you?
- 8Sticking with formula while transitioning to solidsDid this help you?
- 9Giving chocolate milk so the child will drink itDid this help you?
- 10Cold turkey removal of all bottles from the houseDid this help you?
- 11Using straw inserts or nipple adapters inside the familiar bottle to ease the transitionDid this help you?
- 12Letting the child pick out a new regular cup or straw cupDid this help you?
- 13Inventing a 'bottle fairy' to trade bottles for a toyDid this help you?
- 14Skipping sippy cups entirely and using open cups for milk.Did this help you?
- 15Removing or breaking the spill-proof valves inside the cups to make sipping easier.Did this help you?
- 16Poking a small hole in the top of the valve with a finishing nail.Did this help you?
- 17Putting milk in the exact same cup the baby already successfully uses for water.Did this help you?
- 18Providing milk-based foods like porridge to compensate for low liquid milk intake.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“We had to use open cups for milk (and seltzer/occasional juice) and hydroflask for water. My daughter never used sippy cups and only used straw cups on occasion.”source ↗
“Any tips on getting rid of the bottle? 🍼 I had a hard time with my first and now it's time for my second.”source ↗
“He was fine without it and using a straw cup when laying down and has no problem drinking from other cups but always prefers the baby bottle.”source ↗
“While it can lead to extra mess we had to take the valves out of some of the leak proof cups. Or break the valve open so it doesn’t seal as tight.”source ↗
“Did your baby have a slightly difficult time transitioning to whole milk?”source ↗
“once we fully transitioned to milk he refused it and has been refusing it ever since lol.”source ↗
“Yeah mine would get terrible constipation so we gave up and stuck with formula while transitioning to solids”source ↗
“My almost three year old daughter refuses to give up her Dr. Browns bottle. She only drinks water out of it, but refuses to use a sippy cup.”source ↗
“We really want to break this habit but are not sure how.”source ↗
“Baby just turned 12 months, and we are struggling with the sippy cup/bottle transition.”source ↗
“She drinks water consistently out of the Dr Browns straw sippy cup, but when we try to put milk in it she takes a sip and no more.”source ↗
“she can’t tilt it at the right angle to get the milk out and just chews the spout.”source ↗
“I’ve tried the straw and sippy cup version of the munchkin bottles, the straw was too hard for her to sip through and then the sippy cup same issue with the tilt angle being hard for her to get anything out of it.”source ↗
“We we tried cutting them off too, and it seems to be a balance. Sometimes it’s too tough to drink out of and other times it comes out to fast and she sputters”source ↗
“I just poke a small hole in the top with finishing nail. Less mess than totally removing the valve, but there is still some.”source ↗
“We’re currently in the process of transitioning my one year old from bottles to straw cups and it’s going horribly to say the least.”source ↗
“The main issue is she just chews on the straws, for a week now we’ve tried everything we can think, I’ve tried baby birding her by holding the top of the straw and dropping the water/milk in, using different straws and cups and different angles to simulate a bottle feed to get her to grasp she needs to suck and nothings working.”source ↗
“My concern is her fluid intake is obviously decreased even though she’s still urinating so that’s good. I’ve ran out of ideas and could use some help”source ↗
Where this came up
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