No More Bottles

We are done with bottles! Just in time for his birthday.

I have wanted to get rid of the bottle for awhile but just didn't know how to do it. I researched and asked other moms. Sometimes I felt that I had let it go too long and other times that it wasn't time yet. James was not feeling ready for the change thinking that it would mean there would be no more cuddling. Max has always liked to be rocked and cuddled to sleep and would cuddle for as long as we let him. It used to be that he wanted to be held until he fell asleep but since we got his engine bed he lays down willingly, so the amount of cuddling was left up to us.

Two things have happened recently that made the time right. First of all he finally got some back teeth. For months and months he has had only his front teeth and it has limited what he would eat. Now that he has more teeth he is eating more and more solids.

Secondly, he stopped cuddling. (Well, he stopped cuddling with Dad.) James and I switch off putting Max to bed each night. Recently he has started saying "bed" to James. James will say "cuddle" and he will just keep saying "bed" until James lays him down. Now that Max has stopped cuddling on his own there is even less reason to keep the bottle.

I realized all of this after the fact though. Monday when we were getting ready for his nap all the bottles were dirty and I just thought, "Hey, why not give it a shot and see how he reacts." He was not happy but didn't throw a fit; just a little half-hearted crying. Last night he reacted a bit more strongly but still accepted it without too much crying. This morning he saw the bottles while he was playing in the sink so wanted them for naptime. I had him help me "throw them away" in the garbage and then when he was crying for a bottle I told him that they were yucky. He giggled more and more every time I said it and then stopped asking for a bottle and started saying "uck." The second night he has a much stronger reaction and cried for about half an hour before finally taking a sippy cup. He is still asking for it at naptime and bedtime but is accepting it a little easier each time.

So, now we get to put the bottles away. Usually it makes me a little sad as I put away the clothes he has out-grown but this time I am just excited to put the bottles away.