Transitioning your baby from a bottle to a sippy cup is not always a piece of cake. By the ages between 6 and 9 months, you can probably start transitioning your child to start drinking from a sippy cup. Once your child is 12 months, it is best to stop using the bottle all together. Waiting until your child is 1 year old, makes it more difficult for him to be weaned off.

Because your child may be very attached to his bottle, no matter what his/her age, the thought of taking it away from them from can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help ensure the smoothest possible transition, regardless of any obstacles your child may face.

• Start with a slow and easy approach, replacing one regular bottle feeding with a sippy cup.
• As your baby eats more solid food, the amount of formula or breast milk will naturally decline. He may drink less as he figures out how to use his sippy cup, but he’ll probably take more interest in eating his jarred food, and this is totally normal.
• Don’t always offer juice in a cup and milk in a bottle. Otherwise your child may refuse to drink milk from a cup when you get him off the bottle.
• Get your child used to the idea of no bottles before you actually phase them out. About a week before the big day, tell him that now that he’s such a big boy, it’s time for him to give up his bottle. Remind him every day that soon he’s not going to have bottles anymore. Then physically remove the bottles from the house and let him see that they’re not around.

Getting your child to transition to a sippy cup may involve some trial and error, and in some cases tears. But there is good news! Once you decide on a plan and stick with it, you will get results.