How Old Should a Baby Be When Taken Off the Bottle?

Weaning a baby is a gradual process.

9 to 13 Months

Baby Center recommends starting the bottle weaning process at nine months, and having baby completely transitioned by month 13 or 14. Early weaning helps prevent the baby from becoming too attached to the bottle and eliminates the concern of bottle tooth decay.

By 18 Months

Parent Time explains that babies should be weaned from a bottle by 18 months old. Start the weaning process as early as 6 months, and complete the weaning process gradually. Some children may occasionally use a bottle years after being weaned, which is OK.

Bottom Line

Healthy Children, a website by the American Academy of Pediatricians, explains the prevailing consensus. "It is recommended that the bottle be given up entirely at around age one and almost certainly by eighteen months."

References

• Healthy Children: Discontinuing the Bottle
• Parent Time: Weaing your Infant, Baby, or Toddler from the Bottle
• Baby Center: When Should I Transition My Formula Fed Baby From a Bottle to a Cup