Battle of the Bottle

There comes a time in every young child's life when they have to give up something they love dearly. Right now, for my little Malia, its the bottle. As she nears the ripe age of 2 in what seems faster than the speed of light (for mom and dad anyway) better to do it now, rather than later. I have read from many different sources, that the younger you do certain things, the easier it is. When you wait, they become more resilient and it becomes more of a challenge for you. Malia has been drinking from a cup with no problem for quite some time now. I believe I started with her around 8 or 9 months old. again, the earlier, the easier. So this is not a challenge in learning to use the cup, its phasing out the bottle that, at times, is a bit hard. we are down to one a day. just after nap time. Shes doing well with it really, but their are times, like this morning, that she has, I guess you could call them withdraws. But, my little Malia, this is what

we call "tough love." You can see from the pictures, she starts out just fine. drinking like a pro. until she decides she wants this milk from a BOTTLE. WAAAHHHH! but momma stays strong, lets her cry it out, and she moves on. Don't feed into the tantrums and they end a lot quicker than if you try to please right away. The bottle is no longer a necessity for her. It hasn't been for a while actually. So its time for her to grow up just a little bit more. As hard as it is, its the right thing to do. Don't baby them, you are only hurting them in the long run!! I'm starting to wonder if the next step for her is potty training? :) I think I will like that one!