Check out these tips for weaning your child from the bottle with little fuss!

1.Give your baby a plastic cup to hold and play with from an early age 3-6 months. You are setting the stage for drinking!

2. By the time your childs is 8 months old, give them a sippy cup for use during one meal. Don't fill it up, but let them drink some juice or milk from it every day. Start with one meal each dayy, and after a week, add the cup to another meal. Don't get rid of the bottle all at once; gradually substitue the sippy cup over time.

3. Teach you child how to handle the cup by showing them. Hold the cup for them at first, so they only get a little liquid and can practive drinking without choking on it. Cups are different from bottles, and your child needs to learn cup drinking skills with your help.

4. Don't throw bottle away completely. Sometimes, children need to bottle for sleeping or quiet playtime. Let an occasional bottle comfort your child. But once you've subsituted a sippy cup for any feeding or snack, don't replace it with the bottle. Keep the bottle for special needs.

5. Don't rush. You may get your child 85% weaned, and worky about giving them a bottle at night. (Once your baby has teeth, bottles for napping or sleeping should only have water; milk or juice can cause tooth decay. Sucking is a primal instinct; sometimes need to suck to feel soothed. Don't throw out something that can help your child feel secure; some children may use bottles occasionally for three years after weaning.