@ericguitarman Best advice is to cut formula and bottles with a nipple completely, cold turkey, as soon as they turn 1. It’ll be rough for a couple days but at that age they forget things SO FAST. We did it with the pacifier too at 13 months and she forgot about it within 2 days.
1 year mark
- Thread starter ericguitarman
- Start date
jesusloveselonmusk
New member
@ericguitarman We first started offering cows milk with meals. He was still having his regular formula in am/pm, naptime and occasionally as an evening snack. He started preferring meals over milk so we just weaned back on formula following his lead. He always seemed sensitive to dairy and was on hypoallergenic formula for the first year so I didn’t want to make the switch to cows milk cold turkey.
He tolerated cows milk very well, we ran out of formula and I just started offering cows milk instead. He loves it. Now we’re at 14 months and he drinks 3 “bottles” a day of cows milk (we offer it with a sippy straw now - dr browns).
He’s drinking less milk as he starts eating more solid food. Our goal is to cut out “bottles” and just offer milk with meals.
My son is also very attached to his pacifier. Currently we use it at sleep time only. I plan to ditch that soon because I feel that it impedes his speech development during the day, and I worry about his teeth.
Everyone does it differently. Some “rip off the bandaid” and some ease into it lol. You will figure out what is best for you.
He tolerated cows milk very well, we ran out of formula and I just started offering cows milk instead. He loves it. Now we’re at 14 months and he drinks 3 “bottles” a day of cows milk (we offer it with a sippy straw now - dr browns).
He’s drinking less milk as he starts eating more solid food. Our goal is to cut out “bottles” and just offer milk with meals.
My son is also very attached to his pacifier. Currently we use it at sleep time only. I plan to ditch that soon because I feel that it impedes his speech development during the day, and I worry about his teeth.
Everyone does it differently. Some “rip off the bandaid” and some ease into it lol. You will figure out what is best for you.
@ericguitarman For me it was 18-24 months when the clouds finally parted. My kid could communicate her needs more efficiently so there was less frustration, and it felt like the reward-to-work ratio tilted a bit more in our favor. We got more hugs, cuddles, and fun play which made all the other things more worth it. For me, every month just gets better and better. We’re between at 2.5 years now and I feel happier by the week. I look at pictures from 2 years ago and I would never want to swap places. I did not enjoy being a baby mom but I love being a toddler/kid mom. You may be similar and I hope things get better soon 
ericguitarman
New member
unseenunknown
New member
@ericguitarman To me it was the amount of rapid change that happens in the first year. Change in feeding habits, sleep, naps, etc. was constant and brutal. It felt like as soon as I figured out something that “worked” it didn’t work anymore lol. After a year those things still happen, but are much more spread out!
praisebetohisnoodliness
New member
@ericguitarman My daughter turned 14 months a few days ago, and while a lot improved since 12 months, so much more stress has been added to our day-to-day life.
My baby - bless her tiny angry body - is so headstrong. We’ve had temper tantrums during feeds and diaper changes since 8-9 months and it is unfortunately not letting up anytime soon. Feedings have become increasingly better the past few months, but DIAPER CHANGES? She knows what the word diaper means now, stiffens, and when I stand at the door to the bathroom she SCREAMS with her full mf chest.
Oh, and the screams don’t stop at changes. Oh no, she screams at everything she dislikes. She hates getting dressed, she hates standing with her shoes on, she hates when I tell her no, and I have a constant sound of her screaming in my head once her head hits the pillow. And I try and I try and I try not to get too fed-up because she also babbles and smiles and laughs and is walking so confidently and she wants to hang out with me and I can tell she loves me so so so much, BUT MAN 2024 has become The Year of The Screams.
I hope to God she becomes cuddly sometime soon, because she pulls away when we kiss and hug her unless it’s on her terms. Little shit, I love her so much. I’m feeling so hopeful with everyone in the comments and your stories on when your babies after 16 months became wonderful little creatures, and not just angry goblins you feed a fridgeful of fruit to.
Edit: Forgot to mention NAPS, oh my GOD. Baby slept through the night and only took 30min contact naps until 8 months then it went to shit until 12 months. Now she sleeps through the night, and she takes 1 nap a day appr. 1-2.5 hours. Fanfuckingtastic for her and my mental health lol
My baby - bless her tiny angry body - is so headstrong. We’ve had temper tantrums during feeds and diaper changes since 8-9 months and it is unfortunately not letting up anytime soon. Feedings have become increasingly better the past few months, but DIAPER CHANGES? She knows what the word diaper means now, stiffens, and when I stand at the door to the bathroom she SCREAMS with her full mf chest.
Oh, and the screams don’t stop at changes. Oh no, she screams at everything she dislikes. She hates getting dressed, she hates standing with her shoes on, she hates when I tell her no, and I have a constant sound of her screaming in my head once her head hits the pillow. And I try and I try and I try not to get too fed-up because she also babbles and smiles and laughs and is walking so confidently and she wants to hang out with me and I can tell she loves me so so so much, BUT MAN 2024 has become The Year of The Screams.
I hope to God she becomes cuddly sometime soon, because she pulls away when we kiss and hug her unless it’s on her terms. Little shit, I love her so much. I’m feeling so hopeful with everyone in the comments and your stories on when your babies after 16 months became wonderful little creatures, and not just angry goblins you feed a fridgeful of fruit to.
Edit: Forgot to mention NAPS, oh my GOD. Baby slept through the night and only took 30min contact naps until 8 months then it went to shit until 12 months. Now she sleeps through the night, and she takes 1 nap a day appr. 1-2.5 hours. Fanfuckingtastic for her and my mental health lol
@ericguitarman I'm not trying to be a wet blanket but this is just not true for every kid. My daughter got more challenging around one year. She walked at 14 months, talked at 15 months, and I read later the pre-walking phase makes some babies very moody -- definitely true with her. (Source https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993...oll-the-pre-walking-stage-takes-on-your-baby/ )
She mellowed out again around 18 months and continued to be zen like until age 3.5, then all hell broke loose.
She mellowed out again around 18 months and continued to be zen like until age 3.5, then all hell broke loose.
paphnutios
New member
@ericguitarman One year is when we generally started sleeping through the night again! I feel like feeding him also got a lot easier.
He's not walking yet but he's super mobile and that can be a bit of a challenge.
He's not walking yet but he's super mobile and that can be a bit of a challenge.
@ericguitarman I find it gets easier and then harder and then easier and then harder and so on forever.
@ericguitarman For me 6-18 months was tough. Now my daughter is almost 22 months and she can communicate much better. The messes are worse, there are tantrums now, and some other things so I wouldn’t call it easy. I have enjoyed it much more, though. Playing with her and seeing her personality come out is my favorite thing in the world!
kalenebari
New member
@ericguitarman I switched my kid to a sippy cup the minute she turned one. No more bottles to wash! Was fantastic. But I personally think the first year was the easiest. It gets harder in different ways as they get older. I’m now dealing with an about to be 13 year old and fondly remembering all the previous years and stages
@ericguitarman I always tell my partner we trade one evil for another 
Mines 2.5 now and although this age has its big challenges, this is my favourite age by far!
Mines 2.5 now and although this age has its big challenges, this is my favourite age by far!@ericguitarman Hopefully at 4. I'm still utterly exhausted and burnt out and he's 3.5 years
katrina2017
New member
@ericguitarman I don’t know about “much” easier at one. Walking means more independence but more parental vigilance needed.
Two, yeah quite a bit. Three, yes definitely. I remember seeking out the same comfort too. I wanted a magic number, but every kid is different and the things you find hard are different. But overall, it’s so much better! -mom of 3.5 year old
Two, yeah quite a bit. Three, yes definitely. I remember seeking out the same comfort too. I wanted a magic number, but every kid is different and the things you find hard are different. But overall, it’s so much better! -mom of 3.5 year old
sweetzybitz
New member
@ericguitarman Definitely depends on your child’s personality and yours. I had a really hard time in the infant and baby phase. The closer we inched toward the one year mark the easier it got for me. We had an early walker and once that happened I found myself enjoying things more. It came with a lot of new challenges, though. She’s almost 2 now and I can confirm that nothing has necessarily gotten “easier”, just different. More fun for sure!
@ericguitarman I remember distinctly that 15 months felt like I could breathe again.
@ericguitarman She's starting to communicate her needs more often and clearly. Be it with talking, pointing or signing.
Dropping to one long nap a day. You get time to do stuff AND twenty minutes to chill.
They're learning so much so quickly so when you have a bad day they will do something which is amazing and positive and you end up latching into that.
Bad side though is potential tantrums...
Dropping to one long nap a day. You get time to do stuff AND twenty minutes to chill.
They're learning so much so quickly so when you have a bad day they will do something which is amazing and positive and you end up latching into that.
Bad side though is potential tantrums...
@ericguitarman I found it easier to plan once mine was on one nap (that was a little over a year though). Mine also finally started playing with toys at about a year and had an attention span longer than 3 seconds. Personality really starts coming out after 12 mos imo so they become a lot more fun. Once they can walk, that agitation about being able to move when they want and where they want (which, for mine was from about 6-11 months) is gone.
I felt like there was a little golden period between 12 and 18 months. There's still a lot that's hard, like for my clingy little guy it was the constant picking up and putting down because he couldn't decide between wanting to walk and wanting to be held lol
I felt like there was a little golden period between 12 and 18 months. There's still a lot that's hard, like for my clingy little guy it was the constant picking up and putting down because he couldn't decide between wanting to walk and wanting to be held lol
@ericguitarman She was 3 when I finally found my stride.
@ericguitarman I think every stage has easier and more difficult parts. My daughter is 2 now and what makes it easier is she can talk and tells us more of her needs. She is super fun to take places and we don’t have to bring as much baby stuff. What is harder is she takes forever to go to sleep as a toddler and she has random big mood swings out of nowhere. I find age 2 is a lot of fun and I love hearing the funny things she says! They change so fast and keep us on our toes!!