How to Plan and Host a Weaning Bottle Party

By Jacqueline Harris

This is a special event in your little one's life and in yours. It is time to say goodbye to that faithful companion, the bottle and welcome the new friend, cup. One way to really make the transition a "keeper" for the entire family is to have a Weaning Bottle Party.

This is a great idea to celebrate not only your baby becoming a child, but the end of washing that bottle out, or finding where it went or replacing nipples! This weaning process represents freedom for you as well as a new milestone for your little one.

The Party Planning

Start at least 10 nights before "the night" - party night.

Tell your little one, soon to be "big girl" or "big boy" that they will be having a weaning party. Make sure that they fully understand that this party is to celebrate that they can drink all by themselves from a cup and not use the bottle anymore. They are saying goodbye to the bottle and saying hello to the cup.

Use a calendar in their bedroom or kitchen to mark the days (countdown) from day 10 down to day 1

Send out party invites to their friends, play group or neighbors and family.

Buy party favors (decorated plastic cups, or character cups for all the kids) or maybe have prizes or age appropriate candy in the cups.

On day one make it special that they are using the bottle for the very last time. Maybe take a picture.

After your child is asleep on night one - take ALL bottles and put them away out of sight (in a box or bag) so that when your child wakes up on Weaning Bottle Party Day, there are NO bottles in sight! After one week of successful weaning post-party you can either throw out all the bottles or give them away (do this out of your little one’s sight).

Remind your child that it is bottle weaning party day and that soon his/her friends will be over for the party to celebrate with them.

Let your child know how proud you are and how much they have grown. Remind them of all the fun things they can do now that they could not do when they were first born. Show them pictures of them as a newborn and let him/her see and express how they feel about baby - them and big girl/big boy - them.

Bottle Weaning Party Day

Use the cup for all drinking. Make the cup a special cup (favorite color, favorite character etc.). Serve his/her favorite beverages all day. Remind them about the bottle weaning party.

Party time! Your guests have arrived. Have games to play, decorate some plastic cups or decorate them ahead of time or buy specially designed cups or just colored cups for the party. You can fill them with something special or just use them at the party for the kids to drink from. You can have a special cup for each of the guests to take home with them.

Have cake or snacks at the party and games for the kids. Have photographs books displayed for everyone to see how big your child has grown.

Make that first bedtime special with extra snuggle time or a favorite bedtime story. Enjoy that first night of bottle weaning time. Your baby is growing up and will be doing plenty of new things, special occasions and before you know it they will be grown. Enjoy holding them and sharing these special moments with them.