Weaning Confusion

cmyagelo

At my son's 9-month appointment, the doctor told us that she would like to see him off of bottles by his 1-year appointment.

Some background:  He is just shy of 10 months and he is getting 4 6-ounce bottles per day, plus nursing first thing in the morning and at bed time.  He doesn't always finish the bottles, so he probably averages around 25 ounces/day of formula and BM.  He also eats two servings of cereal a day, pureed veggies and fruits, and small amounts of Cheerios, yogurt melts, etc.

I'm confused as to why he is supposed to be on sippys by his first birthday if the general recommendation is to BF for one year... Any thoughts?  This may just be a difference in opinion between me and his doctor.

Second question... We've been slowly introducing sippys with his solid food.  He seems to understand that he needs to suck in order for the liquid to come out, but he won't do it unless I am holding it.  Otherwise, he chews on it like it's a teether toy.  We've just been putting water in the cup so far... How do we get him to drink on his own?  Would switching to a straw-type sippy help?

Thanks!