You will find that Chinese baby bottles are simple, “straight” bottles, usually with very large holes cut in the nipples, so that the babies simply swallow rather than actually sucking.  Plan to pack small sewing or first aid scissors with your checked luggage in order to enlarge the nipple holes.  We first cut large holes in our American, sized four nipples.  Then we transitioned to nipples cut with an X, then a single slit and then, finally, American sized four nipples with no alterations.  It’s a pain to keep purchasing new baby nipples, but our daughter did finally learn to suck.

Most American parents bring one container of American formula with them to China.  They also purchase Chinese formula once they discover the brand of formula the SWI uses.  The new parents gradually transition to American formula by slowly altering percentages — some more leisurely than others, depending upon the level of objections from the child.  Most babies transition to American formula within one or two weeks, but some, like our Tongginator, take several weeks longer.  If you pack American formula, do not repackage the container as it can lead to bacteria growth.  It is tempting because the package consumes so much space in the already crammed luggage, but it is not wise.  If you opt to avoid purchasing Chinese formula, as some do, you could instead add one teaspoon of table sugar for every six ounces of formula for the first few days and then gradually reduce this amount: most babies are off added-sugar within a week or two.  As an aside, many parents choose to bring soy-based formulas such as Prosobee or Isomil because an estimated 11% of Chinese infants are lactose intolerant.

Since most older babies drink the “thickened” formula with rice flakes, you might also need to purchase Chinese rice flakes once you arrive in China.  As with the sugar, simply gradually reduce the amount of rice flakes added to each bottle until the bottle is straight formula.  Most babies transition easily if the change is gradual over one or two weeks.  If your child struggles, as our daughter did, with oral defensiveness, oral-motor low muscle tone, dysphagia (an ability to or difficulty in swallowing) and/or orofacial myofunctional disorder (including tongue thrust and tongue chewing), consider contacting your state’s early intervention program.  They can connect you with a speech therapist or occupational therapist trained in oral therapy.

Older babies in foster care probably received table food appropriate to their developmental stage.  They will expect to eat from your plate rather than from baby food jars and baby cereal.  Most of the older babies and toddlers, whether in foster care or an orphanage, love steamed tofu (called bean curd by the Chinese), congee, steamed eggs/ egg custard, noodles and various broths.  Many also love softer fruits such as watermelon and mashed bananas.  As for baby food and snacks: Chinese grocery stores have many options — just bring a translator or prepare to “read” the pictures.  You may wish to pack a few bags of pitted, soft prunes – which can be a tad difficult to find – because some of the children become mildly constipated due to travel, diet change and grief.  Every hotel room we stayed in contained one electric kettle, so you can mash up the prunes after softening them with hot water if your baby is younger.

Speaking of grief and the transition … most newly adopted babies do not eat well the first 24 to 72 hours.  Babies and toddlers, no matter how young, attach to people and routines.  When those primary care-givers or scheduled routines change, the children express their grief, anger and confusion not only through sobbing or shell-shocked reactions, but also through refusing to eat and sleep disturbances.  Your child may also experience difficulties feeding because she isn’t used to close contact (touch and eye contact) during mealtimes. If you find your child has difficulty during the first few days of the transition, be patient and remember that your new daughter will eat when she grows hungry enough, usually within the first two days.

But, alas, I had to throw out the bottle otherwise Gus might be heading to school still drinking out of a bottle. Yes, he is THAT attached to his “na-na”.

At first I considered transitioning Gus from a baby bottle to a bottle that ZRecsmom recommended to me via Twitter; The PECS Trainer Cup. But the more I thought about it and the more I talked to people the more convinced I became that Gus just needed to join BA (Bottles Anonymous) and go cold turkey. So, we did…on Thursday. And he hasn’t had a drink since. Of anything (okay, he did take a few sips of juice from a sippy but he certainly won’t touch his milk).

But, I have hope for him.

He can’t hold out forever, can he?

He can? hmmm

Ten tips for weaning the bottle…

1. Keep meals and snack times consistent so they are hungry and place the new sippy at the table so they know it is there for them if they are thirsty.
2. Keep distraction minimal. Don’t start this when he/she is sick, when traveling, or when moving.
3. Don’t use the bottle as a toy or a pacifier. It may be too late for this and it will probably make for a harder transition.
4. Introduce a new sense of security (babies often use the bottle as security, right?). Add a new animal, a toy, a blankie.
5. Wean to a sippy or transition.
6. Stick to your plan.
7. Remove temptation and show them this. I showed him I threw the bottles away and showed him they are no longer in the cabinets. Did I really throw them away? No, but he thinks they are all gone.
8. Encourage them when they do drink out of the new cups and make it a “party”.
9. If you don’t go cold turkey, give the least desired liquid in the bottle and most desired in the sippy.
10. Try different sippy cups and even let him choose the ones he wants. We purchased 10 oz Sports Sipper, Boy Colors,
which are BPA free.

And, don’t worry. Apparently, they will drink when they are thirsty just like they eat when they are hungry. All you can do is lead them to the water (or in this case, the sippy).