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Don't worry about it. My mother used to tell me (as she wrestled the ba away from Son # 1) "When he walks across the stage to get his high school diploma, no one is going to ask at what age he was weaned and potty trained!"

She was right, they didn't!

Luckily, both sons' sons (1 1/2 and 8mos.) much prefer the sippy cups, which is a great relief to me. In our families, Grandma (or Mi-mi) is seen as the last resort for bottle, bed and bathroom training. I think it's because I've done it twice and nobody died or required extensive therapy!

If you haven't already tried it, why don't you try giving him only *water* in the bottle. Tell him that if he wants milk (or any other beverages you allow him to drink), he must drink them from a cup.

The idea is to separate the satisfaction of sucking from the taste of the milk.

Since he's two, you might see some real tantrums when you first implement this. Be firm. Be completely consistent. Buy earplugs if necessary. If you are totally consistent, the worst of it should be over in a few days. (And if he's two years old, a couple of days with little or no milk won't do any harm; if it worries you, offer him extra yogurt or cheese to make sure he gets his calcium.)

Of course, whenever he *does* drink from a sippy cup, praise him enthusiastically, especially when he does so without complaining or asking for a bottle.

Once he has come to accept that he only gets water in the bottle, he'll probably lose interest in the bottle altogether. If not, you can phase the bottle out gradually by restricting the bottle to just before naps and bedtime. Then you can eliminate it at naptime, and finally at bedtime. At bedtime, substitute some other soothing activity, like rocking, cuddling, a special tucking-in ritual, and/or a story. (I used this method to wean my oldest son from the pacifier at age three.)

You can also tell your son (if you think he's able to understand) that once he's a "big boy" who doesn't use a bottle anymore, he will get a special reward to celebrate. It doesn't have to be a toy, and it doesn't even have to cost any money - it can be a special outing with Mom or Dad, a play date with friends at his favorite park - anything that he really likes that will help motivate him to cooperate. (Yes, promising a reward helped smooth my 3 year-old's transition away from the pacifier, too.)

Also try to secretly recruit friends and relatives he sees often to praise and encourage him. Sometimes praise is a lot more effective coming from a third party.

If he's really having a tough time giving up the bottle, you might see if his doctor is willing to talk to him about the importance of giving up the bottle. Little kids understand that doctors are authority figures (I guess from seeing their parents ask doctors for advice and take instructions from them), and will often take their instructions more to heart. The downside is that unless you can combine this with a regular checkup, the doctor will probably charge you for an office visit. $$$!

Good luck!