Do you put his hands on the cup and raise it to his mouth? I have done that with 12 month olds that were exclusively bf if didn't take long for them to figure it out however he is old and if he knows that eventually he will get a bottle he could be just stubborn .... I wouldn't give in .... I don't do bottles here unless there is a medical reason .... But I don't consider "moms paranoia" a medical reason. Once a child is eating all four food groups there is no need for formula .... The longer she waits to take that bottle away the harder it will get .... Most drs will say no bottles after 12 months .