Breaking the bedtime bottle

Caroline - posted on 02/12/2010

With my 17 daughter, I just reduce the amount of milk in the bottle evevy 2 days, ounce by ounce, and when I have only one after two days I never gave her bottle again. She cry a bit the first days but she's ok with the new situation now.

Christine - posted on 02/10/2010

I started with putting water in his afternoon bottle and now he don't have it any more. I haven't done the night bottle yet. I guess it is about time. it's the bottle he is attached to not the milk. he drinks milk during the day in a cup.

Kendall - posted on 02/10/2010

wow i never had this problem b/c i never sent my daughter to bed w/ a bottle, the only thing i can suggest is maybe changing to a pacifier if she doesnt already have one. if that doesnt work, just taking it away and making her cry it out for a few nights should work but it will be harder on you then her, so expect some crying. sorry not too helpful my daughter also was off the bottle by 13 months old.

Catheryne - posted on 02/09/2010

Just sharing how i did it.... My son hasn't had a milk bottle since he was 12 months but it was a little difficult to ween him to begin with...i gave him his milk during the day from a sippy cup (and as long as he is getting other sources of dairy do not be worried if she doesn't drink a lot from it). then he had his bedtime bottle before he went to bed...then i let him sit quietly (reading or singing songs) and then put him to bed, and if he woke during the night i would give him a drink bottle of water. It is all about consistency and repetition. so whatever you choose to do keep it up and you'll do great. it may take a little while for her to come around to the idea but she will. and there is noting wrong with sending her to bed with her drink bottle of water (without the nipple teats) for a little while and in time you can send her without it. P.s. if she doesn't have a dummy she may actually be using it to settle herself to sleep by sucking on it.

Marie - posted on 02/08/2010

I have twin 17 month old boys. And What I did was I got them the cup that looks like a bottle and I would give them that. When they broke the nipple part I got the hard sippy cups and I give them one cup of milk right after their bath and then it is bed time. If they ask for anything in the middle of the night they get a cup with water.

Renee - posted on 02/08/2010

just do it it wont be anywhere as bed as you perceive. Perhaps give a sippy cup of milk before bed and then send her on her way. It all a process. - they say three days but i have found its usually a little longer!! Its not good for her teeth to still have a bottle. Just be brave, you can do it!! It willbe better for all of you!!

Latasha - posted on 02/08/2010

I also have a 17 month old and I'm having the same pronlem. He will drink from his sippy cup all day long, but when it comes time for him to go to sleep he has to have his bottle of milk. It seem like the only thing to calm him down at bedtime.

Ashley - posted on 02/08/2010

I have been trying different things i have Tryed different things, so im going to try and do what you did Angie. But the BIG problem is that if i leave her in her bed to cry herself to sleep she will end up throwing up. and if i wait any longer im so going to be poop out of luck. someone also told me that worm water in the bottle works to but its back to the bottle thing. My daughter is very smart and knows how i work. I NEED help with this,

Angie - posted on 02/07/2010

If you take her off the bottle and try to replace it with a pacy you are starting a new problem. With my daughter I took her bottle away all day but bedtime for 2 weeks, then I took it away all together. She cried herself to sleep the first night, but realized I was not giving it back. She never liked milk in her cuppie. So She wouldnt drink the milk at all for awhile, so I talked to her Doctor, She told me to just keep giving it to her, and start giving her cheese. As long as it didnt stop her up, give her as much as she wants. So I buy the string cheese and She loves it. Then I was told about the Strawberry in the milk, I put a very little, guess what she dowed it. So I did that a slowly started to put less and less. Now She will drink it with no problems, and loves cheese. lol She will even tell me "Mama shesse" lol so cute. I dont know if this helps, but my doctor says the longer you wait the worst it is. She also told me to just let them cry, and adventually they will know your not giving in to them.

Briana - posted on 02/07/2010

i just stopped giving my little boy his milk at night in bed and now he doesnt ask for it or even want it when i offer it to him. he is only having one milk a day at breakfast and getting him to drink that now is a struggle.

Ashley - posted on 02/05/2010

Im having a hard time with the bottle in bed thing. I have been trying to do it for the past week. Everytime i put her in bed she drinks all the milk, and starts crying. If i leave her there she crys so hard that she throws up the milk. i don't know what to do. im trying to break habbits but this one does seam like it wants to work out for me. I need someone to give me some adivice im stuck.

Olivia - posted on 02/04/2010

I had this issue with my first born and my second was on the way. What I did was give him a cup when he woke up. He fussed for awhile, but it wasn't a big struggle (and he's pretty stubborn)...and very soon after, he realized he wasn't getting a bottle and he stopped waking up for it. He also had a pacifier which helped too though. Good luck.

Rebecca - posted on 02/04/2010

You could try switching the bottle out for a pacifier. Or you could start with no bottle at naptime and just let her cry it out until she goes to sleep. It's going to be a tough habit to break but, before you know it, she'll be past it and you won't even remember that she went to bed with a bottle. =) If she's starting to get all her teeth in, it would be good to not have milk/juice in the bottle because of the sugars in them. It won't be good for her teeth.

Nikki - posted on 02/03/2010

check the calender and see when a new moon is it will be easy to break them from the bottle

Marta - posted on 02/03/2010

My doctor suggested giving my daughter her milk in a sippy cup with a little bit of strawberry or chocolate syrup an hour or so before bed then give her a bottle with water at night. Slowly cut back on the amount of syrup you put in it. It worked well and she didn't like the water in her bottle so she doesn't get up at night to drink. the syrup doesn't really add too much sugar and it's important to start with very little and then cut it out completely. Don't forget to brush their teeth!

Robin - posted on 02/03/2010

My son is 18 months old, we just start givin up his bottle his past week. One nite I gave him his milk in a sippy cup, he only drank an ounce of it, and he cryed himself to sleep that nite, but i keeped givin him his milk in the cup the next day and he just took it, guess i have an easy child, but keep at it, dont give in threw the tears, she will eventually get the message, bottle is gone, a bit of cryin wont hurt, she will stop after awhile, good luck!!

Melissa - posted on 02/02/2010

give her a bottle with her last meal, when putting her up to bed just dont give her one, she wont be happy and will propably cry for the first few times but stick it out and in bout a week she wont be looking for it

Marlana - posted on 02/02/2010

I would keep trying the sippy cup and eventually she will get us to drinking out of it. I would also give her the milk an hour before you put her to bed and keep that up every night and she will also get us to that. I started both my kids on sippy cups at 6months so they were both off a bottle by 10 months old. After 12 months kids get very attached so just be consistent and she will learn.

Samantha - posted on 02/02/2010

I have 17mth old twin boys, still drinking milk out of a bottle for bedtime, I started giving their milk 6pm so it's all gone before going to bed. They weren't too impressed with the milk so early to begin with but have gotten used to it. Won't give up on the bottle though, actually launch it across the room when they realise milk out of a cup. It's one drink in the day and milks good for them so not too worried. All takes time, no need to rush the stages of there wonderful lives I say!!

Thandiwe - posted on 02/01/2010

I'm having the same problem. My baby drinks 2 bottle throughout the night. She won't even drink her milk from a sippy cup. She ONLY drinks MILK in her BOTTLE. She doesn't drink milk during the day but fusses at night for her bottle.

Mary - posted on 01/24/2010

YOu could try giving your daughter her bottle first,then putting her to bed straight when she's finished, just be consistent because it will only be a week then she will be used to it..