Baby needs bottle to fall asleep..HELP

Amy - posted on 08/19/2010

I was in the same boat as you about 3 or 4 weeks ago and I just stopped him cold turkey and the first night he cried but not as long as I thought maybe 15 minutes but I checked on him at 5 min then 10 and then after that he fell asleep then the second night I did it he went straight to sleep and didnt give me any trouble then I had a few rough nights but it has been so worth just completely taking them away he goes to sleep so good now within 5 minutes and most nights doesnt even let out a peep he just rolls over and goes to sleep....I hope things are working out good for you!

Amethyst - posted on 08/05/2010

Thank you everyone for you advice. I am egar to try some things that were posted.

Jackie - posted on 07/29/2010

I slowly diluted down the formula until they were just drinking water. it takes awhile for them to get used to it at first but it does work, and the water doesnt pose such a threat as the formula sittin in their mouth.

Engie - posted on 07/28/2010

Try giving her her last bottle warm. That might knock her out for the night. Or you can try the pacifier.

Laura - posted on 07/27/2010

I give my daughter a bottle at night but not in her bed, she falls asleep while eating and may fidget when i put her down but she tends to shift then fall asleep again. I asked my doc about it at the nine month visit and she said it's ok at this age still. I have not fed her in the middle of the night since she was about four months with the exception of one or two nights when she was sick, just holding her on the couch tends to put her back to bed.

Sara - posted on 07/27/2010

id jus let her cry herself to sleep. if you dont want do that try giving less in the bottle or even switching the bottle for a sipper cup full of water

Jesse - posted on 07/27/2010

I give my 10 month old the last few remaining ounces of milk in his crib at bedtime if he doesn't finish his last bottle for the day. When he's finished I brush his teeth right in the bed (he's got two so far) which is also part of our bedtime routine. He likes the brushing teeth part because I think the soft rubber feels good on his gums. He also has a pacifier but only gets to have it at nap and bedtime.

This is working for us for now and bedtime is fairly tear free. I also leave a 4 ounce bottle of water in the crib with him because he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night for a few more sippies. I used to go in and give it to him but one morning I discovered an empty bottle in his crib and realised he was somehow finding it and helping himself!

Again this works for us as he can now drink whenever he wants in the night and I can get a better night sleep. A happy mommy equals a happy baby!!

We'll be weaning him off the pacifier over the next few weeks because we want him free of it by the time he's one. It will be rough I'm sure!!

Ivy - posted on 07/27/2010

My daughter is/was breast fed (she's teething 4 teeth at the moment so she has refused her night feeding for the last 3 days). She is nearly 17 months old now and I was able to wean her down to evening feed and the occasional early morning feed or feed on demand when she was sick.

I was told not allow my baby to fall asleep by breast but she would cry and stay up for hours until she had her milk. After I couple of days, I quit doing it and breast fed her till she fell asleep. One of the things that helped is that I gave her last solid meal by 9 pm. Truthfully, I aim for 7.30-8. After doing that scheduling and her bath, a little play time, then bed between 9 and 10, then she had settled down.

Within the week, she has been refusing breast milk. Once summer started, I brought up a drink of water for her throughout the night. When she wakes up crying, I give her a drink, change her nappy and cuddle her then put her back to bed. Depending on how thristy she is or if she had a bad dream, I may have to cuddle her longer, but she has settled right down minus the current teething phase but we still follow the same schedule.

I didn't think my daughter would take to the nub straw cups, but after taking a drink to show her how to suck the water through the straw, she only had to see me do it twice and has been fine with them since. She has been using it since she was 13 months old.

If you can, try to give your daughter a bottle an hour before bed then offer her drink from the straw cup. I took bottles away at a year and only offered drinks from her second stage sippy cup or water from my glass until she took to the sippy cup. It is what worked for us, but I had to be persistent and put all the bottles away so she couldn't see them to ask for them.

Tricia - posted on 07/26/2010

I switched my son to the sippy cups that have a straw, so it's the same kind of sucking motion, but only allowed him to have it right before bed, and only water. The first week was ROUGH, but definitely worth it! Now he is 2 1/2 and has been putting himself to sleep since he was 18mos.
Good luck, it will be hard, but if you stick to your guns it can work!

I have also heard that some mom's cut the nipples of the bottles and show them to their kids and say it's "broken" and that way they understand why that can't have it anymore. I did not do this but know other moms that the "broken bottle" thing worked like a charm for them.

Katherine - posted on 07/23/2010

My son gets his bottle before he goes to bed then I lay him down with his pacifier and his blankie. There are nights he will cry for an hour or two before he finally gives in and falls asleep. I'll go in a few times, pick him up calm him down, lay him back down and leave. It can be brutal to listen to, but this really doesn't happen very often. You might just have to suck it up and have some pretty crappy nights while baby cries herself to sleep at night...they do eventually fall asleep, you just have to let them (as hard as it is!!). Good luck!

Tiffany - posted on 07/23/2010

i am in the same boat of you angela, my sone wants one to go to bed and then wakes once in the middle of the night for one. i have tried the crying but have not tried the water yet. I would love to find a way to break this sometime soon. any input helps thanks

Elizabeth - posted on 07/22/2010

I have to give my daughter a bottle for bed, so sometime I don't giver a bottle when she wants it after dinner because then she won't take one at bed... I'm stuck and have no idea how to break the habit! SORRY

Angela - posted on 07/22/2010

i am the same way, my son goes down with a bottle, and even still wakes up in middle of night for one. I have tried everything, letting him cry and cry dont work, and trying water in the bottle- DONT WORK. I am unsure of what to do too!!

Coley - posted on 07/16/2010

My son used to only fall asleep with a bottle while being rocked or cuddled, but I knew I'd have to break him of the habit by the time he cut teeth. The only way to get him to fall asleep without the bottle was to give him a faster-flowing bottle before he got too sleepy, then turn down the lights and noise and let him play with the pillows and crawl around on my bed until he was too tired to stay awake. When he'd had enough (usually 20 minutes?), he would cuddle up to me, then I'd pick him up and he passes out on the way to the crib. The trick is to make sure he has a full enough belly, and get his energy out without stimulating him.

Robyn - posted on 07/16/2010

If she wont finish the bottle before she goes to bed, try to get her to finish it while your holding it for her, then give her a dummy for settling.
My son sometimes likes to take a bottle to bed but I hold it and take it away once he has finished or had enough.
I don't leave him with it.
Its not always a great idea they drink lying down as this can also cause ear infections as the tubes in the ears are short and the milk/mucus can get blocked. I use a dummy, and he just spits it out when he has had enough of it!

Jennifer - posted on 07/16/2010

Have you tried a pacifier? Watering down the bottle? Trying rocking, swaying, swinging her instead? The other problem with bottles, along with tooth decay, is the choking hazard -- they may fall asleep while the milk is still flowing and inhale (aspirate) some of it, which can kill them.

Sandra - posted on 07/15/2010

I am going through the same thing. My daughter will ONLY go to sleep sucking the bottle. I have been trying to figure out how to break this habit. I figure substituting for water is a good idea, but it is not fixing the problem. I would like to know how I can give her her bottle and then later on place her in the crib and have her drift off to sleep on her own. She has never been able to do this. Even during naps she will fall asleep sucking a bottle it has been the only way to get her to nap other than a car ride or a LONG walk.

Good luck I hope we both figure out this and break the habit.

Annette - posted on 07/14/2010

My daughter is the same her dentist told me to stop giving her milk or juice at night, I don't think she is ready maybe after the year mark. We really haven't quit cause she is teething and I rather make her comfortable. She won't take pacifiers either so we sometimes give her water with a little lemon it it she loves it.

Kimberly - posted on 07/14/2010

You are most welcome! I tend to give juice during the day in between formula, baby food. Then just water at night, or if it's a particularly hot day I'll give water during the day too, instead of alot of formula. Don't want it turning sour in his stomach!

Amethyst - posted on 07/14/2010

Thank you so much..We do not use a pacifier. She wont take one. Water is a good idea. I just was unsure about how much water she is able to have on a daily basis. Because sometimes it takes more than one bottle of formula to get her to sleep. Ill give it a try..Thank you again :)

Kimberly - posted on 07/14/2010

Wow, that's a toughy. Does she take a pacifier? I am guilty of letting my kids go to bed with a bottle. As long as you are watchful, and don't let them sleep with it in their mouth... maybe don't put formula or juice in it, just water... it should be ok? Sometimes for our own sanity... it's just better that way! I KNOW! :)