Getting rid of bottle?
My son needs a bottle to go to sleep at night. We give it to him and he drinks it in his crib by himself and then goes to sleep. He won't sleep without the bottle. How can we break this habit? I know it's bad for him.
My son needs a bottle to go to sleep at night. We give it to him and he drinks it in his crib by himself and then goes to sleep. He won't sleep without the bottle. How can we break this habit? I know it's bad for him.
Kim S
Favorite Answer
Hi, I have 4 boys ranging from almost 25, to a few days awy from 4. The first 3 everything was cold turkey, potty training started at 1, pushing everything. Well, things were miserable, so with my youngest and final baby I decided to do what *I* felt was best for him, not what my mom did or I was told 25 years ago. For my little one the night bottle was the last of the bottles. I gave him sippy cup only in the day time, then at night I started giving him 4oz instead of 8. Then I started giving him cold milk instead of warm. Then I started giving him 2oz, then water. It got to where he wasn't missing out on much and might have fussed a tiny bit for 2 nights. But I just started reading him stories to occupy his mind. I'm not sure how old your son is but mine was probably around 2 when he stopped the night bottle. He is THE most well adjusted child I have ever seen. Just brush your sons teeth in the morning and they should be fine.
Tiffany
first you shouldnt be giving a baby a bottle and letting him fall asleep with it. that can mess up their teeth.
Here is what i copied from babycenter.com
If the bedtime bottle seems harmless to you, consider that prolonging this habit can affect your baby's ability to learn to fall asleep on his own. The longer you offer the bedtime bottle, the more attached your baby will become to it, and he won't be able to fall asleep without it.
And once your baby has teeth, bedtime bottles of milk can also lead to tooth decay. Milk tends to pool in the mouths of sleeping babies, creating ample time for the natural sugars in the milk to attack your baby's teeth.
Aim to get the bedtime bottle of milk completely out of your child's life by the time he's 12 to 18 months old. It can be a tough habit to break, but rest easy knowing your baby doesn't need the calories in the milk. By 12 months your child should be getting all his nutritional needs met with his daytime meals. Try giving your baby other comfort objects at night, such as a favorite blanket or stuffed toy.
Tip: To ease your baby off his bedtime bottle, cut the amount of milk or formula in the bottle gradually, by an ounce or two each night. You can also try switching to water. Water doesn't cause tooth decay.
dragonrider707
Actually he will sleep without the bottle..he just doesnt want to. If he is less than 2 I wouldnt worry too much...he will grow out of it. What I did with my daughter is wait until the nipple (teat) is shot and then tell him it's broken. Have him throw it away and take him to buy a big boy cup. He will still have a cow that night but remind him the bottle is broken and gone...he will sleep eventually. It might take him a few nights to get over it but he will.
JLee
with my oldest son I started out giving him only his sippy cup during the day and his bottle at night...then when he is really good with the sippy just switch it out completely and dont give in ...no more bottle whatsoever! It will be tough at first, but only put him to bed when you can see he is exhausted till he gets used to no more "baba"..........
my oldest son who is now 2 and a half takes his sippy cup of water to bed every night and gets a drink if he needs one...during the day he drinks out of regular cups, but at night the sippy is nice for no spills!!! I for one always offer a drink at night because I have to get up and get some water in the middle of the night quite often so I cannot deny my children
Anonymous
Take all the bottles away. Don't leave any in your house. Give him a sippy cup with water in it at night. He might fuss for the first few nights but he'll get over it......