help me take away the last bottle!

joyco

I don't know how to do it.  I worry they haven't gotten enough milk during the day, so when we give them that last bottle at around 8p, they will drink about 10 ounces each.

Here's what we're doing currently:

7-7:30a-wake up

7:45a-straw cup w/ milk (probably 6 or 7 ounces) and breakfast in their high chairs

10:30/11a-first nap

12p-straw cup w/ milk (again, 6 or 7 ounces) and lunch in their high chairs

3p-sometimes a 2nd nap.  if I'm lucky

4:30/5p-snack and straw cup of milk (about 5 ounces, unless they want more) in their high chairs

6:30/7p-dinner in high chairs with Jay and I at the table

8p-milk in a bottle (~10 ounces, sometimes MORE!)

How do I change this up so they're not needing that last bottle?  They get other snacks throughout the day, just not always in their high chairs.  Advice?

(oh, and ali?  Spencer's not allergic to milk after all!  we realized he probably had what Cooper recently got, it was just coincidental that the sickness for both of them coincided with the introduction (and re-introduction) of whole milk.  Crazy, but glad it isn't an allergy)

michelleaxo

No advice here but DANG that is a lot of milk!

ali-1411

That's awesome!  Yay for no milk allergies!

That last bottle, can you just give them the milk in a cup?  Or do you not want to give them milk that late?  I'm not sure what you're asking... 

Layna doesn't get milk with snacks or meals.  If I did, then she would only drink the milk and leave the food.  She would drink milk all day long and not eat anything, if I let her.  I give her milk throughout the day whenever she wants it, as long as she has been eating well. 

joyco

good point.  my question is I want to get rid of that last bottle.  If I give it to them in a cup, they'll walk around and play and slam the cup around like they do the rest of the cups during the day.  That's why I give them the cup in the high chair b/c it's harder to slam on the ground.  And most of the time, they'll actually drink it.  So I want that last bottle gone, but I'm worried that since they leave milk in their cups through the day, that they'll go to bed hungry.  Should I be giving them 4 cups?  I thought they needed to be down to 3 at this point, but I just don't know how to get rid of that last bottle since they actually will settle down and drink from the bottle.  With cups, they're all over the place and definitely NOT settling down for bed.  I just don't know how to take it away and not worry that they've gotten enough milk (yes, I said I give them that much during the day, but they don't always drink it!  I fill the cups a little, let them drink it, then if they actually drink it all, I refill.  then they'll slam the cups around, the cups leak, etc etc, so I can't be too sure that they're actually drinking all that I put in there, KWIM?).

ali-1411

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it.  If they need the bottle to settle down, then just put water in it.  Soon enough they'll get bored with that and you'll have cut the bottle out of their bedtime routine.  Or you can be a heartlessbitch like me, and take it away cold turkey

They'll start drinking the milk out of the cups.  Especially if they aren't getting it at bedtime, they'll start wanting more during the day.  You might go a week or so with them not drinking a lot of milk....but that's not going to hurt them.

Cheer4State

I had the same concern/worry.  My pedi recommends only 12-16 of milk/dairy a day.  He said that they can get the dairy from cheese, yogurt, etc.  So, it seems like your guys are getting *plenty* of milk.  I would not worry about that. 

As far as dropping the bottle, I would just give it a shot.  We use to do bath, bottle, bed.  Now, we do bath, book and bed.  I do offer them a cup of water during the book but they never really drink it - maybe a sip or two.  I feared that they would wake up hungry - not that have not ever!!!!  And mine were drinking 8 ounces at bedtime.  The one thing I did do was push back dinner closer to bedtime.  We use to eat dinner at 5 and now we eat at 6 with bedtime at 7.

I stressed and stressed but it was SO easy to drop.  Oh, the one thing that we are struggling with is that bedtime did have some crying/fussing since there was no bottle.  But it is getting to be less and less every night.

Good luck.  I know it is scary but totally easy!!!!   

libbyann

Our pedi says he needs 15-18 oz of milk/dairy a day...I think your boys are doing great drinking that much milk out of sippys! I'd probably just go cold turkey and drop it.

joyco

How weird with the amounts your pedis have told you to give your kids! Ours said between 16 and 24 oz a day! So confused.

JezcaM

that's a crazy WHOLE lotta milk to me.

here's an article that might help.

why not give them water? or watered-down milk? or replace that last bottle with another soothing activity.... like rocking in a glider or reading a book.