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Washington Babies
How to nix the bottle...
We're probably wayyyy behind on this, but Mikayla still drinks her milk from a bottle before naps and bedtime. Like we hold the bottle and feed her in our laps and everything. She uses a sippy of water throughout the day otherwise, but just takes a couple drinks then tosses it. I'm having a hard time grasping how to transition, and how she's going to drink enough milk from a sippy to keep her satisfied through the night.
Maybe I'm missing the point though - once a kiddo gives up the bottle, are they supposed to drink a bunch of milk from it before bedtime, or is the idea that by that point they're eating enough solids for dinner that they don't need a full bottle of milk before bedtime? Do you just give them the sippy and let them do what they want even if it's a few sips, or are you actually holding them like you're bottle feeding and they drink a bunch, only using a sippy? I'm lost.
Any tips on how to transition would be great!
-Deborah
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Re: How to nix the bottle...
It's more of a "get them used to the sippy and then remove the bottle"
We started sippy around 9 or 10 months, so that she was good and used to it - and seriously the day after her first birthday - no more bottle.
We don't give a bottle for bedtime routine, so I can't help there
Easter 2011
They do not need to eat at night at all past a certain weight. DS was 20lbs when I cut him off at night. If they wake at night, it's just a habit not a need for anything. I stoppped responding to what was becoming a habit.
We stopped milk before bed at 1 year because it's bad for their teeth unless you brush after they have their last drink. We just switched to water right after books.
Kids on solids eat enough not to get hungry at night. Some folks give a little snack before bed if bedtime is late and dinner is early. Again, waking at night is not a need for something other than attention.
I have never held DS like I was giving him a bottle with a sippy. I would cut off the bottle cold turkey and only offer a sippy if it were me.Give her milk in her sippy cup and let her do it herself. Create independence. If she has 3 meals a day plus snacks, she doesn't need a ton of milk during the day. DS has about 3 sippy cups full a day and that's it and his ped is okay with that.
Tillman was about Ms age when he gave up the bottle. It took a while before he was REALLY drinking out of a sippy, but one day it just totally clicked and he was guzzling out of them. He woke up in the middle of the night for a huge 9 oz bottle until he was 15 months and I was actually happy to feed it to him - me holding on to his last bit of babyhood. He would just lay there on our laps completely relaxed moaning in delight through the whole thing. It was pretty sweet.
Anyway, no tips, just that it took us a while, too, and I was flamed on one of the national boards for having him using a bottle at more than a year, but who cares. She will get it in her own time and will give up the bottle when she's ready. If she's like 7 and still wanting a bottle at night, that's reason for concern.
TTC #2 for a million years: SA normal, CD 23 bloodwork shows nothing amiss, ovulation detected. Next step: ? maybe CD3 bloodwork to check eggs? All out of pocket, so limited IF tests/treatments.
Yeah, she shouldn't need a bottle of milk to hold her over. But, I will admit that Ben did still have milk before bed til he was nearing 2 I think. It was just part of our routine. Ben also did get cavities though. The dentist didn't think that was the culprit, but I can't help but feel guilty about it.
You could start working in milk after dinner while you're playing, and then do some cuddles with a sippy of water before bed. Maybe make it a sippy of milk at first, then switch to water. There's no real right or wrong way to to do. Just make small changes and see what happens. Ben still has some water in a sippy as part of his bedtime routine. He used to drink a lot, now it's like 2 sips and a kiss and he's done.
I personally don't see anything *wrong* with still using a bottle. It's not like it's that different from a sippy cup. She won't use a bottle forever. So just take it slowly. Less milk, making her hold it, sippy with milk, sippy with water, etc... small changes work best at our house.
Nathan is almost done with them. He has maybe 3 a week and I think that's more comfort than anything. And like Emma said, it's more for me.
we did the switch when we moved to milk. He wouldn't take formula in a sippy, but once we gave him milk in it, he was over the bottle.
you could try cold turkey and she'll figure it out soon enough, but why bother really?
Exactly why we didn't change it for so long! I hated making sleep changes once things were FINALLY good.