Moms help - weaning from bottle while sleeping.

**mama.hawkins** · 09-16-2007, 02:59 PM

Needing some advice. I have my son only using sippy cups during the day, but he won't use one while he's sleeping no matter what I do. I am wanting to wean him 100% from the bottles, but can't get them away from him not only at night, but during naps. I think he's using it for the comfort of sucking rather than being hungry, but I don't want to do something like give him a pacifier because he's never really used one and don't want to start that habit.

Any advice?
TIA

**IntlMom** · 09-16-2007, 03:09 PM

I'll be curious to see what all of the "nice" moms do to wean their kiddos off the bottle.....I just took it away. For two of my children, it was no big deal - they just stopped using it when I stopped offering it. However, I had one kid who cried and cried when I stopped giving it to him. I listened to him cry for several days and just said "NO" when he asked for it and offered him juice in a cup.......he eventually got over it

Again, I will be interested to see what the NICE moms do....

**mama.hawkins** · 09-16-2007, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by IntlMom

I'll be curious to see what all of the "nice" moms do to wean their kiddos off the bottle.....I just took it away. For two of my children, it was no big deal - they just stopped using it when I stopped offering it. However, I had one kid who cried and cried when I stopped giving it to him. I listened to him cry for several days and just said "NO" when he asked for it and offered him juice in a cup.......he eventually got over it

Again, I will be interested to see what the NICE moms do....

LOL this was my original plan. But I'm a very 'attached parent' and as much as I can deal with crying here and there, listening to him screaming while trying to give him a sippy during his nap rather than a bottle was horrible. I may try just going cold-turkey again but I think it'll be easier during the week when I'm here by myself and my husband isn't having to deal with the crying as well.

**McD** · 09-16-2007, 03:28 PM

In order to break my son off the bedtime bottle, I simply quit giving the bottle to him. In its place, I gave him a sippy cup with a straw. He never asked for a bottle after that.

**pip** · 09-16-2007, 03:31 PM

Could you try putting water in the bottle at sleeping time? It's been a long time since my kids were babies, but it seems to me I tried that, especially with my dd, who was very attached to her "ba-ba". At least the water wasn't hard on her teeth. She eventually just stopped using it.

**lisettelovebug** · 09-16-2007, 04:57 PM

It was easy with ds, though it may be because she uses a binky? I don't know. She really didn't seem too attached to the bottle. I give her a glass of milk (actually enfamil next step) right before she goes to bed, change her diaper and then lay her down. She's usually right out. But, like I said, I now have to get rid of the bink. Not sure how I will do that with a little one coming in November. Thinking that maybe I'll try not giving the new one a bink and trying to get her off the bink soon after the baby comes - after the adjustment period! I guess we'll see how things go. She only uses the bink at nap and bed, but I'd still like her to get away from using them.
Now with my 9 year old - when he was a baby, he used a binky for the first 8 months and then got an ear infection. The only way I could get the poor kid to sleep was to give him a bottle. I know - I shouldn;t have but I felt bad for him. After he got over the infection, I started the week-long journey of weening him off the bedtime bottle. He cried a lot, but would fall asleep after about an hour. About a week later, he no longer needed anything and would go right to sleep.

**pita1213** · 09-16-2007, 08:41 PM

when both dks started using a sippy cup, all the bottles went away. i figured if they were big enough to use a sippy cup at lunch, they could use it all the time. they got a sippy cup an hour or 30 minutes before bed, but not at bed time. both of mine had blankies to sleep with and that was their comfort at bed time.
your little one may cry for a few days, but he will live through it and be ok.

**Darlene** · 09-17-2007, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by IntlMom

I'll be curious to see what all of the "nice" moms do to wean their kiddos off the bottle.....I just took it away. For two of my children, it was no big deal - they just stopped using it when I stopped offering it. However, I had one kid who cried and cried when I stopped giving it to him. I listened to him cry for several days and just said "NO" when he asked for it and offered him juice in a cup.......he eventually got over it

Again, I will be interested to see what the NICE moms do....

Lol Traci, I wasn't a nice Mom either. Mine almost always slept in their own bed too. They are all grown up and "seem" to be OK.

Good luck, OP, I know all this change isn't easy.

**karone** · 09-23-2007, 11:09 PM

with merrick it was really easy to get him on a sippy cup. now he uses drinking or eating as a excuse for not going to sleep. i tell him no and take it away. he cries for a few mins while im on here and then goes to sleep. once we get a place that has 2 bedrooms i will have to get him used to not sleeping with me.

**inneedofhope** · 09-23-2007, 11:27 PM

If your child is sucking to fall asleep, you will need to replace that habit with a healthier one. The first step is to get all the bottles out of the house so you won't be tempted to use it. Then, get in the habit of setting a routine for falling asleep. Milk and snack at the table, brushing teeth, then lay down and read. Set a limit on how long you will read, or how many books. If your child has a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, let him cuddle with it to fall asleep. Some kids will fall asleep with soft music or just white noise. I can tell you, most parents I know who do the bedtime routine with stories or songs will have their kids out in 15 to 20 minutes, without tears or screaming once the routine is set and consistant. It is way healthier for your child to be bonded to you than to a bottle.

**Critsy** · 09-24-2007, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by Darlene

Lol Traci, I wasn't a nice Mom either. Mine almost always slept in their own bed too. They are all grown up and "seem" to be OK.

Good luck, OP, I know all this change isn't easy.

I have to laugh, because both of mine have always slept in their own beds. I took the bottle away by the time my oldest was one and gave him sippy cups. He took his sippy cup to bed, but had it on the table next to his bed in case he got thirsty. He still goes to bed with a glass of water, but then so do I!!

**AmyMCGS** · 09-24-2007, 02:05 PM

I'm going through this right now with my DS. Several nights a week I can get him down without a bedtime bottle, but some nights, I can't turn down his sad little "Bopple? Bopple?" requests.

(I'm not a fan of the 'cry it out' school of thought, obviously!) He's had so many feeding issues that he's still using bottles for a large portion of his daily intake- solids are more "recreational eating" at this point. So, for him, it's a gradual weaning. Works for me.

With DD, I was able to just stop offering a bedtime bottle and that was more or less it. I think each kid is different.

**mom2three** · 09-24-2007, 03:48 PM

Dilute the milk with water gradually until it is all water - he may give it up then!

**lwlynch** · 09-24-2007, 03:52 PM

Just fill a cup with water. They will eventually want just the water and then nothing. Good luck..

**tabithapatrick** · 10-09-2007, 07:15 PM

My oldest was very easy. Once she had a sippy cup the bottles went away. We are in the process of weening the bottle too from my almost 10 months old. She is now in a sippy and only gets the bottle of formula at bed, and her pally (pacifier) at bed. I don't mind the pally at bed, as long as no one sees it. But she also has a cozy (blanket) that she must have. I think in a day or two the bottles will be history! Then we'll work on pally before baby three gets here in March!!!