Bedtime Routine - Garland,TX

I think the rocking, book reading and cuddling idea is best. I don't think I would go to juice at night for a couple of reasons...one tooth decay, and secondly you'll want to potty train and the baby hollering for juice at night when you know it will make it harder for him to make it through the night is a scenario I wouldn't want you to set yourself up for...I haven't heard of yogurt in a bottle but that sounds good to me. I know the cuddle time is the most important thing so I would try maybe just that, possibly a little toddler massage, fingers through the hair, a few lullabyes. Incidentally, I totally feel ya' on this one , it is one of my greatest pleasures to give my 3 month old a bath, then a quick warm lotion rubdown, dress her, then stroke her hair while I give her her bedtime bottle.

No juice, too much sugar at bedtime, even if you dillute it. You might try adding a little water to formula nd increasing the ratio every few nights until it is just water and then maybe a sip in a cup befor estory time. But you are also facing the delimma of rocking to sleep. He has never learned to comfort himself and go to sleep on his own. Cavaties form so early in toddlers and milk stays on their teeth all night, so I hope you can transition soon to no bottle before bed. Good Luck!

My son is 2 and he still gets a bottle at night and we still rock him to sleep. We did the same with my first who is 5. Both my children are good sleepers. We replaced the bottle with a sippy of milk at 2 1/2 with my oldest, but will probably wait a little longer with my second because we don't think he'll be ready to make the transition. Do what you feel is best for your child. Having a bottle before bed and having mom or dad rock him to sleep isn't going to hurt him in any way. They are only little for a short time. Enjoy the time you have with him!

When we cut my dd'a bottle back the bedtime one was the last to go. Your child will have to have some kind of dairy product. If your child can't have milk, the doc may want to continue formula. My dd stopped drinking her bottle because when she cut back her naps, she was so tired at bedtime that she never would stay awake to take the bottle during rocking. A couple nights of that and we just didn't make a bottle anymore. We still rocked and did everything else the same. Good Luck. Rocking babies is one of the joys in life.

I tried to stop fluids so close to bedtime around that time. I gave her cereal before bed to fill her up and then brushed her teeth with a finger toothbrush. We would then read a few books, say our prayers and lay down to bed awake. I would leave the room and she would sing herself to sleep with her music within 5 minutes. My daughter has constantly slept with music in her bedroom.

The teeth brushing is important at this age to start a good habit and to make sure they don't develop bacteria in their mouth that can cause tooth decay going forward.

Just because he turns a year old does not mean you have to stop the formula cold turkey. When our son turned 1 back in July, we slowly weaned him from his nighttime and morning bottle. Since our son was pretty much drinking from a sippy cup by then we gave him a sippy during the day and gave him his bottle at night or in the morning. Eventually, we put his morning and evening formula into a sippy cup and he did great.
Maybe try giving your son a little bit of milk during the day and see how he does. Best thing to do is to find what works for your son and stick with it. If it means keeping his nighttime bottle for the next month or so, then by all means do what works for you too.

Slowly wean him off of the bottles and save the night time one for last. But don't ever put juice in a bottle (or give juice before bed)... you'll be getting cavities filled soon if you do.

When you decide to do away with the night time bottle, continue your rocking routine but add snuggling with a new or favorite stuffed animal and quietly reading a book.

Just have patience and it will work out whatever you choose to do!

i just started mixing the formula and whole milk together until I ran out of the formula that I had. both my kids transitioned fine doing that.

Even though your pediatrician may say to throw all the bottles away on the first birthday, there is really no reason to do this. You need to slowly take away all of the daytime bottles, but my children are perfectly healthy, not fat and no cavities and two of them took a nighttime bottle of milk until almost two. No bottles during the day by about 14 months.

I would never put juice in a bottle - there is not a reason that a kid needs juice if they can eat fruit. I would put milk in the bottle. If the child is drinking regular formula, then milk won't make him sick and he needs the fat in whole milk until he is 2 for brain development. If the child is drinking soy formula, then just switch to soy milk. With each child I started slowly with the milk. Starting now, you could replace part of the bottle with the milk - like if he takes an 8 ounce bottle, make 6 ounces of formula and then add 2 ounces of milk. In a few days, do 4 ounces formula and 4 ounces milk, etc. etc until you have a full bottle of milk. Give milk several times a day in a sippy cup and whenever the baby is ready, give a sippy of milk at night instead of a bottle.

My point is, if you have a good bedtime routine in place - why mess with it? You can continue just as you are, just change what's in the bottle.

Honestly, is there a reason you have to stop formula at 1 yr? Just because the doctors say? At 1, I think they still need the calcium and such that comes from formula, especially if you are not planning on giving him milk. Of course, the concern would be more of him going to sleep with formula on his teeth. Perhaps gradually weaning him from it would be best, making the night time bottle the last, then just put less and less in the bottle over a period of a few weeks. Then you might try just water (never juice), until you just rock him for a few minutes.

Personally by this age, rocking for a few minutes is good, but it should not be until the child is completely asleep, then when you get to a time when you would like your child to just go to bed and sleep, he will not be able to fall asleep on his own. Had a friend whose daughter was over 4 and she was spending over an hour every night rocking her to sleep.

Perhaps gradually forming a new routine of reading a book, and a few minutes of rocking, then putting him down to bed while sleepy but not asleep. So he can learn how to fall asleep on his own. He will become a better sleeper and you will keep your sanity.

There's no reason your kiddo can't have formula anymore once he hits one. It just doesn't need to be his main source of nutrition anymore like it was. You can transition him to milk or a sippy cup or whatever you want to do, just make sure the transition is gradual so that he doesn't really notice much is different. Good luck!

I would start weining (SP?) him from the bottle. Start by reducing the amount in each bottle every few days until you just stop the bottle. You don't have to stop giving him the bottle exactly on his b-day. You can still rock him, but read him a short book instead. Just make a new routine, and be patient.

Going to sleep drinking milk, formula or juice will very likely lead to cavities and dentists advise against it. Put water in a sippy cup and that should work. If he complains, you could give him some ownership over it: Would you like it with ice or without? I hope this works for you!

Around my boys' first birthdays, we replaced the bedtime bottle with a cup of yo baby yogurt and changed cuddle time to just cudding and talking or looking at a book together.