Sleeping - Killeen, TX

The only quick solution, not the easiest, is to stop giving it to him. The milk will do just as bad as juice will to his teeth with it sitting there all night. He is just in a habit of waking up in the middle of the night, explain to him the first few nights when you go in there and then just let him go back to sleeping, crying if he does. It will help his teeth, and it might takes a week, but it is just his body in a routine of waking up and you have to break the rountine. Congrats on the new baby. My dad is in Iraq too. Take care

Keeping your husband in my prayers....my brother did his tour and is potentially going back.

As for your son, everyone else is right, it will cause some tooth rot.

Are you leaving the cup with him? If so,consider this.....how long is that cup with him and how often is he drinking from it? My sister made all three of hers quit cold turkey the morning she watched her then 2 year old take a drink from a milk cup she'd had from the night before. that was two years ago. Once in bed, no more cups, period.

If you stay up with him, what about at least getting him to take a drink of water after the milk? Or even telling him he has to brush his teeth again?

what about slowley cutting the milk with water until it's all water?

Hi, I just wanted to let you know I went through the same thing and that it's not really the sippy cup you have to worry about but the milk! Milk is the worst thing to drink before bed if your not brushing afterward. It will rot his teeth, it is worse then sugary juice! I know it sounds crazy but it is true, my sons dentist made me promise to stop! It was not easy but necessary! I started with water, when he figured out all he was getting was water I guess he thought it wasn't worth getting up for!

The first thing I was going to suggest is to put water in his cup, however, then I read on and saw that he will not drink water at night. I guess an alternative would be to rinse his mouth out after he is finished with the milk (if he's still awake). Even though it is just a little 2% milk, it also contain sugar.

I would try to be firm about "water or no sippy cup". I have no doubt that you will be met with some resistance, but it will be worth it in the long run. Best of luck to you, and I will think of your husband when I pray for the troops overseas.

Hello M.!
I have a two and a half year old son, and about 18 months of age he wanted to take his cup to bed with him. I had no problem with it, other than your concern, and that was the fact that I was worried about his teeth. I think it's completely fine to give him the cup when he goes to bed. I understand that he's not drinking water, but no matter what you do, there is going to be a battle. Might as well choose which one you'd prefer, the one where he's upset over the water for 5 minutes, or the one that will continue to wake you up every night. My son stopped asking for his cup when he became potty trained, and the wonderful thing about it is in the morning the cup is not empty. I don't think it's fair to completely deprive him of the cup, and it's not fair that you're in the position where you have to get up with him either. Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night, after sleeping so soundly, and your mouth is COMPLETELY dry? I am sure that this is what's happening to him. I would suggest you battle for water, but understand in the long run that he's not going to damage his teeth, because he won't be sucking on the thing all night long, and you're not going to be a zombie because you played waitress the night before. It will be much easier on everyone to persuade the beverage option, than to quit the entire thing all together. Make sure to wash out the cup every morning, as the saliva that builds up inside the cup can cause some yucky bacteria to take shelter in your little man's cup! Best of luck with everything honey, and I hope that whatever you choose to do works out well for both of you :)
Peace, Patience and Prosperity,
H.

It will be very hard. But just simply tell him the cup is sleeping and when he wakes up for breakfast he will have his cup. The milk in his cup WILL ruin his teeth. He is old enough to understand no cup at night time. Plus you must remember that potty training is right around the corner and he will not be able to potty train if he is drinking constantly. Please remember he will cry. But he will get over it. Take it from me, bad teeth will cost you a fortune. I know!

I'm a cold turkey person. He doesn't need a drink in the middle of the night. It's healthier for him (and for you) to have a night of uninterupted sleep. My advice (take it or leave it) is to stop giving him a drink (water, milk, or anything else) in the middle of the night. He WILL cry, but you are the adult and you need to remember that he is MAD (and upset), but not in pain or dying of starvation or dehydration. If he cried for candy at a store, you could be strong (hopefully!!) and not give in just because he cried for it after you said no. This is the same concept. The only way for you to win this battle is to just not give it to him anymore. Period. He may cry for an hour for it-- let him know you love him, but he will not be getting his milk during sleeping time. He will cry less each night if you hold out and don't give it to him no matter what. What would happen if you were out of milk? Pretend in your head that you are to help yourself stay strong.

Oh no! You must be so tired of getting up every night!
Not to be blunt-but the only way to stop him from wanting it, is to stop giving it to him. He doesn't need it--and not only will it hurt his teeth and cause decay-but you will have a heck of a time with potty training if you keep giving him any drinks at night like that.
He's used to it though since you keep giving it to him, so you will have to retrain him into not only not wanting it, but getting back to sleep on his own without the sippy or your interaction.
-just have the confidence to know that he doesn't need it and needs to learn to sleep without it and get himself back to sleep!
If you continue to get up and give it to him,then he will keep demanding it (yes,a viscous cycle :) )--you are the parent and know best--not the other way around...
Here's a great book that I recommend you getting (the library has it if you don't want to buy it). It has so much good info on teaching your baby to sleep through the night. Her techniques are gentle, and you'll be amazed at the results if you follow what she says! The Baby Whisper Solves All of your Problems:Sleeping, Feeding and Behavior by Tracey Hogg
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Whisperer-Solves-Your-Problems...

Good luck!

Hi M.,
I would worry more about the milk ruining his teeth than the sippy cup. Milk pools in their mouths and causes tooth decay. You could try diluting his milk every night with water until eventually it's all water. I would ask his pediatric dentist for some suggestions. Also the book What to Expect the Toddler Years is full of Valuable information. Best of Luck to you and your family.