Weaning off of Bottle

Hi K.,
I just recently weaned my daughter off of her bottle. She's 20 1/2 months old. I was only giving her a bottle at night before she went to bed. I was wondering not too long ago, how I was going to wean her off that last bottle. Then it came to me, just give her a sippy cup instead of the bottle. It's worked since I started doing it that way. We don't have anymore bottles in the house.
Good luck!

My son just turned 2 a week agao and that was the last day for a bottle for him too. We did the whole big boy thing and he asks for it each night since but we have stuck to our commitment of no more bottle and have not gave it back. This is day number 8 and each day he is asking for it less. We give him a "big boy" cup of milk before we lay him in his bed. If you little one is not ready don't worry about it. I have yet to see a grown man walking around with a bottle.

Give him a good sippy cup of water to replace the bottle. I commend you on giving him just water at night. They do get thirsty at night same as we do and can't get up to get a drink. My grandbabies both switched real easy,now they very seldem use the cup but still have it if they are thirsty. They are 28 months old now.

Maybe wait until his ear infection is gone before your next attempt? That way he isn't in pain when you take it away. I know he will still resist but at least he won't be as cranky.

Good luck!

I know where you are at! I just weaned my 2 1/2 year old from his bottle. I have two other children who are 9 and 7. The first one was the same as yours. Ear infections left and right and would not dream of going to bed without a bottle. He had tubes in his ears because of the infections. And yes, that did help, but I look back on it now and see that it really wasn't necessary. He was going to grow out of the infections at one point or another. He was 8 months old when we had them put in. I actually weaned him to a cup about the age of 2. He started taking that to bed until he was 3. I eventually just sat it in his bed and told him it is there just in case he got thirsty. And that is how he was weaned. My second child just said she didn't want her bottle anymore and threw it in the garbage! ha ha! Of course that didn't stop the tears at night.... My third one has another lovey, which is his favorite soft blankie. He is like the little dude from Snoopy.
I know none of that was a big help. But I am here to say keeping my children on the bottle did not cause tooth decay. They are not sitting in class right now with bottles attached to their mouths. I just really think getting children off the bottle before they are ready is such a wrong thing. The bottle is their comfort at night. Much like a night light.
If he can understand some things you say, try to explain to him the bottle is not for big boys and that he is a big boy now. Try on the weekends to put him to bed at nap without his bottle (or whenever you are home together). Don't let him cry it out. That is just cruel. Talk to him softly and be patient. Rub his back and sing him songs. Let him pick out a teddy bear that he can sleep with so that can be his comfort. I won't lie and say it will be easy. Just take your time and don't lose your cool in the process.

My pediatrician wanted my kids off the bottle at 1yr. I went 3 or four months after that. But you just take it away and that's it.

I pretty much went cold turkey when my daughter switched from formula to milk, but it sounds like this has become part of his sleep pattern. Maybe you should try giving him access to more liquid when he is awake, and then slowly put less and less in his nap and night bottle over a week or two. This might make it easier to get rid of it for him then just stopping altogether.

Is it possible that he was screaming and crying because his ears hurt and the sucking motion helped ease that pain? I think that it is very possible that the bottle habit could be causing the ear infections, which can lead to the pain, and him wanting it more. It can be a very bad, viscious cycle. Good luck!