"13 Mth Old Only Falls Asleep with a Bottle"

You definately need to take the bottle away as soon as possible. Try a pacifer or something. My son slept w/ a bottle and ended up developing Baby Bottle Decay. The formula started to decay his teeth, and now at 4yrs old he is scheduled for extensive dental surgery.

We had the same problem, he would only sleep if he had a bottle, then he switched to sippy cup w/ only water in it...but that didnt help his teeth either.

I know it will be a hard few nights/ sleepless nights, but you must break the baby of the bottle at bedtime/naptime.

If she is hungry, then feed her the bottle, but make sure you get her up to do it. Lay her down w/ a pacifer (or whatever you prefer) instead. With a little time, she will understand the difference.

~Good Luck!~

Have you tried watering down her bottle, to "wean" her a bit off the milk? Then you could be putting her down with a warm or cold water bottle, instead of milk - which is also a concern for her teeth. Some parents give the child the bottle inside a thermo wrap, to keep it the comfortable temp.
Also, Hylands makes a homeopathic calming remedy, that is basically a flower essence in a lactos based (sugar) pill. Parent's I've known have had success putting it in a bottle of water before bed. But first you'd have to wean from the milk.

Hi K.,

Cows milk is different from breast milk. It has more natural sugars in it and can cause tooth decay if it is left to sit on teeth through the night. If your daughter has teeth, falling asleep in bed with a bottle is not healthy.

It will cost you a few sleepless nights but you can change her routine

Keep the lights low. Try feeding her in your arms, rocking, singing, reading to her and then putting he to bed. If she awakes, do not play with her, repeat the above behavior. Letting her get up and play is a reward for getting up. If you stay calm, keep the lights dim and use a soothing voice, she will get the clue that it is sleep time. Bathig with lavender water is another relaxing thing before bedtime.

Our son still, (at 4.5) has a little (6 oz) milk before nap and bedtime. The difference is that he has it while we read to him then we brush his teeth and put him to bed. We have been doing this since he stopped breast feeding (12 mos). Your baby doesn't need toothpaste but she can have a guaze wipe her few teeth and gums. There are also toothbrushes that are for her age that have a guard on them so she can't choke.

Good luck

Dear K. N

My name is H. and I have a 12yr old and an 8mo old both boys. When my 12yr old was about 15 months we threw out all the bottles and only gave him only sippee cups. They make them so they wont leak. At bedtime we only gave him water. He could take his cup of water to bed with him this way if he woke in the middle of the night he would have it to drink. It was hard at first because he wanted that bottle. However, you have to be strong willed and stubborn. Your willingness to do this will be healthier in the long run for your childs teeth. Talk to your doctor and see what he/she says. I'm sure he/she will agree.
God Bless
H.

PLEASE FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR 13 MO. OLD SWITCH TO WATER IN THAT BOTTLE. THE MILK WILL DECAY HER TEETH ( THIS IS A FACT ASK YOUR OR ANY DENTEST YOU NEVER PUT A BABY TO BED WITH A BOTTLE WITH MILK IN IT ) ALSO SHE DOES NOT NEED ALL THAT MILK, AND WILL BE GAINING WT. YOU DON'T WANT HER TO GAIN. If switching to water does not work, get some powered milk and add just i tablespoone to the water, and then gradualy back that off until you have just water, and in a mo. or 2 you will be able to go to no bottle or maybe a passafier. good luck and don't give up. be consistant.

She only falls asleep with a bottle because that is what she has been doing for the last year. Kids get scared if you change their routine because they think that what you have taught them is the safe and comfortable way. I would suggest no more bottles to bed,or anytime for that matter, it will probably make it way easier, give her a sippy cup instead with some water in it (milk is really bad for their teeth when it sits in the mouth at night) As well, try water in the middle of the night, she is most likely thirsty, not hungry and this should help. Do not replace the bottle with another vice like rocking her to sleep, just rub her bum or something. She will most likely have a rough time for the first 2 days but they forget SO quickly and she will be over it in no time. But YOU need to be consistent with whatever you do so she knows it is okay to sleep without a bottle! Good luck!

Hi K.,

A friend of mine gave me a great book you might want to try out -- Elizabeth Pantley's "The No Cry, No Fuss Baby Sleep Solution". She specifically talks about how to wean kids off their need to fall asleep with a bottle in their mouth. She gives very practical, easy to follow solutions. Might be a good resource for you!

Good luck...

J.

Its time to let her cry herself to sleep. Start with nighttime bedtime as she is sure to be tired. It may take up to 2 hrs the first time but every time after that will get shorter and shorter. When I did this the first time with my first child I had to stay on the phone with a friend the whole time so I didn't go in and pick him up. It worked like a charm!

I agree with Liha. You should consult with your daughter's pediatrician. My daughter is almost 11 mo., and I too am not sure how much milk they are supposed to get after they turn a year. My daughter has never gone to bed though with a bottle, but I do give her a bottle before her naps and bedtime. You might try changing her routine, yet keeping it still calm and comfortable. I disagree with the whole "you need to dilute it and switch her to water" unless that's suggested by the MD. Maybe you can just start giving her water or juice in a sippy cup during the day so she gets adequate fluid intake, and offer her a small amount of warm milk before you put her down in her crib. Once she is finished, lay her down. Will she take a pacifier? Maybe she still wants the sucking gratification to comfort and fall asleep? Good luck. I would suggest establishing the change during the day at nap time and wait to switch it at night until she is used to the newer routine so you and hubby can relax and sleep at bedtime. Hope the transition goes well.

If she is getting enough food/formula/milk without her sleep-time bottles, you could try slowly diluting the formula/milk over several days. She may not want the bottle if the good stuff isn't there. You may also want to try introducing some other kind of transitional object (silky or stuffed animal) that will help ease her to sleep. The nice thing about that is she can keep it with her all night and you won't have to give it to her when she wakes up. My daughter's silky is half stuffed animal half mini-blanket. She loves to suck on the short ribbons or the bunny ears as she falls asleep. She gets her silky ONLY when it's nap time and it's a strong signal for her that it's time to go to sleep. Once it's on my shoulder, she lays her head down and she's on her way to dream land.

Here's an example -- not the same as ours, but it's the right idea:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2839042

If your daughter is drinking milk (not forumula), you are correct that you don't want her to have too much because the calcium can interfere with iron absorbtion.

Kim,
I use to work with children in the area of behavior. I am not a specialist, but I have learned a lot.
I would recommend helping your little girl find a replacement to the bottle. Fade the bottle slowly. Give her half an ounce less every 3-4 days. At the same time try attaching her to "lovey”; most children chose blankets or stuffed animals. (My son is the same age and he has an elephant he NEEDS to sleep with.) This lovely will become a comfort to her. If you think the issue is your daughters desire to suck, try a pacifier (if you're not apposed). Attaching her to a lovey will give her the security she is currently finding with the bottle.
To attach her to the lovey give it to her EVER time she goes to sleep. If she drops it on the floor in the middle of the night give it back and put her down (with the faded milk bottle).
Also, a bottle can be a lovey ... if she will sleep with the empty bottle after you have faded the milk, go for it. This lovey stage won't last forever and kids typically fade this behavior on their own around Kindergarten. BUT YOU CAN NOT PICK THE LOVEY FOR HER. You can initiate, but she will pick the item she wants.
Good luck!

Have you thought about using a pacifier? Depending on what's in the bottle when she falls asleep, it's really not a good idea if it's milk or juice as it can cause tooth decay. Maybe she needs a sucking security that perhaps a pacifier will help.
D.

Does she ever take a cup? you should start offering a cup more durring the day and if she insists on having a bottle at night give her only water in the bottle. She wont like it as much as the milk but after a while she will start to realize that is what she will get if she asks or wants a bottle. Giving her a bottle of milk at night in bed is actually bad for her teeth because the milk sits in her mouth and can cause bottle rot. Humans are creatures of habit and if you change that habit for her it will take about two weeks for it to set in. It will probably be a struggle at first but it will get easier. Good luck

J.

I think you should talk to her doctor if you think it's too much. I am breastfeeding and my daughter is also 13 months old. She nurses before each nap and bedtime (and sometimes in between), I don't feel it's too much.

It's probably not the milk she wants but the sucking motion. I have had friends who have used water instead of milk. You also might want to try getting her off of the bottle completely and use a sippy cup instead. The longer you wait the harder it will be. Hopefully she isn't actually going to bed with the bottle. That will lead to horrible tooth decay and HUGE dental bills. Good luck. There might be some tears, but she will be okay.

so Im not 100% on this but I think the ideal amount is no more than 16oz per day at 13 months you may need to start increasing her solid foods if she is hungry- try feeding her before her naps not directly but with in the hour. at this age she maybe developing a dependance as bottle as a part of sleep routine so try weaning her slowly like before naps feed her lunch, give her water and after books and rocking try 4 or 5oz. by this age its important to break the bottle/sleep cycle to avoid "bottle mouth" tooth decay. Our daughter was exactly like this we, transitioned from nursing to bottle before bed after 12mo and it was a bit tricky, we put more emphasis on "other routines" (Bath, rocking, stories, massage) and made sure she was more geared to sleep by transitioning to 1 long nap per day and a slightly later bedtime-that way she was showing definate signs of being tired -rubbing her eyes- for sleep the most important thing is routine naps and bed at the same time, and if they wake up don't play just soothe her like with pats on the back, she should be old enough to go 12-14 hrs at night with out food(or a bottle) if she eats before bed and drinks milk with her dinner even if you need to give her that comfort bottle for a while till you can phase it out, her night waking isnt for hunger but comfort- we also would put her awake in the crib after her night/nap routines and sit with her until she went to sleep if she woke we would come right back in and sit again till she was asleep but we didn't take her out of her crib or pick her up - it took about 2-3 weeks before we had no bottles and she would just go down and stay down- some nights were hard and she would cry for "ba-ba" a bit- the first few nights I would offer her water in a bottle but she wouldn't take it- so she realized quickly to drink her milk at dinner. at bed time means sleep! Good luck to you I hope it works out!

Hi K.,
It is wonderful that you are at home with your daughter!
When a baby goes to sleep with a
bottle of milk or juice she is prone to tooth decay. It would be good if you could put her to bed with a bottle of water only; that way no tooth decay and she may be willing to give up the bottle soon. I don't think 20 to 24 ozs. of milk per day, at her age, is too much. Her brain is still growing and she needs the protien for growing.
Warmly,
J.

i was about this age when we moved and my mom "lost" all my bottles. You are looking at horrible cavities if she continues this. I would "lose" the bottles, but if you feel you can't do that, at the very least switch to water in them!!

I have a friend that started putting water instead of milk in the bottle (her son is the same way as your daughter)...she says it works because he sucks, but isn't corroding his teeth or getting the extra he doesn't need. Of course, my little one is still addicted to her pacifier, which is the same thing but different method for soothing...it is a little late to introduce it, but it might substitute for the bottle as well. Of course, then you have my situation and have to get rid of that later on.

K.