2 Year Old Still Has Bottle at night..HELP

My boys did the same thing. I put water in the bottles & they gave them up on their own.I don't think a bottle at night is a big deal--my boys are grown now & very well adjusted.Half the toddlers I see out now are beyond that age with binkies in their mouths---what's the difference!!! I don't see a big deal about it.These things don't last forever--enjoy her !!!

Wow! Some people' responses can be really harsh and unnecessary!
Maybe you could try to talk to your pedi and get some advice. Maybe you could just go cold turkey. Of course it is not going to be easy! I'm sure your daughter will be starting to potty train at some point soon. The bottle in the middle of the night is going to make it impossible to keep her dry through the night. I was lucky, my kids never cared about their bottle. My oldest LOVED his binky until he was 3 1/2. Guess what? He gave it up when he was ready and he turned out great. One of the smartest kids in the second grade! My point is, don't sweat the small stuff! This, like every other phase, will pass. Some are easier than others.

Maybe she actually thirsty. I know I get thirsty during the middle of the night I almost always take a bottled water to my bedroom and I leave water for my 7 year old and also a sippy cup of water for my two year old. Sometimes they just take a couple of sips and sometimes its gone in the morning but it prevents me from having to get up to get it for them. If she is drinking a full bottle its probably because of hunger or thirst if she is just taking a sip and falling asleep its most likely a developed habit that oh mom feeds me at this time I should wake up. You could also try giving her extra fluids during the day or filling her up w/ more food.

a bottle before bed is no biggy, just something you may eventually want to cut out. the bottle in the middle of the night is a habit and not needed and isn't doing anyone any favors. just offer water at night and leave it with her in a sippy cup. She is waking out of habit and comfort. may take a few days to break the habit and lots of crying but that is something you have to decide to deal with or not. Just let her know before she goes to bed that if she wakes up that she will get only water. Then when she wakes up,remind her where you put the water and stick to the no milk during night rule. Good luck!!

Hi J.,

First, let me say please don't beat yourself up about this. Twenty-three months is still very young, and the fact that you're looking to help her grow up into a healthy big girl who sleeps through the night tells me you're a good mom who just needs a little guidance. When someone reprimands you for asking for a simple little bit of help here, that's just unnecessary. No one among us is perfect!

You say in your other request that she's allergic to milk, so are you giving her formula (or soymilk, or some other milk sub) or water in the bottle right before bed? If it is formula, she could be waking up at night because she's hungry; you could try feeding her a little more at dinner and/or giving her a small water bottle (or, even better, a big girl cup) before bed. This might be enough to fill her up for the night so she sleeps better. I didn't do bottles much because I always breastfed my boys whenever I could, but when they turned one I just said, "No more!" and started feeding them more before bed instead of nursing them. Miraculously, they both went from waking every two hours to nurse at night to sleeping straight through the night after a day or two. It was heaven!

If you're already giving her water before bedtime, I agree with the moms who say she's waking more out of comfort than need. She probably really likes the "mommy time" and her body has become accustomed to it. I don't agree with giving her a sippy cup of water or putting a bottle of water in her crib if this is the case, because that's just enabling her to keep the unnecessary habit up. She will benefit much more in the long run to routinely sleep through the night without constant access to water, only calling you if she is legitimately thirsty--which in my experience with my four kids, isn't all that often.

I like the mom's advice to "lose" all but one of the bottles, and I have always heard good results with bottles/binks about "sending them to the babies who don't have any." That mom who went the distance to take her toddler to the post office has the right idea! One way or another, if you want her to stop with the bottle you're going to have to take it away--exactly how and when is entirely up to you. Your daughter might be more ready than you think if she's just waking up out of habit for cuddle time; she could cry for a night or two (or three, or seven) and then fall naturally into her new sleep routine.

Good luck--my youngest daughter didn't sleep through the night routinely until she was about seven or so: first for bottles, then night terrors, then bed wetting...they don't tell you in the baby books that sometimes big kids don't sleep through the night either!

--M.

This may seem silly, but years ago my daughter wouldn't give up her bottle at night. During the day she was fine, but at night she wanted that bottle to go to sleep. One day I explained to her that she was getting too big for a bottle and we needed to send it to small babies who couldn't drink from a cup. So she helped me put her bottle in a large envelope and we went to the Post office to mail it to the needy infant. She cried that night for her bottle, but I reminded her how we mailed it at the Post Office..and we couldn't get it back.... The End.

Why are you giving her a bottle if you don't want her to have one? You are the mom, the boss. She's a child, old enough to understand what no means.
You are going to have all kinds of dental problems related to this.
I can not believe you get up in the middle of the night with a 2 year old!! Put on your Mama pants and lay down the law.
Throw all the bottles away. If there are no bottles- she can't have one.
Good luck,
S.

The solution will require nerves of steel.....stop giving it to her at bed time. Give her one with water in it. when she wakes up during the night it will still be good and she can help herself. Give her a bottle bottle before bed and one with water to take in the crib with her. She is going to be mad and cry (a lot) but you just have to do it. She is likely getting up during the night because her body is used to it and her stomach is sending her the hungry signal. Good luck !

You might want to try this: Throw out all of her bottles except for one. Tell her: "Wow, we lost your bottles, Oh! here's one left!" Then the next day, put it on the side somewhere and make her search for it to fill it, then eventually, get rid of that last one and say, "Oh, I guess you will have to drink from a sippy cup from now on until we find it. Well, you are a big girl anyway." She might cry for a few days, but she will get over it. And you will be a happier mommy. Good luck.

Are you giving her milk? Try switching to water. She'll lose interest real quick. Also, if she gets up at night for a drink, offer her a glass of water that she has to sit up to drink.

This is all habit, not a necessity. Stop giving it to her and eventually she will stop waking up for it. She may have a tantrum for a week, but she will accept it over time. My son was obsessed with the pacifier and at two, I simply threw them away. I was surprised he only cried one day over it! You have to make the decision to stop the bottle and not give in to her crying. I don't think putting her to bed with a bottle is good for her teeth either.

good luck.

Hey J.,
I tend to agree that children at this age wake up seeking a bottle out of habit and comfort more than anything else. My oldest was 18 months when we eliminated the middle of the night bottle. She whined a few minutes for two nights and then got over it. The trick is for them not to sense any second guessing on your part once you decide it's time to eliminate that bottle. They definitely know how to wear you down if they sense you are ambiguous about the decision. And be sure that you and dad are on the same page and present a united front :-). Our second and third children were easy because they never took a bottle so it was just a matter of when to stop nursing. Once you decide no more bottle, your daughter will be fine and she'll adjust to the new routine. Kids are incredibly flexible and they are brilliant!