Getting Rid of the Night Time Bottle

I agree with trying to get him to take a sippy cup instead of the bottle. However, don't let him take it to bed with him, because that is what rots little teeth. Milk is good, no harm to the teeth I actually just read it's good for strengthening enamel, but can cause excess mucus which might make it hard to breath. Especially if he has a cold. Just try it everynight, but don't force it you don't want to upset him, and before you know it he'll be done with the bottle. Keep your same routine, just give the cup instead of the bottle. I used to hold my daughter every night and give her a bottle. When she turned a year I started to give her a cup, but I would hold her and the cup for her. Slowly we transitioned into her holding the cup herself and sitting next to me instead of on me. Her brother was then born a month later and she knew that the bottles were for the baby. She was 14 months when it was totally gone. Also, she did give up the nap bottle first so your on the right track. Good luck!
C.

I didn't get rid of bottles with my daughter until she was almost 2 years. She would only want a bottle to go to bed at night and would drink out of a tippy cup all day. I figured one night if she could go all day with a tippy cup that she could deal with one at night. So, I picked a night that her dad & I didn't have to be up early the next morning and sent her to bed with her tippy cup and amazingly that was it. She didn't want a bottle anymore...even when her cousin who is 7 months older then her was still drinking out of a bottle she didn't want it. Just try that and see how it goes :)

Hello. sorry to tell you this but the best and only way at 18 months is to go gold turkey. the more he clings on to it, the worst it will get. no only will it get more difficult to break him of it but he could also end up with buck teeth and teeth rot if he is taking it to bed with him. he is a big boy now at 18 months and needs to learn to drink out of a sippy cup. although you hate to hear him cry, you can't give in every time he cries and does not get his way (whether it be the bottle or some other thing he wants and cant have) or you will end up with a spoiled child. i hope you know i am not being mean saying this to you only telling you to go cold turkey at this point is the best way. i guess that is why they call this sort of act, tough love...cause its tough on us parents but love for them. lol.

Tell him O. night that all of his bottles are in the dishwasher & he'll have to take the sippy cup of water to bed that night. See how it goes.
We did cold turkey, and my son was REALLY attached to his "bubby" but he never looked back! Good luck.

We went through that same situation. We finally decided it was time- and went cold turkey. We did the sippy cup for a few weeks at bedtime but then our daughter was indifferent about that. I just told her- no more bob (bottles) but you can have a cup... she was a little confused at first but a few days later it was like nothing changed.

We definitely picked a "good" day to stop, I didn't make a big deal about it and she did fine transitioning. Good luck!

Our way of eliminating the night time bottle was just to slowly move the timing of it earlier and earlier, in the hopes that our son would stop associating bedtime with the bottle. Even just 15 minutes earlier at first and then we let him play for a little bit before bedtime. Each day we gave him the bottle a little earlier than the day before. I think it also helped to introduce a new special bedtime routine. We started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and saying bedtime prayers while we cuddled in his rocking chair with the lights out. Once the bottle and bedtime were two separate activities, we substituted the sippy cup for the bottle and he never missed a beat. You might also want to look online for suggestions on how other parents get their kids to give up the binkies. I think I read somewhere that parents sometimes "plant" a binkie (while also secretly tossing in some flower seeds) and the child can then water the binkie each day and soon enough they'll see their binkie grow into flowers.

Can you get him to use a sippy cup at night as well? I send both of my kids to bed with a cup of water. I used to do milk, but have heard it's horrible for their teeth. They are happy with water, as long as they have a cup to go to bed with. Most of the time they're just taking a few sips before they fall asleep and forgetting about the rest, I guess it's just a comfort thing of having it there.