My 14 Month Old Will Not Sleep Without a Bottle!

Hello A.,
Please do not take this as a judgement. I am truly only offering advice. I would highly suggest that you take this opportunity to not only get him off of sleeping with the bottle but also off the bottle completely. When my daugher was around a year old she was the same way. What I did was, I began adding water to the milk. I started with very little water until eventually, it was all water. Once it was all water she realized there was no taste and eventually stopped wanting it altogether. I hope this helps.
Best of Luck to You!!!!
I.

I don't think it is bad that he has a bottle only at night. You should, however, gradually wean him off the milk and then he'll be ok with a sippy cup of water in his crib. We added a bit of water to their milk every night until they were totally transitioned to water. I would take this over a month or so. Once he has only water in his bottle for about a month, you can switch to the sippy cup.

Make sure he gets enough milk during the day. Eliminate the juice (empty calories) and serve only milk and water.

give him the bottle, but just put plain water in it! Problem solved. Or, perhaps he just needs to suck on something - try a pacifier.

take a deep breath.... He's only 14 months old!! This is REALLY not a huge deal, and you can always just take a wet washcloth and quickly wipe off his teeth after he's done. OK, so it is not ideal, but does your family have a history of rotten teeth due to something like this? I have seen some kids that really do have rotten teeth, so if yours is one of them, then you really do need to take action.

That being said, you can just reinforce with him at various times that when he gets to be a "big boy" he won't use bottles anymore. Then, in a few months, like when he is almost 2, you can have a conversation with him that you think he is such a great big brother and all of the reasons that you can think of that he is so mature, etc, go out together and choose some special new sippy cups to replace his bottles and have a ceremony to celebrate his big-boyness. Then throw away all of the nipples so it is not an option and re-explain the big boy party you just had when he asks for a bottle. I don't know why people in this country are so hung up on getting kids off of the bottle when they turn 12 months old. You are the mom, so you decide what is right and then enforce it using whatever means necessary (i.e. YOU need to deal with the 14 month old at night instead of letting your boyfriend give him a bottle). I really don't think you need to stress out too much over this. There are other things to worry about.

Just give him a bottle 15 min. before bed and then brush his teeth (if he lets you)Then put him in bed or crib and let him fall asleep..he might cry the first day till going to sleep... but as the days go by it will take less and less time for him to sleep on his own!!!Been there done that!!! I have 2 boys 2 and 4 I know how hard it is!!! Good luck!!! Love, G.. :0)

P.S. You need to build a routine around night time...I give bath and put them to sleep at 8pm always...consistancy is the key word with children!!!

I dealt with the same problem with my oldest. I just dealt with the screaming for a week and was so exhausted but it worked. Good Luck!
D.

A.,
It might sound mean, but just take it away. Give him a sippy cup with water and that's it! He will be mad and cry, but he will tire himself out and eventually fall asleep and you will probubily have to deal with it for a couple nights, so do it over the week end when you and your husband are not working. I have three kids and I never let them take milk or juice to bed, afraid of rotten teeth. When it came to taking away the bottle I just took it away one day and told them it was all gone and time to be a big boy, no more bottles. Bottles are for babies. Let him see you throw away the bottles and have him help you throw them away. (hopefully your breastfeeding your 2 month old). Do it cold turkey. That is my best advise.
Good luck.
A.

I just went through this w/ my 20 mo. old. He falls asleep only at night w/ a sippie cup of milk. At first he wouldn't take it but I bought the Nuby sippie cup that is soft like a nipple. He falls asleep fine but was waking up every 2 hrs. for more. Both my pediatrician and friend said to give him water only. When I started this he threw the cup and cried. I comforted him then tried again. He drank about 3-4 swallows threw it then rolled over on his belly to go to sleep. It only took a few nights until he was sleeping all night long. Being that you have a two month old, you are getting up enough as it is. I have one on the way and needed to break the oldest before I found my self in a bad situation. He does still wake up at times but just kind of moans and rolls around. The dr. said kids are noisy in their sleep and it could just seem like they are awake when they aren't. If he moans or wiggles for more that 10. min or loud enough to wake me up I just go in there, roll him back on his belly, pat his back and tell him it's ni-night time. However, this only works if he whining or moaning. If it's a straight screaming cry, I may pick him up, reassure him, or rock him. I've only had to do that twice in the past two weeks since I went only to water at night.
~B.

throw all the bottles away and only keep 2,let Andrew have a funeral for his bottles if you have a place you can buried the bottle and say bye-bye.then praise him being a big boy,let him know he is going to get a prize for no more bottle.reward him and let him get a prize.now there will be no bottles in the house you may have a few nights of crying but just comfort him and let him know you understand.It will work as long as you stay on it.I'm a mom of 4 and 3 grandchildren who just moved home ages 1-2-3. every child is different but tell dad we have to stick to the plan.( I know it is easy to quiet them down when you need down time)Good luck

Have you checked with your pediatrician about this?
Have you tried a pacifier at night instead of the bottle?

I have a 5 1/2 year old son and am 52 years old. My son didn't stop having bottles until he was 3 and his teeth are fine, so this may be one of the battles that you don't bother fighting!

I really suggest talking with your pediatrician so that you get a specific suggestion for your precious boy.

I don't think it is as bad as you think!

happiest of holidays!

Some babies give up the bottle easier than others. Try giving him the milk in a sippy cup in the daytime and cut the daytime bottle out. As far as the night bottle, at the very least, brush his teeth in the morning and before bed (or after the bottle) with a soft toddler toothbrush and children's toothpaste. I worked for a pediatric dentist for 9 years and have seen it all. Many parents think that they don't have to brush baby teeth, or that "it's just baby teeth, they will fall out." Sure they will fall out-in about 5 to 7 years! Anything that can effect the baby teeth, can also effect the permanent teeth before they even come in. Try trying to teeth your son to fall asleep by self-soothing. Put him in his crib when he's almost asleep, but not quite (so he learns to fall asleep on his own.) Try diluting the bottle with some water and add more water every time until it's mostly water. He will start thinking it's not even worth it to ask for the milk in the middle of the night anymore. Just be consistent. It's hard when you're tired too and you just want the baby to sleep and be happy. There is probably a wealth of information on this subject at Babycenter.com. Milk and breastmilk have a lot of sugar in them. Try looking on your milk carton. Just one cup of milk has about 12 grams of sugar. Babies that age should only be getting about 2 1/2 cups a DAY of milk. I agree, take the bottle out of the crib once he has fallen asleep. The milk is only good for a short time anyhow (maybe 1 hour or less outside of the fridge), so you wouldn't want him picking that same bottle he fell asleep with later on in the night when it's already spoiled anyway.

I started diluting my son's bottle until eventually it's just water. His dentist is not worried about him using a bottle to sleep at 2 years old, as long as there is only water in the bottle. Good luck!!

As Isabella said, at this age, they won't "understand" explanations, as would an older child. Since this is what he is used to and what the routine has been... he adapted to it, and this is what is expected, in his 14 month old understanding. Any solution, has to be age appropriate. After he has his bottle and then falls asleep, take it away. Don't leave it there in his mouth. Sure, many give the bottle to a baby when they cry, because it helps them "soothe" and stop crying. And sometimes they are just hungry. Try offering him something else to "soothe"... like a "transition object". My 15 month old likes to hold his stuffed cow and we give him a pacifier at night. This works for him and us. The night time bottle is often the last thing that they will "wean" from. Also, don't offer any juice at night. I'm not sure that he will "wean" from a milk bottle as yet. It will take time, and be prepared for lots of protests and crying and not sleeping if you decide to go "cold turkey." He could have his bottle, but you don't have to leave it there in the crib, since you are concerned about rotten teeth, which granted, can happen. Weaning at night, whether from the bottle or breast is the hardest and the last to go. It is comfort for them, and helps them sleep. It is also a habit. In my case, with both children, I would always nurse or give the bottle to them BEFORE bed at night... but never left the bottle in the crib. Or maybe try DILUTING the milk....still in the bottle...and then give it to him. Sometimes, diluting it will not be too appealing to them, and may lessen their "habit" of wanting it at night. But of course, at his age, it is still beneficial to be nursing and giving them whole milk. Just at night, maybe try this. I have heard of other moms trying this. Also, if you want to prevent rotten teeth... perhaps, not giving him juice either, even if during the day... cavities occur with the frequency of exposure to "sugary" sources, from what I've learned from my dentist. They don't really "need" juice... or dilute that as well. Cavities happen whether during the day or night. If it is any comfort, try asking your Pediatrician or Pediatric dentist about it. Good luck.
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

Hi A.,
I am a registered dental assistant for 1y+ years and I can tell you that having milk before bed without brushing his teeth after can cause tooth decay. That doesn't mean it will, but you don't want to deal with tooth decay in a small child. It can be very traumatic for a small child to have fillings. I remember one incident where a 3 year old had alot of decay and the dentist strapped him into a papoose. Bad experiences at a young age can set up a fear of dentists for life. With that said, my daughter wouldn't give up her bedtime bottle until about that age. I took her for a visit to her dentist to check out the office and meet the dentist. After that, I told her that the dentist said we couldn't have anything but water after we brush her teeth. Then we went to the store a bought a sippy cup that you can customize by Playtex and we call it her "special" cup. Only water goes into the "special" cup and it is only for naps and bedtime. It took about one week and now she reminds me to get her special cup. I have also being brushing her teeth since before she had any. At about 15 months old, she decided she didn't like having her teeth brushed. I had to pin her down and brush while she cried. That lasted a couple of months and now everything is great. She even "reminds" me if I forget to give her fluoride and she has beautiful teeth. I tried only offering water in the bottle as that has worked well for friends, but didn't work with her. As to the night waking, I suggest getting Dr. Marc Weissbluth's book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to eliminate night waking all together. My daughter has been sleeping through the night since about 3-4 months old so I know his methods work. Good luck!
L.

My daughter is 5 and until recently went to sleep every night with a sippy cup of diluted juice. Her teeth are just fine. Your son will be okay. It's just up to you when you want to wean him from the bottle. I waited. I'm not into bedtime battles and we didn't wean her until it was time to potty train her at night.

From my experience and what I have observed other moms do, you either start from the beginning to not give a bottle to a baby in order to fall asleep (you can do this with your 2-month old, the system I used for this is in a book called BABYWISE and my baby never fell asleep with the bottle and started sleeping through the night at about 3 months).
But because you did not start so early with your first baby, I would honestly wait until your baby is 2 or 3 and can actually be explained what you are doing. First of all babies that drink from bottles do get more liquids during the day, which is very important, and they also get all the calcium and nutriens from milk that sometimes it is hard to give because they are such picky eaters!
Also, I saw a program on TV where a mom had 2 kids attached to the bottle until they were 5 yrs old. An expert told her to start telling the kids a few weeks before a "big" event like Christmas or their birthday, or whatever is a special day. The mom would say "For Christmas we are going to say bye bye to the bottle because you are a big girl now". She repeated this every day to the child, and on that day she had the child throw all the bottles in the trash and say bye bye.
That worked.
So, I would not worry too much really, milk and the liquids are better than going through a whole baby fit. As long as when she understand things better you get her off.
And for the other baby, if you are interested, that book I told you was my life saver - not much for the bottle, but for the sleep issues!!
Good luck :)

My four year old had a bottle (or 2) every nap, and bed time (and all day it seemed) and has never had a cavity. I believe it is what you are putting in the bottle, and what they are eating during the day.

I'm having the same problem with my 15 month old. She has two bottles a day one at nap, one at bedtime. She loves her "bobble" and I don't know how to take it away.

Dear A.,

He is only 14 months old. He will learn how to drink milk from a sippy cup, give him time.

Also, talk it over with your boyfriend and tell him that some older mommies have given you some good advice and that they have been through all of this milk at bed time and crying situations many times before.

Tell him that the baby will just have to cry in the night without a bottle. He needs comfort - that is what the bottle means to him. Something warm and comfy. Give him love and pats and make his covers just right, sing him a little song, then tell him it is time to sleep. Yeah, I know he will cry, well, so what, that is what babies do.

Men usually do not have a lot of experience with babies like women do in their past lives with siblings or babysitting. So they just do the most easy thing - the bottle. You don't have to make it World War 111. Just bring him around to understanding that this is one way that young children learn that they do not rule the world ! O.K. Just think, you have this to do again in about 12 months.

I am sure that the other mommies have lots of good ideas of how to solve this problem too. Not that mine is just the greatest, but it is A way.

C. N.