Annabel is slowly taking to the sippy cup. I have been working on her for MONTHS. We have a vast and expensive sippy cup graveyard. Straws, silicon tips, flips, tilties, you name it, we have tried it. For some reason I am not going to argue with, she likes this one:
Of course that cup cost like fifty cents.
I am a strict enforcer of the sippy. Not to, uh, throw anyone under the bus, but some people coughMIKEcoughGRANDPARENTScough are suckers for her big eyes and pleas for “bopple.” I am immune to her tricks. I will not be manipulated by a toddler, dammit! So during the day, it’s sippy or bust.
Unfortunately, even my cold, cold heart cannot outlast her at night. She will NOT take the sippy cup in the evening. Not with dinner, and she freaks out before bedtime until she gets a bottle. I’m not talking general toddler tantrums – this is the full-on wailing, shrieking, “Why are you doing this to me maaaaaaamaaaaaaaa” crying – for HOURS. And since we still live in a condo building (which is another story for another day, ugh), we really CAN’T let her scream all night. Our neighbors would kill us. I say this with certainty because if Annabel was screaming in another family’s apartment, I would probably light their door on fire. That’s how loud she is.
How can we beat this? I don’t know how to change her routine. I fully admit we have spoiled her to this point, but how can we undo it? HOW HOW HOW! My sanity, it clings to the thinnest thread!
Wallydraigle says:
Meh. Honestly? One bottle a day? Can that even do her any harm? I’m not pediatrician, so don’t take my word for it, but I don’t think I would stress about it yet. Not for just one bottle a day. And especially since you guys are about to move into a house. I think it will be okay until then, at least.
Amanda M says:
One bottle a day isn’t going to kill her. You bought a house, right? That will be a big enough change sleeping in a new room. Keep her comfy until she is over that transition. We are military and our doc says do nothing big (big boy bed, toilet training, paci weaning, etc) for 3 months before a move. After the move is a little different…you will get used to things there and then do some changes! As long as she is taking a cup most of the time, Annie will be just fine!
Tina says:
I guess this is not a good time to mention my twins are 5 1/2 years old and they still get a bottle to bed every night, huh?
I tried to change it and they just won’t sleep without it… I opted to sleep than to fight Heck, they won’t go to College with it right?
1979 says:
wow
Casey says:
*Gulp* Wow is right.
Katrina @ They All Call Me Mom says:
I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s at night, in private. It brings them comfort. They will stop whenever they don’t need that comfort anymore. If they are socially normal, they have friends, they play sports, they draw and color and all that normal stuff that 5.5 year olds do, what’s the big deal if they have a bottle to relax? As long as there’s not whiskey inside it. Ha ha.
1979 says:
I just think that at that age if they need to be comforted there are other more age appropriate things to comfort them.
Libby says:
Tina – I knew a kid that took his bottle to bed with him until he was like 7. He is now a lawyer with 2 kids of his own. His mother [a nurse, and mother of seven] always said “some kids need a little more comfort”.
Your twins are fine. No “wow” here.
Mommy says:
No, they will not take them to college! 5.5 does seem a little old, but if I had twins and needed sleep, I would probably do the exact same thing!!! No judgement here!!
Katrina says:
Since when is a bottle filled with juice/milk/water not appropriate when it’s in the privacy of your own home? Who is it hurting? I think those twins will be just fine.
When I was about 6 years old, I remember my mother took ill with some awful cold or virus and her head hurt so bad she could barely lift it off the pillow. In order to keep hydrated, she kept one of my baby sister’s bottles next to her in her bed and would drink from it. Yes, she sucked from the bottle’s nipple just like a baby. I would help refill it for her.
Ms. A says:
I see no problem with a bedtime bottle, she is still young. However, I do recommend water, instead of milk. Much better for her teeth.
kris says:
the only problem at all would be if it was anything except water… rotting teeth are a big deal.. a bottle at any age isn’t. so if it isn’t water yet i would start watering it down a bit every night until it was water. believe me…i have seen the rotten teeth that milk mouth brings (s-i-l) and it is so not worth it.
B in Oz says:
I agree with Tina, what does it matter how old they are when they stop just try and do it before the baby teeth fall out.
My sister-in-law waited until her 2 kids were old enough to bargain with, give Santa your bottle/dummy and he will leave an extra present. Some don’t agree with that kind of bribery but it worked in one night with no tantrums and they both never asked again.
Amy says:
Oh Heather! I remember freakin’ out about this very thing when my oldest son was a baby. I worried so much. Now looking back I realize I shouldn’t have been so worried. He was 2 1/2 before he went to a glass. He didn’t stop until he started Early Intervention school.
Second kid? Sports bottle at age 1 plus the open glass when he was still an infant. No transition problems at all.
Yes, they will outgrow it. Let go of the guilt. Breathe. I have been there, I know. It will be okay!
Thurieyyah says:
I agree with Wally & Amanda – you’re moving soon – which is a big change for her – let her have her night bottle – there’s nothing wrong with it.
My daughter (who stays with my MIL during the day) will be 3 in a couple of months time. She’s ‘bottle free’ and drinks from a cup.
But come night time she want’s her TETTE (breast) – I dont have a problem with that cause it gives me a little more time to snuggle with her – and its my time to unwind too.
So I say LET ANNIE HAVE HER NIGHT BOTTLE!
Lisa says:
I’m with you on the whole you can’t let her cry and scream forever as we lived in a condo when Maya was that age and had to worry about our neighbors too.
As for the bottle you could just wait it out a bit and keep up with the sippy during the day and try again with the bottle later. Or, have you tried those sippys with the spout out the top, they kind of look like bottles but are actually sippy cups? Maybe, you could use it as a go between and work up to a more traditional sippy cup.
Kiddos that age are so stubborn.
Kirsten says:
If I were Annie’s teacher and you asked me… I’d say wait until after you guys move. Keep her nighttime routine as normal as possible but get her used to the sippy during the day. Once she’s completely cool with the daytime sippy and you’ve all got settled at your new place, start trying to introduce the sippy at bedtime. You could even try a star or sticker chart and give her a pretty sticker in the mornings she goes down without the bottle.
The best time for getting a kid off a bottle is 18 months, according to my notes, and you will need to be firm. It’s a week, possibly two, of teary hell, but it doesn’t take long to break a habit at this age. Two weeks ought to do it completely.
Kim says:
My girls had the bottle until they were 18 months old. I bought them princess cups and since they’re obsessed with all things princess, they ditched the bottles. Find something she loves and see if there’s a cup.
The nighttime bottle was the last to go for us, too. Good luck!
Beret says:
I never quite understood bottle/sippy battle b/c if you think about it they are basically the same thing. Fluid containers with something to suck out the drink at the top. Sure, a “sippy cup” looks better for a toddler but why? I say let her have her bopple until she can drink out of a regular cup. Maybe she’ll get excited about being a big girl and drinking out of the same type of cup as you and Mike?
Anyway, I agree with everyone else just wait until you move to worry about getting rid of the night time bottle.
Tracy says:
THere are a couple things that make bottles different from sippy cups. One, is the nipple against the teeth and the possibility of changing the shape of the teeth (not an issue with one bottle/day), two is that with a bottle, kids tend to suck, keep the bottle in their mouth, and let the liquid pool before swallowing. They don’t keep a sippy cup in the mouth cause it’s (usually) hard and doesn’t satisfy the sucking reflex like a bottle can.
Agreed, I think this can wait for a bit longer before making a battle; just be sure to clean teeth after a night time bottle.
Mommy says:
Our dentist and pediatrician both said that most kids DO let the milk pool in their mouths with sippy cups, and that in most cases, carrying a sippy of milk around all day is actually worse than one or two bottles a day. Does Annie finish the bottle before bed or take it with her to bed and then sip on it all night (the latter is MUCH worse)? Our older son wanted a bottle before bed almost until 2, and I relented as long as he let me brush his teeth before he went to sleep. He was ok with that, and both doctor and dentist said it was just fine. His teeth are perfect and he clearly only wanted the bottle for the sucking comfort, and since he didn’t have a binky, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. We slowly diluted the milk with water until the bottles were only water and then he lost interest and we were done. Good luck!!
Amy says:
It sounds like you’re doing great with Annie, and that she’ll grow out of the bottle (perhaps with a bit of help) when she’s a little older.
My daughter (almost 3) still drinks milk out of a bottle. She has three bottles of milk a day — one when she wakes up, one before her nap, and one before bed. Everything else (every other liquid at any other time) she drinks from a cup. We’ve tried, casually, to wean her from these last few bottles, but she resists and we don’t see a reason to fight with her. She’s otherwise a healthy and well-developed child — just like Annie appears to be. I’d say relax on this one a little bit.
Ginny says:
After having been a nanny for several family, one of which included TWINS, I had the pleasure of doing many “transitions” or at least start the process for the parents. One set of parents asked me to start the process of weaning from bottle to sippy, so I started it at 9 or 10mos for breakfast. He stuck with breakfast and lunch but the afternoon nap triggered the “must have bottle” tempers, and I let him have it and left that up to the parents for dinner/bedtime. I figured I got them half way, they can do the other half. They there first time parents, and I told them the fact that their son was taking a sippy cup at breakfast before 1 year old was great but they need to be the ones to initiate the sippy cup at dinner time when THEY’RE home, not me. So be seeing everyone’s response here, every child is different in how they accept new changes.
It’s a transitional process, and I agree… if you’re moving, let her have it until you move. I’m sure you’ve started packing, etc., so that’s started to tell her things are changing, and to switch to a cup may make it worse. I’d wait. Then once you move, start working on the sippy cup and maybe make her be the one to throw away ‘the last bottle’ or something….work up to it, and when she’s using the sippy cup regularly, give her a treat by throwing away the last bottle—maybe a new cup or new treat or new toy.
Good luck!
Linda Campbell says:
Our three year old son still uses a “bot bot”, in the morning when he first gets up, IF he has a nap in the afternoon, and at bedtime. He enjoys it, it’s comfort to him. Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s just a bottle.
Melissa Hudson says:
My mom always used to say this and it never made much sense to me until I had kids…..”Is this the hill you want to die on??”. In other words, pick your battles. My son took a bottle till he was 18 months old and then we slowly added more snack and less bottle over time. And my daughter is 15 months old and I am hoping she takes that last night bottle forever!!! Hope this helps and at the end of the day…do what you feel is best.
Mallory says:
This is what my sister did to get my niece off bottles…she used an off brand of Pediasure and mixed a little bit with the milk in the sippy cup so that the sippy cup milk was sweet. The bottle got no Pediasure. It took a bit of time, but doesn’t everything? Anyway, it worked for them
Lynn from For Love or Funny says:
My daughters refuse to use sippy cups or bottles, no matter how often I offer them. (My kids are 11 and 14 years old.) No worries, Heather. Annabelle will grow out of needing the bottle eventually, and you’ll long for those bottle days…
Madi G. says:
As a parent, you need to pick your battles. This is one battle that I would allow Annie to win because there is just no harm here.
Let’s look at the worst case scenario: She ends up using a bottle for a few more years. So what? No damage done. Eventually, she’ll reach an age where it will no longer be “cool” to have a bottle; it will be “for babies.” And she’ll gladly trade it for a cup.
Until then, let her have the damn bottle. It’s much less messy than a sippy cup, anyways! (Indeed, sippy cups can and do leak!)
The only danger that a bottle at bedtime poses is to her teeth. So you need to make sure you’re brushing her teeth after she’s finished, but you need to do that whether it’s a bottle or sippy cup. She can’t sleep with sugars on her teeth; they’ll rot out of her head.
Remember how much arbitrary rules sucked when you were a kid? Didn’t you hate those “Just because” or “Because I said so” answers from mom and dad?!?! Don’t do that to Annie.
There’s no reason in the world that she can’t have a bottle until she’s 2 or 5 or 7 or 10. If that’s what she prefers, then so be it. She’s a kid; let her use what’s comfortable for her.
How would you like it if I took away your fork and knife and said “Nope! Chopsticks only.”
Why?
“Just because.”
That’s ridiculous! A knife and fork (or, if you prefer, your hands) are more comfortable! That’s what you *prefer*.
Annie is going to spend the rest of her life living up to the world’s standards of what she should/should not do. Don’t drag down her childhood by making her live up to what society says she should be doing. She’ll have the rest of her life for that.
If she wants to wear blue instead of pink, let her.
If she wants to use a bottle, let her.
If she wants to run around naked one afternoon, let her.
If she wants to play with GI Joes instead of Barbies, let her.
If she wants to wear her princess costume to the store, let her.
If she wants to spoil her dinner with a treat on a special occasion, let her.
Annie has her entire adult life to live in accordance with society’s random (and often arbitrary) social norms.
Don’t hold her to these arbitrary standards during her childhood. Let her be, as long as it’s not dangerous or otherwise harmful (e.g. running around naked one afternoon is okay, but doing that all day long in the winter is not.)
And remember how you felt when your parents imposed arbitrary rules or answered with “just because” or “because I said so.”
Don’t do that to Annie!
-Madi
Ellie says:
Oh, I totally agree with this!
As Madi said, Annie will have the rest of her life to be burdened by societal norms. Let her be free during her childhood, and especially during her babyhood!
In our home, we use the following logic: unless it’s dangerous or psychologically damaging, it’s fair game.
In this case, the bottle is not dangerous. Nor is it psychologically dangerous. In fact, I believe that forcing a baby to deny her instinctual need to suckle *IS* damaging; I believe that taking away her bottle before she’s ready can have a negative longterm impact.
Heather, learn from your children. Put yourself in her position. How would you feel if someone took away your preferred drinking method, for no good reason other than “just because.” You’d hate it!
Children, especially young kids, *need* to learn to listen to their bodies and their instincts. In our home, we eat when we’re hungry. We sleep when we’re tired. We don’t pay attention to the clock.
If the kids feel that they want to do a homeschooling lesson at 1 a.m. and a parent is awake, let’s do it! If the kids want to play on the swing (quietly) at 5 a.m., we let them! (Especially because we live in a very hot region; it’s downright dangerous to play in the 100-degree sun. So if they want to play at night, under the floodlights, go for it! Plus, all the wild animals come out at night, so we make a homeschooling lesson out of it!) If they want to sleep during the day, when it’s hot, we let them (in fact, we join them!)
It’s all fair game, providing it doesn’t cause harm and as long as they’re not shirking a responsibility. (e.g. if you promised to help Grammie plant her vegetables at 9 a.m., you can’t take a nap at 8:50 a.m.) Granted, we are a homeschooling family, and we both work from home, so we don’t have to live by society’s schedule, for the most part.
Today, kids are taught from a very early age to listen to societal norms instead of their bodies and their instincts. The result: a society of stressed out, sleep-deprived zombies who are unhealthy and obese because they never learned to listen to their bodies and instincts.
Don’t teach Annie to ignore her body or her instinctual needs/desires. Don’t make her live by society’s rules at such a young age. She’ll have a lifetime to be inhibited by “just because” rules. Let her be a baby!
-Ellie
Marie says:
I totally disagree. My kids all had the nighttime bottle until at least 2 and their teeth didn’t rot out of their heads.
Annie’s just a little past one and a bottle is pretty darn normal for her at night. Does she even have all of her teeth yet or just a few?
Do not sweat it Heather, really.
Hugs from MN
Marie
Colleen says:
Two things:
1) Let her have the bottle at night, big deal, she won’t do it forever.
2) If you really want to break the habit, you will have to let her scream for a night and I suggest you wait until you move. It will probably only take one night. remember it is a comfort thing, but not necessary. She will learn very quickly that she really doesn’t need it and move on. I doubt she will be warped for life.
Personally, I don’t see the need for a bottle at her age, but if you guys are ok with it, then it should not be a problem. Take the path of least resistance, but remember, you are modeling for her other issues down the road. This may be a worthwhile battle or it may not be. Choose it carefully.
Of course you can always make the milk taste not as good when it comes from a bottle but that would be mean, right? Or, make the milk taste better when it comes from a sippy cup
heather says:
it doesn’t make you a bad parent, so go with your gut
personally I took a hardline approach, we got rid of all of the bottles in one fell swoop so there was no way for us to give in their demands
we rewarded with stickers every time they used a sippy and after a few months, we simply said ‘okay, no more bottles’ and tossed them
Sheila says:
Like others I don’t see a big deal with her still getting a bottle, esp, if its just at night. I nursed so our transitions were a lot easier (surprisingly) b/c once I was done pumping I just moved from bottle to sippy & never put anything other than breast milk in bottle (no water or reg milk). So they only got sippy after the breast milk ran out. We tried alot (straw cups etc..) and the one they liked the best were the cheapest (yay!) the take & toss you can get at target. Helps that daycare uses them too.
Lastly not sure if she is still on formula or reg milk but you may try (eventually) just eliminating what you are giving her in the bottle & only offer it in a sippy. Overall, I wouldn’t fret at all at this point. Heck I never even tried to get the binky away from my kids until they were at least 2 and that’s the almost the same as using bottles. She may just simply still need that sucking motion for comfort since its mainly at night.
Jenny says:
It won’t work until you have full support from Mike and your parents. If Annie knows she can ask someone else and get a different answer she learns a powerful response. You might need interventions with others besides Annie. I agree with the idea to transition post-move. It will be easier once you take the neighbors out of the mix. Good for you for pushing the sippy cup. You are making progress!
For the actual transition, I remember it being a week of tears (mine and his) and then we were done. After that, we never went back.
Robin S says:
ugh, I feel your pain! my almost 15 m/o is doing the exact same thing, but she needs a bottle at nap time & bed time… and after buying a million types of cups, she likes the stinkin take & toss cups! they’re cheap, but they leak if they’re upside down. im trying to just figure she won’t take it forever, and my husband is deployed so i’m trying to not stress myself out about it too much!
also, my little girl is a huge trouble maker, too bad we’re on the other side of the country… she & annie seem like peas in a pod!
Laurie says:
Why the hurry to get her off the bottle? She’s still very young and a bottle isn’t going to harm her. She’ll let go of it when she’s ready to. If now is not the time, don’t try to force it. It’s great that she’s taking the cup all day; I don’t see any harm in letting her have the bottle at night. I assure you she won’t be taking it to collage with her.
My son didn’t give up the bottle completely until he was 2 1/2. He’s 15 now. He’s fine.
Barbara says:
Let her have the bottle, my daughter had a bottle before bed until she was three, people gave me lots of “advice” on it lol she had a doctor from a big hospital where I live, world known, anyway he said to me, do you have things that comfort you? I said of course he said well the bottle at night comforts her, she will get rid of it when she no longer feels the need for it end of issue she had milk at bed, and is now 21 and his gorgeous white strong teeth in fact has never had one cavity, as long as Annie isn’t sucking on the bottle while sleeping, I’d really leave it be, if she is trying to use it as a soother take it away after she falls asleep, my only rule with my daugthter was no bottle while in bed sleeping and she gave it up on her own when she was ready
Jenn says:
Hi Sweetie,
This seems like an important issue for you. I do have to agree with the others when I say, the 1st thing you have to do is get your move and transition of the move over with. Annie is going to have so many changes at once, I would think her having her “bopple” would be self soothing for her.
The other unfortunate thing is if Mike and/or your parents are not on board, you transiting her from the bottle to a sippy is going to be 100 more difficult…not to mention super confusing for poor Annie. Consistency is truly the key to success!
I think once you get into the house and you establish new rules and routins, and Annie seems settled THEN you can start to really transition her (if EVERYONE is on board) from her bopple to her sippy on a full time basis. Until then, honestly Sweetie…give yourself and Annie break.
I have 3 kids and actually had 3 differant ways they transitioned between the bottle and the sippy.
My oldest son simply refused his bottle when he was about 2 yrs old and wanted nothing BUT the Sippy. EASY PEASY for me!!! YAY!!!
My daughter became ill and therefore was completely right off her bottle. So, she was doing so well on her sippy, I just quiet threw her bottles out and just continued to give her the sippy cup…no problems. She had actually forgot about the bottle.
With my finale child (Sam), he was attached to his bottle yet he really longed to be as “old” as his siblings. So, I asked him very gently every day if he was ready to “mail” his bottle to a baby who might need it more than him since they were a baby. Within a week of just gently – no presure reminding him on and off there is a baby who REALLY needs a bottle. One day, he came to me, gave me a hug and said “Mommy baby gets my bottle now”. So, we put all of this bottles in our mailbox, then we called EVERYONE we knew so they all praised him and he was so proud of himself.
As for bed time, he did get a little upset but I had set up a “letter” before I told and gave him from the baby’s family who “got the bottle”. Well….he was so proud, the whines stopped and he fell fast to sleep with the letter in his little hand. It was priceless and by the next day, he forgot all about the bottle!! All 3 different but just as successful!!
Good Luck Mama!
AmazingGreis says:
Eh, a bottle for bedtime is so not a BIG deal. You know, this coming from the kidless friend. My cousin took a bottle to bed until she was 7, so please just make it stop before then because that was just weird. Also, she’s 10 now and still sleeps in her parents bed. YES.SHE.DOES!
Amy says:
Years ago when I wanted to wean my son from the bottle I still gave it to him each night but every other night we’d reduce the amount of milk. Until we were down to almost nothing at bedtime. I definately remember him going thru the one ounce and then shaking the bottle and looking at me like WTH ??? Then for a few night he just wanted to hold the empty bottle. After that he didn’t want to have too much to do with it. During this weaning period, he only got the bottle at bedtime. He used a cup during the day.
But with the move coming up, I think I’d wait until you’re settled into in then try to wean her. She might need the extra comfort in a new place.
Kenna says:
If she was breastfeeding still, you wouldn’t wean her JUST because she still took the breast… so I wouldn’t worry about it TOO much.
That said, sippy cups are nothing more than glorified bottles ANYWAY – they are just better accepted socially. Personally, we skipped the sippy cup stage (I DESPISE them, sorry…. yucky nasty things that are impossible to clean!) and went straight to regular open cups. Small plastic ones (try those disposable shot glasses STOP LAUGHING I AM SERIOUS!). Sure you will be wiping up water from the floor and changing shirts on Annie, but it’s shortlived, I promise!
Now… for some of my tougher daycare kids, I transitioned them over using a spouted cup. Tupperware, I think. No valve, so the child actually sips more like a normal cup and less suck like a bottle.
Really though – just don’t sweat it. It’s simply not worth it.
Sam says:
I let my girls have it WAY longer than they should have! When they turned 2 and we went to the dentist I brought all (except 2 that I hid for an emergency in case my plan failed) the bottles to the dentist for “another baby that needed them” and she trashed them!! Much to my surprise … It totally worked!!
Jenn says:
My daughter will be 15 months old tomorrow and we are down to one bottle a day which is the night bottle. She will NOT go to sleep until she has it and this mama needs to sleep so I’m not fighting her over it. I figure she’ll won’t want it forever. My little one never took to a paci and there are lot of kids this age and older who still do the paci so I’ll let her enjoy her one bottle.
MK says:
Hi Heather!
I’ve never commented before (I’m a chicken) but I totally understand what you’re going through. Even though my daughter is fifteen, I remember this stage like it was yesterday.
We also had a hard time getting our girl off the night time bottle, but our pediatrician walked us through this and it wasn’t so horrible. Every night we started watering down the milk bottle a little more. Like first night, one ounce water to seven ounces milk. Do that for a day or two, and keep increasing the water and decreasing the milk. After a couple of weeks, the bottle is all water. Most kids want their milk, not water at bed time, so you offer the sippy cup full of milk, or the bottle of water. My daughter would take a sip of the water and chuck the bottle, then pick up the sippy of milk. Like magic! It worked like a charm for us and it wasn’t horrible. I did this with both my kids and it was pretty painless. Mind you, it does take a little time and the constant offfer of the sippy cup first, but it worked for us. I hope this is helpful.
I wish you the best of luck with your sweet sweet girl. This parenting stuff is hard no matter what the stage!
Missy says:
My son didn’t give up his milk at night till he was 2 1/2. My 4 year old still gets a sport “ba ba” at bedtime. It is the ONLY time and ONLY way I can get her to drink any milk AT ALL… Since it’s only bedtime, I don’t fight it. You could try making her bopple water only, and if she wants milk, she has to use a cup? Although if she’s like my daughter she’ll just chuck it at you and scream. lol If it’s just bedtime, I wouldn’t stress over it too much.
monica says:
My two cents is the same as everyone else. Definitely wait until after the move to transition. She’s doing great with the sippy during the day, a bottle at bedtime won’t harm her. The bedtime bottle is always the hardest to let go. Give it time.
Lesley says:
I don’t think it’s a big deal. I also had a graveyard of sippy cups. My son liked the ones that were the hardest to clean!
But, one of my neighbors skipped the sippy cup altogether and went straight to drinking from a cup. Somehow, she thought it was less confusing and her kids seemed to do well that way. Of course, they can’t walk away drinking milk on their own. But, I bet she probably didn’t find old sippy cups filled with rancid milk hidden underneath the couch later, either.
Michelle says:
My first son (who is now 6) had a serious addiction to Nubi sippy cups. They have a silicon sucky part that is VERY like a bottle which explains why he transitioned to it soooooo easily. Also explains why he treated it exactly like a bottle and suckled on it rather than sipping. Ugh! So, yeah, he was “bottle” addicted as well and screamed and cried until he PUKED until he got one every night. So, clearly *I* am not the one with the good advice but I CAN tell you that he stopped on his own when he was three.
Ashley says:
I say – Breath! She’s working on it during the day, so at night I’d give her a break. Wait until she’s always on a sippy cup in the day and Mike would never even dream of giving her a bottle. Then see what happens. For us that’s what we did with our girls and they both gave up the bottle on their own. My oldest, used to look at us and say “I no BAY-BE. Me NO BOBBLE!”
She won’t be 16 screaming for a bottle of milk and this won’t spoil her forever. You’re giving her what she needs in the moment, while helping her move onto the next phase. You’re doing great!
T McQ says:
I think it’s a big deal if YOU think it’s a big deal. I also think for things like bottles, soothers, etc. you need to take them when the baby is young or be prepared to have them around for a long time.
I think it depends on the child and how they adjust to change, but I know one family that moved when their son was around 17 months and told him there were no soothers at the new house. He fussed for about 15 minutes the first night but never asked for it again. I also took my son’s soother when he turned 1 – a week after moving him to a new bedroom, and about 3 weeks before his little sister was born. He did fine and adjusted to all 3 changes like a champ.
We started on sippies when the babies started solids at 6 months. By a year my oldest just had a sippy at daycare and was on a cup all the time at home. We’ve been lazy about it with my son, but now at almost 16 months he’s just on a sippy at daycare (one day a week) and a real cup at home. Once they moved to a real cup they seemed to forget about the bedtime milk.
Good luck with whatever you decide – the world will keep turning either way.
Leslie Burnham says:
I agree that waiting until you have all settled into your new home is a good idea.
My own daughters are grown up now, but we did have hard times with letting go of the bottle, and we handled it the same way for each child.
A month or so before each of my daughters went to the dentist for her first check-up … and I think it was at least 20 months of age … we started getting rid of all the bottles in the house until we were down to the last one. The child knew there was only that ONE bottle, and we brought it to the dental office. Then at the end of the big-girl dental visit, she traded in the bottle for a special toy. We secretly provided something more exciting than the usual dentist office trinkets, but the dentist handed it to her with lots of praise about how she was such a big girl now.
Of course there were the withdrawal “pains” for a few days, but since I could loudly sympathize that there were no more bottles in the house, it diffused the whining and crying and it wasn’t really more than a few days before the whole thing was over.
Julie says:
I agree with lots of the other commenters that it’s not time to stress yourself about it right now, with an impending move.
Our 14-month-old is in the middle of the transition from bottle to sippy cup, and the transition of having any milk after night-time toothbrushing. The sight of the sippy cup during his bedtime routine has elicit SCREAMS from him, because he knew what the cup was depriving him of. I really feel your (and everyone else’s) pain.
FWIW, we sort of substituted bottles for several books. We just made books a new part of the bedtime routine (they weren’t before, believe it or not – his main interest in books had been just flipping the pages as fast as possible, until recently.) We set a sippy cup of water within reach while we’re reading bedtime books, but don’t make a big deal out of it. If I casually mention in the middle of a story that he can have a drink of water if he wants, he’ll often pop out his pacifier, grab the water and take a swig.
You could certainly try water in the bottle instead of milk, and letting her put her sleep with a bottle of water isn’t the worst thing in the world.
You could even gradually water down her bottle of milk over a week or so, to her her more used to the feel and taste of water at night instead of milk! The first night, a bottle of milk with a little water, the second night add a bit more water than previously, etc. For a screamless temporary solution, that might be worth a try!
Tania says:
The pampers stages sippy cup is the only cup my son will drink milk out of. He will use any other sippy for other beverages but milk must be in that cup. The spout is nipple like and silicone.
Susie-Q says:
I myself sucked a bottle when I came home from school until I was six. I know what you are thinking….what an idiot her mother was…but she surly was not. It was just easier for her than to hear me scream for it. I am now a grown woman and it left me with no side effects, strong teeth and a happy life. I know what all the books say but sometimes you just have to go on your own and do what you think is ok….She will be fine and when she is ready she will give it up all on her own.
Elle says:
I feel you on this. Most of the time my husband caved which would make me feel bad so I would give in. After several talks with my mom, she told me I just have to be the bad guy and stand firm. I also love the suggestion of another commenter mentioning gradually watering the milk down. I wish I thought of that.
Gina says:
I switched both girls off of the bottle to a sippy cup when they were 9 months old. Seemed they were too young to notice or care what they were getting their formula in….
Once they are big enough to notice what your doing, I have no clue what you could do! I would wait to make any major changes until after you move though…might freak her out even more!
Jenifer says:
I agree with the mommies and daddies who said one bottle a day isn’t so bad. I was gonna say put water in it so it’s not so enticing and I saw that other suggested that too.
My oldest was a bottle boy (not a boob man apparently) and I let him have it until he was about 18 months old. Should I mention I was pregnant at the time and just wanted peace and sleep? Meh, whatever. Anywho I’d like to say I did something profound to wean him off the bottle but to be completely honest I forgot to give it to him. I know, worst mommy ever. But in my defense he had a baby brother at 17 months old (to the day) and I WAS TIRED!!!!! So he stopped getting it because mommy forgot to get it ready. He climbed in bed with daddy and I went to nurse the baby and he passed out just fine with out it.
My sister did the cold turkey thing with her boys (“Happy 1st Birthday!! No more bottle no matter what!!!!”)
I’m sure you and Annie will figure it out or someone will suggest something genius and she’ll be weaned in no time.
Good Luck!!!
Laura says:
I had a bottle at night until I was in prekindergarten, and I didn’t have any mental or physical harm from the bottle itself. I made the sippy/normal cups (whichever was age appropriate) fine during the day, but the bottle helped me sleep better.
The only thing is, do NOT put anything but water in it at night. I had apple juice and milk in mine, and I had to have major dental work when I was four because of it. Not because the bottle caused any of my teeth to come in wrong, but the cavities. I had crowns and fillings in most of my teeth until my adults came in. I was very lucky in the fact I had only adult tooth at that time.
The thing to remember is, anything given at night will sit on the teeth longer than anything will in the day. So water is the only safe bet.
Lea says:
We switched my son to a sippy cup and got rid of his pacifier the day he turned 1 year old. It happened in one night and we had no problems. We introduced this sippy cup (http://www.playtexbaby.com/CupsMealtime/The-First-Sipster-Cup) at around 9 months. It was the only cup he wanted to drink water out of. And he refused to use any other. I think it’s because the spout is soft so it might feel like a bottle in a way. When we got rid of our bottles we switched to this sippy cup: (http://www.playtexbaby.com/CupsMealtime/Disney-Collection/Toy-Story-Insulator-Spout-Cup.aspx). He only drinks milk out of this cup and nothing else. And only sees this cup twice a day. When he wakes up in the morning and at night while we are having story time. And if Annie is refusing the bottle try giving her a regular “adult” cup. Sometimes they like that. For instance, my son is no longer using sippy cups for water. Instead he uses a class cup or he drinks out of a camelback water bottle. Good luck! Be consistent and she will be switched in no time!
Lamb says:
This message board may have just the advice you’re looking for: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080110201929AAdKE2t
Good luck!
Audra says:
You’re in the process of moving and you just returned from a crazy week away in NYC. I think you should just sit back, relax and realize that no matter how frustrating it is now, she won’t be using a bottle when she’s 10. That way of thinking got me through my second daughter’s refusal to be potty trained until she was three. Whenever I wanted to yell, scream, cry, whatever, I just took a deep breath and remembered that no one wears diapers to kindergarten. Eventually it will happen and you’ll wonder why you were so upset.
debi says:
Like most everyone else, I don’t see the rush. I do feel sad for the kids of the one commenter that started them on sippies at 6 mo. Even up until 2 1/2 I think most littles have a need to suck. I nursed all 5 of my kids and I don’t recall going to sippy cups at all. But I have 10 grandkids now and I have sippy cups for everyone. Ages 16 (not him) down to 22 mo. I just hate kids spilling on my rugs. My kids told me they would not use them as they are for babies. Not true. My 10 yr olds all come in and ask for their special cups. Out youngest girl and her 22 month old live at home with us. She is breast fed and taking a sippy and a bottle. When her mommy is at work I put her to sleep with the rocking chair and a warm bottle of milk. Not much help was I ?
Penbleth says:
She’s young yet, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Christine says:
Have you ever seen a teenager with a bottle of milk? I sure haven’t! Give her the bottle and she’ll show you when she is ready to let go of it. My sister (over 10 years ago) threw out her own baby bottles. I still remember the day. There wasn’t any crying or screaming. Awesome.
My mom always reminds mothers with small children to relax a little bit. Don’t worry if your kid is having a hard time getting potty trained! 99.99999% of teenagers don’t wear diapers. Even the incompetent parents manage to get their kids out of diapers and away from bottles before they hit puberty. You are one of the best parents out there, Heather, so relax! Your kids will be fine.
Jacky says:
Please do NOT stress yourself over this!! Really.
I nursed FOREVER and I worried my kids would walk down the aisle at their weddings stopping for a sip of breastmilk and wearing a diaper. Well, they are 13 and 18 years old and no more nursing/bottles and no more diapers! It does happen!
We had a bye bye bottle party. At chuckecheese with gifts. And a byebye diaper party. They LOVED it. But obviously my kids were way older because they understood the party and the bye bye part.
Oh no, you aren’t moved. Tell us what happened!!
Jacky
Overflowing Brain (Katie) says:
Okay, take this for what it’s worth since I’m not a mom, but the recommendation my husband gives patients is that you give her two choices (at the times when she wants a bottle):
1) A bottle full of very cold water
2) A sippy cup of milk at whatever temperature she prefers
Most kids will eventually choose the milk in the sippy cup because the bottle with cold water is not the soothing thing they want. It’s certainly worth a try. You could also try giving her more milk during the day so that if she opts not to drink milk from the sippy at night, there’s no nutritional detriment. Good luck!
Kristina says:
Oh honey … welcome to my world. My TWO year old is a total bottle nazi. I have tried every sippy cup in the world. IN. THE. WORLD. He just flat refuses. Through the day I can usually get him to drink out of a regular old cup, but he will absolutely never drink milk out of a cup (oh the horror!) I have to say that I am a totally bad mom and have just given up. It’s his one major vice and since its not heroin, I guess I’ve decided to let it slide. He gets a bottle before his nap and at night and drinks from the cup for pretty much the rest of the time (unless he is sick or something in which case my defenses are weakened anyway).
I honestly have no advice. I can’t figure out how to break his addiction.
Oddmomma says:
I cut the nipples off of each bottle and when my son tipped the bottle the contents would pour out, on his face. I would say “Oh no, this bottle is broken and we will have to throw it away”. Then I offered another bottle, which was also” broken” and once again the contents went all over his face. We threw that bottle and all the rest into the trash and he never asked for a bottle again. The End!!
DefendUSA says:
Our problems were binkies. (pacifiers). Kid number one, way advanced, left it for Santa to take to another baby, and she got a Prize. She was 2. Kid 2 just threw his at me at 14 months and never took it again. Kid 3 and 4 had to be weaned. I cut holes in the nipples so they could not get the satisfaction from it. It took a week before kid 3 woke up and said, ‘My binky is broken, no more binky.” And the last one was 2.5…he woke up from a nap and said, “Mommy? Binky out, binky out. Here you go!” And he actually took it to the trash.
Milk is considerably more messy. But maybe if you cut a hole bigger than normal and her clothes get wet and you tell Annie the bopple is broken, she’ll get it. Do it with all of them…just a thought.
Amanda says:
Buy two special sippies that are a different color than any of Annies. Write Mommy in sharpie on one, and Daddy in sharpie on the other. At dinner or bedtime, whenever the tantrums normally start, give her a bottle without her asking for it, and the two of you drink from your sippies. After a couple of days she will ask to drink from it at night. You can choose either to say “no this is for big boys/girls” for a couple nights or ask if she is “big enough” for the special sippy.
You can do this with one of her cousins if you want too, offering one of them the special big kid sippy and her the abby bottle. It creates the same type of peer pressure that a preschool or sibling environment does and can speed up the bottle thing. It also turns it into a situation where your no longer pushing the sippy on her, instead she is asking you which is going to make the sippy seem more attractive while making the bottle less attractive (because your willing to give it to her so freely).
Hope this helps. Great to meet you in NYC!
Katrina @ They All Call Me Mom says:
Heather, Heather, Heather….it’s not often that I disagree with you. In fact, I can’t really remember a time that I didn’t agree with you. But now? I don’t agree with you. There, I’ve said it.
She’s still a baby.
Every mama is different and I respect that, but my personal opinion is that she is still a baby! Baby’s what to suck. Bottles “feel” good. They are comforting. What’s the harm? Are you worried about her teeth? her becoming dependent on the bottle? What?
I don’t take pacifiers or bottles away from my babies. How long are they considered a “baby” ? Oh, I’d say until around two or two and a half. In my mind, anyway. When the diapers come off…that’s when I start weaning them off the pacifiers and the bottles.
What I do it this: pacifiers are okay out of the house up until age 12 months to around 15 on months. After that age, they are stashed in the car for car rides, and kept in the crib for naps and bedtime. Same thing for bottles. No need to have a pacifier or a bottle for a trip to Target. As far as around the house, if the child is old enough to sit at the family table for meals (even in a high chair, scooted up to the table) then a sippy cup should be used. It’s not bedtime or nap time, so the bottles aren’t used at the dinner table (this is assuming that the baby now eats table food). Also, I don’t let my baby walk around the house with a bottle. They are not for social time. They are not for play time. They are only for bed and nap time.
This is just how I do it, and of course my way is not perfect. Just sharing what has worked for my nine children. My last one is going to be three in July. I have no pacifiers or bottles in my home anymore, and diapers only at night for sleeping. I miss the bottle days. I really do.
Don’t rush it. They grow up so quick!
Tina says:
Different perspective…I drank from a bottle at least once per day until I was 5. I can VIVIDLY remember my mom brining a bottle in the car for me after preschool. If I didn’t have it I would freak out. I’m pretty normal now with a 2 1/2 year old of my own. So, my vote is not to worry about it. I would also recommend gradually diluting the milk with water so that eventually it is all water in the bottle for the bedtime one. Eventually it will all be water and she may give it up on her own then.
Rebecca says:
I would only let my kids drink formula out of a bottle and they got juice and chocolate milk in the cups with lids and straws. (We skipped sippy cups, and used only cups with lids and straws)
Good luck
Paige says:
How about skipping the sippy cup altogether? My daughter just didn’t get it. Tip the cup back, what? So we got her those lidded cups with straws in them. The Zoli is her favorite, but mostly they are all the same. She GETS straws. And now we’ve moved on to regular cups, no lids, and suddenly she understands tipping the cup back.
Either that or try taking out the valves from the sippy cups. Sure, they spill easier, but maybe she’s not happy with them because it’s hard to get anything out? Have you tried drinking from a sippy with a valve in? It’s HARD!
Molly says:
Following up on what Rebecca and Paige said, I’d love to get others’ thoughts on why some feel the sippy cup is a necessary stage. A friend recently had a baby and mentioned that she’ll go from breast to cup and not offer the middle options (she also doesn’t use a crib, just a mattress on the floor–I think it’s a Montessori thing). I understand that learning to use a cup would be messier. It seems simpler though to just let the child have a bottle until she’s ready to use a cup just as she sees the adults around her doing. Thoughts?
Becki says:
Are you weaning her from a bottle for YOU or HER?
When she is ready she will give it up.
As someone said above, she is still a baby.
Kristal says:
Just let her have the bottle. She doesn’t seem ready to transition to sippy cups full time yet. When she’s ready, she’ll let you know. I don’t think she’s manipulating you at all, she just gets comfort from her bottle.
Carol says:
Let me play devil’s advocate. I understand the screaming issue in an apartment. Hoever, using a bottle to fall asleep is a BAD idea nap or bedtime as it causes tooth decay unless there is just water in the bottle. This is actually a parent decision. Move in, get settled, pick a date. and pack the bottles away. She will drink once she gets thirsty enough. It might not be milk but it will be something! I raised four children. Their bottles were packed away on their first birthday. Theyre all awesome, successful grownups now.
Crystal says:
From now on, only put water in bottles. If she wants milk, she’ll have to drink it from a sippy. If you stick to it, she’ll give up the bottle in no time.
Jessica Makuh says:
I know it’s hard to hear, but the best way is to get rid of the bottles, let her watch you do it, put them in a clean trash bag and throw then away. But go back to get them later, or that’s wasteful. Then, don’t give up. If she would understand, you can say that you are giving them to all the babies who need them and get rid of them another way. That is what we did with our 2 year old to get her off the pacifier. It worked great! It only took 3 days before she stopped crying about it. Three days isn’t so bad. Make your neighbors cookies to apologize! Good luck!
Katrina says:
My oldest daughter has a January birthday, and the Christmas before her 3rd birthday is when we left all her pacifiers under the tree for Santa to take to other babies who needed them. She was reluctantly willing – reluctant to part with them, but willing to see if Santa actually takes them! Well, Christmas morning they were gone, and Santa left a note and a bunch of toys for her, thanking her for the pacifiers.
It seemed a success. She didn’t ask for them (because she knew they were no longer in the house) but a few months later, after hanging around a friend who sucked her thumb, she began sucking her thumb. I thought she was kidding, at first, and didn’t think much of it. I was surprised to find her sleeping with her thumb in her mouth. Apparently she was not kidding. It took us YEARS to break her from sucking her thumb. It’s much easier to get rid of pacifiers, lol.
Christine Hendricks says:
Heather -babe: to quote my wise mum “she’s not going to go to school with it”. She’s still a baby, there really is no rush to get her off the bottle, it provides her with a comfort that she needs. My son was 4 when the “bottle fairy” came and took the bottle away. He was sad but pleased with the small gifts left in it’s place. There was closure and no trauma. Don’t rush it there is no reason to is my advice. x
Ms. Moon says:
As the mother of four and the grandmother of one all I can say is- what’s wrong with letting her have a bottle? It’s not like she’s four years old and dragging a bottle to preschool. Sucking is an inborn human need for a very long time and it’s just our culture that gives cut-off dates and ages. Bless her heart and bless yours too. She’ll give it up eventually when she’s ready. I swear- she will.
Kendra says:
Maybe you could tell her bottles aren’t allowed at the new house once you move. Throw away the bottles so you’re not tempted by the tantrums. We did this with my son when we went to visit my in-laws for an extended stay. He would drink from a sippy at daycare, but not at home. I threw away the bottles as soon as we got there and he was used to it enough when we got home that he didn’t ask for it anymore.
Noelle says:
My daughter wouldn’t go near a sippy cup, not even during the day, when she was Annie’s age. I cried as much as she did when I tried to make her transition. It wasn’t worth it! Finally I completely let it go for a couple of months, then about a month before her second birthday I woke up one morning and all the bottles were in the sink. I didn’t feel like washing them, so I filled a bottle and handed it to her and she didn’t even think twice about it.
It was the same thing with potty training, she fought me until she was ready. I’m not saying to indulge your kid at every turn, but certain milestones they will achieve when they’re ready on their own.
Expat Mom says:
I think that is a very good point! Kids do stuff when they’re ready. We tried to move our youngest into his brother’s room when he was 18 months, he totally freaked, so we gave up. Six months later, we tried again and he was totally excited about the move. :S They all have their own timing and it really works best if you go with it when you can.
Noelle says:
I meant I filled a CUP and handed it to her, not a dirty bottle!
Jayme (Random Blogette) says:
I so wish that I had some advice for you but I went through the same think with my daughter. It took us forever to get her off of the bottle! I actually have a video somewhere of me holding a sippy cup an everytime it went near her she would scream like she was scared of it. Finally one day I threw all of the bottles out and she eventually learned to love the sippy cups. I had quite the sippy cup graveyard as well!
Bella says:
Here’s the thing. My Sammy is just a few days older than your sweet girl. He still takes 2 bottles a day, sometimes 3. He refuses to take milk from a sippy, period. And I in turn refuse to fight him on it, especially at night. We cuddle, he has his bottle, and he goes to bed happy.
I think about it this way- when I go to bed, I have my pillow that I’ve had for years. I have The covers just so. I have the fan on, etc. All my choices…things that bring me comfort and help me rest. Right now his crib, his pillow, his blanket, his room temp is all stuff I have chosen. So if he needs a bottle to bring him comfort, so be it. We all have our stuff, right?
Kelly says:
I haven’t read all the posts, so I’m sure this was probably already posted, but the thing we did with my son (my oldest), was I spent the night with him away from home and while we were gone the bottles “disappeared.” When he asked for one, we said they were gone. He went to the cupboard where we kept them and sure enough they were gone. We had about two or three days of crying, but he got over it. And he was still having more than one bottle a day. It made it easier that the “bottle fairy” had come to take them and we couldn’t give him one.
With my second, she never really liked a bottle so it was pretty easy. With they youngest, I hate to say that I don’t even really remember the transition. We did have a hard time with the transition to regular cups though. It’s only been a few weeks since she stopped the sippy cup around the house and at bedtime. She just turned five three days ago and seems to be doing fine.
Amy says:
I am totally of the hard-way approach. Get rid of all the bottles, then there is nothing to give in with. Just like anything else trying to be introduced, or taken away, there will be some transitioning pains, but it always goes away in the end.
I always hated bottles, just the trying to clean them, and because I was lucky enough to be able to nurse until my daughter was 14 months, I weaned her and put her straight on the sippy cup – no bottles at all. But we had this battle with other things… in the end it always works out.
Good luck!
oh, and also, we use the cheap take and toss cups, nothing fancy about them and they work just fine! A little spillage now and then, but nothing to run out and buy other, expensive ones over!!!
mmd says:
Seems simple but an easy explanation to our 1 y.o about “this is a bottle for babies” and this is “cup for big girls” seemed to do the trick for us. I know that won’t work for everyone, but for some odd reason it worked for us.
amourningmom says:
We had trouble with pacifiers and the pacifier fairy did the trick (0nly after several failed attempts). I am not so sure about a bottle fairy but maybe it is worth a try? I hope you win the battle. . . .
Karen B says:
I agree with some that a bedtime bottle for a young one is not a big deal. Kids need some sort of security thing – whether it be a blankie, stuffed toy, a bottle, paci or whatever combo therein. But a great trick I learned if you really want todiscourage the bottle, only allow it with lukewarm water =P. To make it really unappetizing, you can add a couple drops of vinegar. The “good stuff” only comes in the Big Girl cup. It usually does not take long for the kidlet to decide the bottle is not all that great anymore.
The Mommy Therapy says:
Wow. Everyone has an opinion on this one. I guess I see why some people are saying that you shouldn’t worry about it and maybe I agree for the move, but as someone that is at the one year mark this week with my daughter, I am dying to ditch those bottles. I understand. You’re done, you feel she should be done.
I have zero fantastic ideas, but I know for us I’ve been doing less and less in the bottle each night. She turns one this Thurday and my plan is for it to be the last night she gets a bottle…we’ll see what her plan is.
Good luck with however you decide to proceed!
Andie says:
I have the same problem with my child she just won’t let go of her bottle and her teeth are affected so I tried dummy cups as well which is no luck for me. So here we go brushing teeth every time she finishes drinking from bottled to stop the cavities.
Leigh Elliott says:
I would give her the bottle at night, let it be the *only* time she gets one, kind of thing. It was a rocky transition for us too. And even when she finally took to the sippy, it was hard for me to toss her bottles.
Our transition as I mentioned rocky and long. It also took us every style and size of sippy cup. I still have silicone straws and stoppers for cups in my silverware drawer that have no cups or lids with which they will ever match up to. The money and frustration with those cups….! It was a gradual process. Some days it was sippy, some days bottle. It’s all a blur looking back, really. Eventually, the bottle just disappeared.
This stuff is so hard. Good luck! I think you will find this is easier when you are in your house. You will all be overwhelmed with the newness and maybe Annie, when she moves in will think, “Hey I’m a sippy cup kind of girl in this place!”.
Caroline Pasko says:
Give the child her night time bottle. She’s growing up fast enough, as you know. Who cares if she takes it until she’s five. She will eventually not want it. Everyone here is right, this won’t ruin her. She won’t go to college with one:).
aubrey says:
My son stopped taking a bottle on his own at about 11 months. He is 10 and still sucks his thumb. My oldest daughter had a bottle til about 18 months and a pacifier until she was almost 3. I took away her paci because I was tired of listening to people and she is 8 and still sucks her thumb. My youngest daughter had a bottle until forever it seemed. She hated anything sippy like. I did find she liked the belly washer or tummy tickler bottles. or even a sport cap water bottle. She would only take those for a long time. She will be 3 this month and she will still ask for her pacifier but when she can’t find it she sucks her thumb. People complain to me about how ridiculous it is that she is 3 with a paci. But it stays at home and she only gets it at night and she sucks her thumb all day. I don’t get it.
Anyway, sorry to ramble. I say do what makes you comfortable. What works best for Annie. It is no ones business but yours what goes on behind your door. And I can guarantee she won’t go to college with her bopple. My son on the other hand may just tote “blankie” and his thumb with him.
Suze says:
Do NOT sweat this! I remember when daycare told me to just send sippy cups in, no bottles. Huh? Well, Tommy adjusted to it quickly. Getting him off his morning and nighttime bottles at home was more of a challenge, and I definitely was stressing like you are, but then decided, let it go – because I saw kids much older than him still on bottles – and I didn’t judge – it just reminded me that every child will do things in his/her own time. But eventually he did go over to the cups altogether. I think he was off the bottles completely by 15 months. To me, that is young. My mom said I wasn’t even HOLDING my own bottle until I was 14 months – but then my mom realized she was giving me a heavy GLASS (gasp!) bottle. That was also when there were one diaper size fits all, and one type of binky for all ages…
Darcie says:
I’m sure this post has something to do with sippie cups but all I can focus on is “living in an apt…story for later!” I’m so curious..lol
Chris says:
I thought I was the only one reading this line also. I hope everything is still a “go” on your house. Wasn’t escrow supposed to close this last weekend?
Mommy says:
Although I agree with most of the comments that you don’t need to stress over one bottle at her age, I also wanted to share an idea that I read online- for once you are ready to ditch the bottles for good (maybe after you are settled in the new house?): buy a bunch of balloons, tie the bottles to the end and let them go, sending them off to the “bottle fairy”. Maybe if she participates in this , she will know that the bottles are all gone for good? I thought it was kind of a cute idea! Good luck!!!
Darcy says:
If I may offer a bit of perspective… in other countries many babies breastfeed until they’re about 3-4 years old. My 2.5-year-old still breastfeeds and while she also eats solid food and drinks from a cup, nursing is one of her preferred ways to fall asleep — it’s a comfort thing.
If we look at Annabelle’s bottle as a comfort thing for her, I really don’t think you’ve spoiled her.
I know in the U.S. people seem to think that nursing past 2 years of age (or even 1 year) is Weird, but I disagree with that. I wouldn’t give you guys the side-eye just because Annie’s still using a bottle. I doubt I’d even notice.
Mamanurse says:
Both of my boys threw their bottles away when I would only give them water:) It was painful (for all of us) for about 48 hrs but after that the bottle was just a memory! It’s truly a battle of wits! Good luck!
Lisa Ash says:
OMG – I thought I had some little nugget to add, but when I started reading all of the comments, I was just relieved that the internet wasn’t all full of horrid trolls waiting to attack other Moms. Amazing. Rock ON all thee Positive Commenters!!!
Expat Mom says:
Well, my oldest didn’t give up his bottle til he was four . . . it was his one and only comfort object and I could NOT get it out of his grasp at night. Soooo, what we did was tell him that he was too old for bottles, but if he really wanted it, he could have it with water and that was that. I still keep a bottle (not a baby one of course!) near my bed to drink at night, so I figured there was nothing wrong with that. He drank only water for a couple of years and finally we just told him it was time to keep a cup by his bed and he agreed (so much easier when they can sit down and talk about it!).
In other words, my suggestion is to see if she’ll have just plain water at night. Then you shouldn’t have any guilt at all, because water is GOOD for her and for night sucking, who cares if she has a bottle?
Brittany says:
Well… I tend to agree that one bottle at this age, is a comfort thing and not a big deal. I do suggest only giving water in the bottle though, b.b.t.d (baby bottle tooth decay) is a real thing and isnt a pretty thing to deal with.
I wouldnt stress over it too much… she’s not even 2 years old.
Just don’t put milk or juice in there
TwinMomJulie says:
Heather, I vote for letting her have her nighttime bottle. I didn’t think my boys would EVER give up the bottle, but they eventually did and oh, how I wish I hadn’t stressed over it, but I did…a lot!
Crysi says:
I remember how scared I was to wean my oldest. I thought I’d never get her to sleep. It was a rough 10 days, but then she forgot about them. I threw out all the bottles, did her usual bedtime routine & rocked & sang to her until she fell asleep. There was plenty of kicking, screaming & tears, but each night it got better. I always had a silly of water if she was thirsty, but that’s it. I did the same thing with the twins at 13 months. I weaned one & then the other. They’re all very stubborn & headstrong, but it is possible.
I’d advise tossing the bottles so you can’t change your mind mid tantrum.
karen says:
We got rid of the bedtime bottle by slowly reducing the amount of milk in the bottle but we did it quite late. It was a routine we both enjoyed, sitting having a cuddle, book and bottle together.
Overnight we changed milk for water – a few shrieks and growls but nothing major – and then she gave them up all together.
When we changed from bottle to drink at bedtiem we changed the routine a little and made a very weak hot chocolate for her and gave her the choice of boring milk in a bottle or nice hot choc in a cup. Didnt take much convincing!
We also kept dummies to hand, though she didnt need them often, to appease the sucking craving.
Amanda says:
I agree with everyone else. I would just let her have it until she is ready to let it go. With Madelyn I have always gone by the rule… I’ve never seen a 16-year old walking around with a bottle. Then one day she just stopped asking for it. Easy. (She was 2)
Mikia says:
We had the same problem. Sippy cups were fine all day long, but the bottle at bedtime was hugely missed. Starting at around 13 months, we started putting toddler formula in a sippy cup at bed time. When he screamed for his bottle, we gave him a bottle filled with water. He took the bottle, but after realizing he was only getting water in it, he wanted the sippy cup instead. I’m not an expert, but it totally worked for us! Good luck!
Katrina says:
Oh how I feel you on this one!
We had the same problem with our daughter, but we both had to team up and get on the same page. We threw all of our bottles away, so we had no choice. It was hard, but after a day she got the memo. I found a sippy-cup that was a nice transition for her that had a silicone pout, and that seemed to go over really well. We didn’t do the transition until she was about 15 months old.
http://nuby.com/en/nuby/cups-spouts/9925
I agree with the others though, if she’s not ready…don’t sweat it. Keep trying and offering. That’s all that you really can do at this point.
Hang in there!
Lisa says:
I remember this was hard for us too. A bottle at night is not a biggie and she will give it up when she is ready. One thing I learned is to try one of those yogurt drinks with the foil lid before bed- just pop a straw in there and she will think she is SUCH a big girl. That helped get mine off the bottle. And just a heads up, at my daughters first day in the 3 yo class at daycare, I walked in w/ her sippy cup. And they were like, Um we dont use sippy cups anymore in this room mom. I was like HUH? I have about $2000.00 worth of these damn things at home. R U kidding ME?? And they were like, NO. So needless to say she learned to drink out of a real cup in about 8 hrs- no joke. So dont spend too much on the stupid sippy cups cause they make get yanked at 3 yo if she is in school. I threw all but two of them away- which are only used if we go out somewhere so I dont have to worry about spillage, her dying of thirst etc. I want my money back!!!!!! Lisa
sue says:
it’s just a bottle-no big deal. she’s still a baby. i promise she won’t want to take it to preschool with her;)
ldoo says:
I put a bunch of honey in my daughter’s milk and even put it on the cup spout to entice her to drink from it. Basically, spoiled her rotten. Once she realized the cup wasn’t evil, I slowly reduced the amount of honey.
Lise says:
Babies and toddlers are meant to suck. It’s a need they’re born with, that they don’t automatically outgrow at the age of 12 months. If you take the bottle away before she’s ready she’s likely to start sucking something else to take its place. And honestly, it’s much easier to control a bottle than a thumb. I agree with all the commenters that recommend putting water in the bottle instead of milk, though.
Elizabeth says:
Wish I could help, just wanted to wish you good luck.
TESS says:
If Annie’s teeth are healthy and she’s not getting chronic ear infections then she’s fine with the bottle, as most kids are. She’s actually doing great with just one bottle a day at her age.