Night Time WITHOUT Bottle

I switched to water, which was rejected for three days straight, but i stuck to it (didn't give in even tho it meant three sleepless nights) and after that she was fine with it, and i never gave the nitetime bottle another thought, it ended when she stopped wanting it, i don't even remember when. i know i like to have water available to me at night, I don't think it's a bad thing to have water in the bottle, and it provides the opportunity to extend the nite time cuddle ritual. my 2 cents...

We did the water in the bottle thing at 6.5 mos for the bottle our daughter woke up for in the middle of the night. It did work to wean her off the middle-of-the-night bottle within a couple of weeks. I'm working now (11 mos) to wean her off bottles completely. I still give her a bottle at bedtime, but my goal is to end that by 14 mos. I'm phasing out her naptime bottles now, and she's doing just fine. I understand different babies respond to bottle weaning differently, though, and mine seems to take to it easily. I've read in several books that weaning from the bedtime bottle is easiest if the feeding is moved earlier than bedtime, at first gradually (by 10 or 15 min), then 30 min, then 1 hr, until it's not associated with bedtime anymore. Good luck!

The suggested age to remove the bottle is 12 months. We took my son's away at 13 months ( I felt guilty doing it at 12 months since we had just gotten him on the bottle about a month and a half before.) We were prepared for a big battle, but none took place. For a short period of time we allowed him to have a cup of milk during stories before brushing teeth. After teeth were brushed we read a couple more stories and if he wanted a drink he could have water. My son could have cared less at this age. I think if you wait until they are older, they are much more stubborn and it is harder on everyone. I purposely started on a Friday night thinking we were going to be in for some screaming, but he didn't even ask for it. I say do it now and you may be pleasantly suprised. Some kids are more attached to the bottle than others, but at this age, it is much easier to take it away. I know someone who has a 2.5 yr old that still demands a bottle, and it looks really weird seeing a kid that big sucking on a bottle when he clearly doesn't need it. You don't need to lose that special snuggle time with your child either, just replace it with reading lots of books on your lap and lots of hugs and kisses. Good luck.

we still give our daughter a bottle before bed, but we brush her teeth after she drinks it. She's two and a half. I know that's kind of late, but she loves it. Brushing her teeth after drinking it makes me feel better.

I too went through the same thing, many years ago. But I started to water down the milk and eventually got to just water and then it just got old and fazed out luckily. My sons were also about 2 when I stared this. They needed that comfort at night and water doesn't hurt.
I also am expecting in February so best of luck to you!!

R. F
Married for almost 18 years to my best friend, mom of 2 wonderful boys 15 and 13 and expecting in February.

Around 16 months we moved the bottle time earlier so that my daughter now sits with dad in the soft chair in the living room and reads a book while she gets her bottle, and then we brush teeth and then she and I have some quiet time in the rocking chair in the bedroom with a book and then some rocking and humming. We do all the same motions but just moved the bottle earlier in the routine and I have to say she wasn't bothered at all by it. I started getting worried about her teeth after a friend's kid had two cavities at her first dentist visit! Good luck.

I haven't read what other people are saying, but when it was time to transition my son from a bottle at about 12 months old, I did it cold turkey with a sippy cup. He still got the milk before bed and I got the same cuddle time. He'll be two at the end of the month, and the routine is the same. I found the process to be pretty easy, so hope this helps! :)

We gave our oldest daughter the bottle at bedtime until she was about 15 months. At that time we changed it so that she used a straw cup (which she uses for all her drinks) and had to finish her milk before bedtime and going into her room. We really didn't have any fights with the change. We still do this routine even though she is 25 months old and it is the only time we warm her milk up.
Hope this helps!
J.

Dear R.,
I know you love your snuggle time with your son and his bottle. That doesn't necessarily have to change. And shouldn't. But keep in mind you will have another baby soon so it seems now is the time to get him used to a different strategy.
I worked for a pediatric dental specialist and let me tell you, putting your kid to bed with a milk bottle is one of the worst things you can do for your child's teeth. If you want him to have a bottle, give it to him earlier in the day, before bedtime. Brush his teeth, and then give him a water bottle to have for night time. He is obviously plenty old enough to hold the bottle himself should he wake in the night and be thirsty. My husband actually started putting ice in the bottle and my son would not take it any other way. In fact, in the night, we could hear him rooting around for his bottle and then shaking it to hear the ice. He went right back to sleep. NEVER under any circumstances give him apple juice, etc in the bottle because the natural sugars will rot their teeth faster than a 5 pound bag of candy. Especially if they are sleeping with it coating their teeth. Definitely try getting him used to water in his bottle at night.
Kids don't like change and they'd all probably have bottles until they were 5 if we let them. Try giving milk in a sippy and only water in a bottle.
He'll get the hang of it.