is it normal for a 2 year old to want a bottle at bedtime, 1am, 5am and sometimes as sson as he wakes up 7:30a

Question

my newphew seems to have nightmares because he sometimes kicks and swings his arms around. I don't know if that wakes him up and in turn immidiately wants a bottle and will ask for it until I eventually give in and give it to him. What can I do to stop him from waking up so many times during the night? By the way he only drinks milk during the night. In the day he drinks water and juice only. He does not want milk unless is in a bottle.

Answer 1

No. A healthy child should not be waking up that many times for milk at night. Try to limit his intake. Experts recommend that only 16 oz a day of whole milk until age 2 and 2%, 1% or skim after age 2. Does he get a bedtime snack? He should be getting something healthy that does not have a lot of sugar in it before bed, like unfrosted animal crackers, saltines, fresh fruit, etc. I give my son a snack cup of No Sugar Added applesauce before bed sometimes and he sleeps longer. He only has milk at nap and bedtime

Answer 2

Trying to cut down on day-time napping seems like a good suggestion. Or make sure you tire him out really well with some play time before bed. The real danger here is "bottle mouth" or "early childhood caries" (cavities). You should never put a child to sleep with a bottle. Many dentists recommend against sippy cups as well. The problem is sustained exposure to sugars found in milk/juices/formula. It's best to get children to learn to drink from regular cups as soon as possible. You want to minimize the time the liquid is exposed to the teeth, and putting a child to bed with a bottle or allowing the to suck on sippy cups for a long time does just the opposite. And they should be seeing a dentist from the time the first tooth erupts.

Answer 3

Well this is a serious answer. I'm not sure if it is normal but i don't think its going to cause him any harm ya know what i mean he not going to get hurt from having the bottle. HE may be having nightmares and the bottle helps to comfort him because it is routine and something that he is used to. Like some babies suck their thumb in the moms womb. Its good that you are concerned about it. I recommend that you speak with specialist.

Ok update after reading the other peeps stuff i have to agree and say it isn't ok for him to sleep with the bottle in his mouth. It can rott his teeth. And when my babydaddy took my son bottle, i gave him a pacifier. He didn't care for the pacifier at for the first week but i would talk to him and pamper him back to sleep so i could sleep.

Answer 4

Well first children are suppose to be off the bottle at one. Since there is choking hazards and teeth problems because of bottles still being given to them. I worked in a daycare and believe me I saw the problems with doing that. So therefore right now, he is teaching his body to wake up at night for those bottles... since he is too old. He should be sleeping through the night at this age. If you dont believe me ask your doctor... they will tell you the same thing. I think you just need to be real about this and take the bottle away. He/she will cry but your going to have to deal with that for about a week. The longer you hold on to the bottle the harder for both of you it will be to get rid of it.

Answer 5

Maybe you could try a pacifier or try feeding him more during the day. He sounds like maybe he is sleeping on an empty stomache. Have you tried warming his milk during the day for him and different kinds of sippy cups? I would let him have it in a bottle during the day until he got back on track with his eatting/sleeping before taking his bottles away. Offer him his bottle and a sippy of milk at the same time and soon he will start choosing the sippy.

Answer 6

Give him a bottle before bed I have two boys and I still give them a bottle of milk before bed one is 4 and a half and the other is 3. They both have perfectly white stong teeth. If he is waking up at night maybe he is hungry so you may need to increase what he eats during the day. Also to help him sleep soundly let him choose a favorite teddy bear which he can take to bed. Kids have vivid dreams so its also importantant to calm them down before bed with happy stories read softly to them. Also TV can really scare kids only kids shows no adult stuff.

Answer 7

Was he nursed before? Maybe he misses his mother and the bottle is like a substitute for her. At 2 he shouldn't be drinking too much juice it's mostly sugar water, unless it's homemade. Try to get him to move from the bottle to having milk from a cup by putting juice ice cubes in it so it looks pretty and colorful...ie be creative. Good luck.

Answer 8

Bottles should be a thing of the past come the one year mark of a childs life. Yes they will still "want" it, but that doesn't mean that they will "get" it. Stand your ground, tell the child, "No bottle", and offer them a no-spill sippy-cup. Let them drink a bit, then return the child to bed. Drinks in the bed with them makes them more vulnerable to "bottle rot". It is a real condition, look it up.

Answer 9

Sounds like he's using it as a pacifier kinda thing, maybe go out to the shop and get him to choose a new bed toy to make him feel secure. If he really want's the bottle, then I would try to get some more food down him during the day, not ideal but if he's hungry you could try a bit of toast or cereal just before bed time.....worth a try maybel.

Answer 10

He is having what are called "night terrors". You can't stop it, it's a phase he will get over, He should not get milk at night in a bottle or anything else since milk has natural sugars that rot teeth. I suggest a pacifier because what he is needing is security. I used to go into my daughter and hold her during her night terrors and then pat her on the back until she fell back to sleep.