my 16 month old son, and his bottle?

Question

I know my son is getting too old for his bottle. I only give it to him with whole milk before nap, and before bed. However, I know I need to start thinking about getting him off his bottle completely. I have the Avent bottle that come with handles and a cup top, and he drinks very well from his sippy cups. My question is basically this: As I give him his bottle before bed, I still sit and rock with him. How should I go about switching over from the bottle to the cup? Should I continue to rock him? Or put him in his crib with his cup and let him fall asleep alone? I'm really confused and need advice?
P.S. I think this will be harder for me than him!

just an f.y.i.: he doesn't usually fall asleep while he's having his bottle, so he does know how to put himself to sleep.

Answer 1

Don't stop your time holding and cuddling him - I think we (as parents) give that up too soon and it is such special, safe time for them to just be little. Try one of the sippy cups that he can hold like a bottle - without the handles. He can lean back in your arms and drink it slowly - it's like a bottle but has the lid with the spout on it and the milk comes out slowly. Later when he is older you can slow down the milk and maybe give him a bit of water and read him books and tell him stories. Then put him in the crib. I was always told never to put them in bed with milk because it can be really bad for their teeth. I always gave them their drinks, spent time with them and then put them down to sleep. It was a ritual that helped them calm down and they expected it. And I loved it, too. I continued doing some version of this ritual as each grew - adapting it to their needs and as they grew up. I would love to have a few more minutes to hold them on my lap and cuddle them. The youngest is 25 and over 6 feet tall so it's been a long while! :)
Best of luck to you and do what feels comfortable to you. You know your baby better than anyone. :)

Answer 2

This is going to be way harder on you than him! However, try giving him the sippy cup, but continue your regular bedtime routine. Rock him and snuggle with him. He may not even care. If he does throw a huge fit, and it's too much for you, wait a little while and try again. There are kids who have bottles before bed until they're 3 or even 4. Another couple months with the bottle won't hurt him. Honestly as long as you keep his routine the same, I'm willing to bet that the sippy cup vs the nipple isn't going to be a huge ordeal for him. I know that Avent has 2 stages of nipples for their sippy cups. You may want to use the slower one so it takes more sucking action for him to get the milk out. Good luck! And remember that he won't remember this! :-)

Answer 3

Yes, it will be harder for you than he. However, don't be an any rush to make this transition. Take this time for quality quiet time with him. They grow up so fast and 16 months is still little. A good time to do it might be when he's ready for a big boy bed and he'll be more willing to make the switch. One thing you might consider is giving him a drink of water (can be a little warm so not to wake him up completely) after the bottle so his teeth don't stay covered in milk which could cause decay. When you do make the switch make a big deal about it. Tell him that boys who sleep in big boy beds drink from a cup and offer him a little cracker, then off to brush teeth. You could still lay down with him in his bed and read him a book.

Answer 4

By all means, continue to rock him if that is what you want to do. But what you need to do is just give him the cup only. NO more bottles. He is old enough to deal with this, and if he uses it during the day alot, then it shouldn't be a big deal, unless you make a big deal out of the fact that he his not getting a bottle anymore! It is ok, this is something that all parents go through at some point. Your doing the right thing.

Answer 5

If he is drinking from the cup then just do away with the bottle. You may think of cutting the milk back little by little until he no longer needs it before bed. Do not put him to bet with a cup. Try changing your routine a little. Rock him while you read him bed time story and then put him to bed. That way you can still have our together time while he has his cup before bed.

Answer 6

Okay, you're right , it "will" be harder for you, but this is worth it in the long run, and the longer you put it off, the worse it gets. I know you'll think this is cold & impersonal, but it works. It's simple, you give your son a drink of water before his nap, and before he goes to sleep at night. You start giving him something to drink "only" in a tippy cup when he eats & is thirsty. "you" decide what day you're going to start doing this, and "don't" turn back
once you've started, okay? The temper tantrums only last for a few days or so, then he'll adjust, I promise. Believe it or not, it's kind of like when you give your puppy people food, and realize it's time to stop. At first, the puppy doesn't want to eat "just" the puppy food. Then suddenly he realizes, "hey" that's all there is! I better eat this stuff!
I'm not calling your son a puppy, just giving you a similar example, okay? Try this and see, it "does" work. I've been there, I know. Good luck....& be patient for a few days.

Answer 7

Putting your baby to bed with a cup or bottle of milk is a bad idea. Besides being a choking hazard it is bad for his teeth. If he still wants a drink before bedtime, give him a sippy of water. Phase out the bottles. Continue to rock him if you want, but work on phasing that out too.

Answer 8

Hard for you or not, you will have to overcome some sleepless nights.

At 16 months, having a bottle in his mouth can contribute to his teeth coming in wrong. The milk is ok, but taking the bottle away from him is something that needs to be done NOW. Tonight.

Take his hand, and all of his bottles, and tell him "tonight, you are a big boy, and you no longer need these baby things. Say goodbye." Throw them out, and leave them there. He will cry, and fuss, but be there to soothe him and remind him that everything is ok, and that you love him.

It is a process ALL children go through. He will be ok.

Answer 9

It will be harder for you than him,you sound alot like me when my son was 17 months old and I said o.k. he needs to get off the bottle and I had been saying that since he was 12 months old,anyways finally one day I got strong and threw all of his bottles away and I thought it would be horrible that night but to my suprise he drank the milk from his cup at bedtime with no problems ,woke up in the middle of the night and drank from his cup with no problems.I have to say it was easier than I thought and I was so relieved once it was done.

Answer 10

I would not put him to bed with a bottle at all. You should be brushing his teeth after his last bottle/cup of the day so that it does not sit on his teeth all night. I would put water in a cup, if he still really needs that comfort. Nube cups are great because they are soft like bottle nipples and provide a great transition. I would get him in the habit of being put to bed awake at night, but sleepy, so he puts himself to sleep. My daughter didn't like this so I stayed in the room with her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Now we just put her in her crib at bedtime and she just lays down and goes to sleep. It took about a week.