I have a 16 month old and I have been told he should not drink from a bottle, but that is the only way he falls asleep at night... do you think this is wrong?
2006-10-23 11:37:38 · 13 answers · asked by Nick's Mom 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
dont listen to anyone my son just turned 3 and i finally took him off the bottle .dont listen to what other people think .just make sure you take good care of his teeth .why take it from the baby if the what make him comfortable .Theres no law do it when hes ready .
2006-10-23 20:30:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Not wrong, just getting into a bad habit. After about the age of 9 months, a child no longer needs milk in the middle of the night for nutrition. They also should be able to fall asleep without it, with a little work and training on your part. Start by offering smaller and smaller amounts of milk in your toddler's bottle each night until you are down to about an ounce or two. Then, replace the milk with water. It won't be nearly as satisfying, and you may get some temper tantrums, but if you stick it out for a week, you will break the habit. Most of the time, a toddler gets stuck in a habit because putting them down with a bottle gets results... they fall asleep. You need to teach him how to fall asleep without it. I know it can be frustrating, and even a little heartbreaking to hear your baby cry at night when he wants a bottle, but you have to stick to your decision when you decide to take it away. If you waver, you lose the battle. Once he has decided that he doesn't like the taste of the plain water at night, throw away ALL the bottles. You can have a little bottle party, where he throws them away himself (praising him for being a "big boy"), throw them away yourself, or have the "bottle fairy" come and retrieve a bag of them at night. It is important to get rid of them all, so that you can't possibly cave in and give him one. Good luck!
2006-10-23 19:20:20 · answer #2 · answered by dolphin mama 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why take the bottle away at all? Just be sure not to put milk, soda, or anything that could possibly cause tooth decay in the bottle so his teeth don't get "bottle syndrome" decay. He's only 16 months old. Give him a break and let him enjoy the bottle as long as he wishes. Eventually, he will stop on his own. If not, then one day he will grow up and pester the heck out of some poor woman by suckling on her breasts constantly during the night.
2006-10-23 18:57:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My nephew kept a bottle until he was 3 years old. At this point my sister had had enough and informed him that the "Bottle Fairy" needed his bottle to take to little children that need it more. To prepare him for this, she told him 2 months ahead of time and made it seem like a "big boy" thing. She weaned him off it slowly, every other day, then on weekends. Sometimes he cried and shouted, but that's something that everyone has to deal with. Try letting it be a reward, and bad behavior means it is taken away. Just a few suggestions, I hope they are helpful
2006-10-23 23:00:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think this answer varies for everyone. I have a son that turned 2 in August and he still gets a bottle-mainly for bed like you do. We had twins in April and didn't want to go thru trying to get him off the bottle while there were 2 babies in the house with them. So we've just let him have it and are slowly weaning it from him. He gets it for naps and bed, and only with water-any other drink goes in his cup. (you do have to watch that it's not affecting his teeth, this can be a problem)
2006-10-23 19:16:08 · answer #5 · answered by Mandi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son is 13 months and I have tried to give him his milk in a sippy but he won't have it. He'll drink anything else from it except milk. I'm just waiting until I go to the doc for the 15 months checkup to see what he says. My husband told me that he seen on babycenter.com that 18 months was a good time goal to set, but I can only imagine how hard it's going to be!
2006-10-24 23:51:43 · answer #6 · answered by mommycat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
omg becareful u should get away from the bottle as soon as possible...i have a problem with my 3 year old now he doesn't have a bottle anymore but he has a sippy cup..and everynight he wants juice. so now he has rotted teeth.please becareful with the juice at night and the bottles too ...now my son has to have major work on his teeth.so just becareful with the length of time that you give the bottle especially at night.
2006-10-23 19:15:24 · answer #7 · answered by angie068345 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a year old is the age a child no longer needs a bottle- the biggest concern for babies going to sleep with a bottle is tooth decay- the second concern which i think is the worst one is your baby will
learn to go to sleep by his self- and you will end up in my predictiment with a 2 year old who still doesnt sleep through the night
2006-10-23 19:19:01 · answer #8 · answered by mrs rubberducky 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i think he should fall asleep in your arms and in your bed. the bottle is a substitute for nursing.
it is natural and normal and the way we evolved for little babies to fall asleep nursing in their mother's arms. the problem with a bottle is that formula will rot his teeth in a night bottle and mommy's milk won't.
2006-10-23 19:37:53 · answer #9 · answered by cassandra 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people advocate letting a child ween his/herself. However, I've heard that at that age the bottle can be harmful to teeth and how they develop. I'd look it up. Check out babycenter.com.
2006-10-23 18:43:05 · answer #10 · answered by mommyofmegaboo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋