should I get rid of the nighttime bottle?

Question

hello all, Hope everyone is doing well. I may have asked this already but do you think because I am still giving dd a bottle before bed that she won't drink it out of a cup during the day. We have eliminated all bottles except the nighttime one. She does not drink any milk all day besides that. We are on day 8 of no bottles and trying a sippy of milk everyday, at every meal and snack..no go. She takes a swig and throws it. I have tried chocolate milk, juice, etc... no...only water out of a sippy cup. She eats yogurt and cheese during the day but she went from 24 oz. of milk a day to 7. Will she ever take it out of a cup. I have friends who kept the night bottle and their dc were also drinking milk out of a sippy during the day, but needed the comfort from a bottle at night. Should I get rid of the night bottle and she will realize she only gets milk from a cup? advice...she is so stubborn. thanks Debbie

she is 15 months old today

Answer 1

As a father of two, my honest opinion is that you shouldn't worry too much. At 15 months she really is still a baby who needs all the sense of security she can get.

My eldest used bottles for her afternoon nap until she was 30 months old, but she drank out of a sippy cup and cup the rest of the time (didn't have any feeds at night anymore). We also allowed her a dummy until she turned 3. Then she was old enough to understand when we explained to her that she should stop using it, and she gave it up easily.

Giving your girl a bottle will NOT have any negative effect on her. In fact, making a fuss by not allowing her the bottle, may just lead to a problem. Obviously ensure the bottle isn't a part of her everyday life, as this may lead to an obsession!

Good luck.

Answer 2

Try water in the bottle at night, if she needs the bottle for comfort. She will still have the bottle, but will soon realize there will be no milk in the bottle. Not sure how old she is, but would a straw work? Some kids like the novelty of drinking from a straw. Or could you let her pick out her own cup? We had luck with a regular cup, with no sippy cover, but I'd hang on tight if you have a "tosser"! We all pretended to drink from the cup, even the dog, worked like a charm. Those stubborn babes are smart - they know what they can control :) Lots of luck!

Answer 3

During the day try putting water and just a tad bit of milk in a sippy and see if she'll drink it. Maybe just a tablespoon or so of milk in 6-8 oz. of water. If she drinks it add just a little more milk everyday until she's drinking pure milk. When we were trying to wean my daughter off milk at night when she was still taking a bottle we had to add more water every night to her milk because she wouldn't take straight water at night. It only took about a week until she didn't mind water at night. It was such a gradual change. I would really try to turn her night time feeding into water only. Milk can really damage her teeth. My daughter is 15 1/2 months old and she likes a sippy of water at night.

Good Luck!!

Answer 4

every baby develops differently really.....but my children were off bottles during the day at 9-10 months and the bedtime bottle was gone at 1 year......you should never let them sleep with a bottle anyway, causes tooth decay, if they need the bottle to sleep with it should be water at that age.....all my kids had a special cup that they only drank milk out of and wouldnt drink it out of anything else.......my oldest had a spillproof straw cup, my second was a sports bottle type cup, and my 3rd had a sippy cup with handles on the sides......they all used regular sippy cups for water and juice ...none of my kids ever had milk in a bottle though, they were off the bottle when they got weaned off formula, so i dont really know what to tell you to do at this point.

Answer 5

It just takes time for a baby to get used to drinking from a sippy instead of a bottle. It's only day 8-give it a while longer. If shes getting enough dairy from food during the day dont worry about the milk. I still give my daughter a bottle only at night and she is 19 months. She takes the sippy fine during the day (she didnt at first though) but she still sometimes needs her bottle to get to sleep. I asked my mom about it (she has 3 kids) and she said we all used a bottle until we were 2 and we gave it up on our own. We all turned out fine. If your baby has teeth (which I'm assuming she does) I wouldnt give her milk at night though. My daughters pediatrician told me that milk sits on the teeth overnight and can lead to tooth decay. If she wont take milk from a sippy maybe you can give her a bottle of milk a little while before bedtime, brush her teeth, and then give her a bottle of water if she needs it to sleep. You dont have to get rid of the night bottle if you dont want to. If she still needs it to sleep I say let her have it. But that choice is completely up to you.

Answer 6

I know this sounds mean, but if you are serious about getting her to use a sippy for more than water, you need to give her NOTHING but a sippy of milk until she's hungry enough to do it. Even if she goes without solids for three days--it won't hurt her health and it WILL work. She'll get hungry enough to drink the sippy of milk. Then after that, be sure you offer her the sippy of milk BEFORE her meals, when she's hungriest.

Answer 7

You always throw the bottle(s) in the trash when a child reaches 1 year of age. Buy sippy cups and move on with life.
Once you stand your ground, on this, it may take a bit but the child will see that YOU are the boss and adjust.
She's probably stubborn because you've allowed her to be that way.
Step to the plate and be the parent; children need direction and discipline. Don't be afraid to say NO!

Answer 8

you should get rid of the nighttime bottle.. the milk in the bottle will sit on your childs teeth and they are now saying that it is causing problems for teeth.. even when they don't have many, the sugars in the milk are the problem.. if she is eating dairy during the day don't get too frustrated but keep offering the milk in her cup through the day and give her a bit of water in her bottle for at night if she needs to be soothed.. another option is to sit her in her high chair or a special chair and let her have a cup of milk right before she brushes her teeth for bed.... just be persistant and don't get too frustrated!

Answer 9

You really should stop the night time bottles. It can lead to a tooth condition known as bottle mouth where the teeth decay rapidly. My son had this and it cost me hundreds of dollars to get his teeth fixed.

You might use a pacifier at night. Hang in there with the cups. If she throws them you can tell "no more then!" for that meal. Eventually she will figure out that she needs to hang onto the cup if she wants to drink.

In the meantime give her juicey foods so that she doesn't dehydrate.

It will happen, and then you'll look back and laugh at the whole situation. Keep in mind that it's only a temporary phase.

Answer 10

Get rid of the bottle all together. My pediatrican is very strick regarding the bottles. She says no more bottles after 12 months old! Good Luck!