My daughter is almost 20 months and I still rock her to sleep with a bottle- how do I fix this?

Question

Ok all- I have two problems here but let me explain-
about the rocking her to sleep- I tried to do the "leave the room for 2 min go in pat her on the back, leave again, come back in 5 min, ect....." but she cried so hard that she vomits all over herself and poops- I feel thats just cruel to do- she gets more awake doing this and I can't stand her crying- but now she is almost 20 months and I still rock her to sleep- now I am worried if I try the system again she will try to climb out of her crib (hasn't yet but I have seen her try and get a foot up there)
What do I do about this?
About the bottle thing- I delute the milk with Half water-
I have not tried the sippy cup while rocking her but she only has two bottles a day - nap and night time-
and definitly does not mind a sip cup or reg cup
which problem should I try and solve first-
please be conforting in your responces- please don't tell me to let her cry till she pukes and still not go in-

Answer 1

i know where your comin from.i would work on getting her off the bottle because that will be harder. yea i wouldnt let her puke either, you can try to put her in a big girl bed and sit by the side of it and rub her back, thats what i had to do. or you can sit by the side of her crib, and try rubbing her back, maybe play some soft music, i had to use music along with the rub the back. eventually she will not need you, i promise. my kids are all good now, and none of them need me to hold them or rock them. good luck and hang in there.

Answer 2

I'd start with the sippy cup if she can use a sippy cup there is really no need for a bottle so first remove the bottle but still rock her. Once you have mastered that then move her to either a toddler bed or a twin with a rail on the side. Once i saw my kids putting that leg over the rail i knew it was time to switch. Once you switch her to the big bed she will still need the comforting. Oh also only give her water before she goes to sleep in the sippy cup because milk in the mouth will cause cavities. Then once you have accomplished all of this i would start a routine that may include things like a bath, the brushing the teeth, reading a story, put on the jammies and laying down for bed. Since she is still used to being rocked you might just lie down next to her bed. And finally try to ween her of you laying there till she falls asleep by leaving her bedside earlier each night the timeframe is up to you. I have 3 kids and i had some of these problems with my first but now i have 3 kids who got to bed on their own and i believe it is all due to the routine.

Answer 3

I have a girl that is now two. She got off the bottle at about 15 months. I used the sippy cups with the soft lids since it is most like the bottle and then graduated her to the hard lids. She still gets warm milk before bed and nap. When I did get rid of the bottle I tried it at nap time first it is less stressful on everyone in the middle of the day instead of at bed time. We rocked her to sleep for quite awhile too, but she grew out of that her self if your not reading to her yet try saving this fun time for naps and bed time. My daughter knows after drinking some warm milk, cuddling with mom or dad, and reading
then it is time to go lay down. She goes to bed pretty good on her own now.
As for climbing out of the crib there are safety nets you can buy that go over the crib. They fit on the top of the crib (think tent like) and let them stand up but not climb out. Go with what your own gut tells you. YOU KNOW YOUR CHILD BETTER THAN ANYONE.

Answer 4

I rocked my son to sleep until he was about 1 year old, but he transitioned to falling asleep in his crib pretty well. You might try sitting next to her bed while she goes to sleep. She will probably still cry, but it might not be as bad if your in the room with her. I would also get a regular bed time if you don't already have one. Try reading a bedtime story and playing soft music. My son also liked his bottle and I diluted it with water, but about 1 1/2 years old I decided to just get rid of the bottles and give him a sippie with water. He cryed at first, but it didn't take to long for him to adjust to the cup. I think you are on the right track by asking advice. I wouldn't let my child get so upset that she vomits either. You sound like a very caring mother. Good Luck! :)

Answer 5

Ok the bottle thing I won't touch, i am a staunch supporter of off by 1.

On the other hand I rocked my daughter to sleep until she was almost 2, then sat by her bed and patted her, then sat by her bed, then by the door. If i didn't we too had the screaming vomiting disaster, no matter what. Then one night right before she turned three, i told her my feet really hurt and I would sit in the chair near the hall and check on her in 10 min. She cried for about 5 then fell asleep. Now sometimes she cries for a few minutes at bedtime (after the lights go out) and sometimes she doesn't, but I tell her every night that I will be listening in the chair and will check on her in 10 min, she is almost always asleep by then.

Basically, i you like to help her go to sleep (I did b/c I worked all day and that was a very nice time for us) then do it, to hell with the experts and believe it or not, one day she will magically turn the corner, and you will wish you still rocked her to sleep. (Every now and then I ask mine, she thinks I'm nuts to want to rock her, unless she is sick)

Answer 6

I never had this problem but if I did I would get rid of the bottle first.There is no law that says a child must take a sippy cup to sleep with them either.Maybe give her a drink a half hour before it is time for her to go to sleep.After she is broke from the bottled then work on getting her to fall asleep in a bed(Not a crib).At her age she understands alot.Talk with her.Let her know that she is too big for a crib and too big to go to sleep in your arms.Let her pick out a big girl bed and stay in her room with her till she falls asleep.Every night get furthur away from her until you are no longer in the room while she is going to sleep.I would also be concern with her falling out of the crib at her age.Most has learn how to climb out by now so you dont want to keep taking that chance until she falls out.

Answer 7

My daughter is 2 1/2 and she just got off the daytime bottles, so don't feel bad. She still has a nightime bottle though, and I don't care what anyone says about it, it's fine with me. What I do is feed her before she goes to sleep, then brush her teeth, and then put her to bed. You have to brush their teeth after or they will get REALLY bad teeth problems. Then rock your baby to sleep, why not? If it's working, keep doing it! After a few weeks, you can try to switch her to the sippy, but ask yourself, are you doing it because other people want you to, or do you really want her to be off bottles altogether? You're the mom. It's not going to kill her to have a nap/bedtime bottle a little while longer. It's your decision. (((((HUGS)))))

Answer 8

Hi,

I’m so sorry that you’re going through this! I had troubles getting my son to go to sleep in his crib (not in my arms or in my bed), and stay asleep, no nursing in the middle of the night. I think that though the problem is different, the same technique will work. I hated letting him cry himself to sleep too, though he never puked, and I'd never suggest to anyone that they needed to do that.

The good news is that you’re aware of what the problem is. That’s the start. You’ve tried something, and know it’s not for you. Far too many people give advice that is “this … or that…” (usually put up with it, or let her cry!). There is, however, a broad spectrum of behaviour-modification tricks.

I suggest a gradual ‘weaning’. The more gradual the less crying, but the longer it will take. The less gradual … well, more crying, harder on her, but easier on you in the long run.

First off, be sure you’ve got a solid pre-bed routine. No high activity in the hour before bed, dim lights a half-hour before. Read a book or do other quiet activity, then ten minutes before her little tush softly lands in her mattress, move into the darkness of her room. Also before you start, write down how things are now. What do you do before bed? How long does it take before she’s asleep? Write down your plan of ‘attack’.

If I were you I would start off very gradually. First night or so, the instant her breathing settles while you rock her, and she’s asleep, put her in bed. No waiting until she’s well-and-truly asleep. She might wake and cry. If she does, stay with her! Pat her back, rub her tush, shhh her, soothe her any way you can – including picking her up for a moment. The next night (or two nights later, or a week … whatever works for you), you give her her bottle a couple minutes before heading to her room. That way she’s done earlier. Rock her until the bottle is gone. When she’s done, cuddle her, and transfer her to bed. Sing, shhh, pat, anything, until she’s asleep. This might take a long time! But it’s better than leaving her. Every night (or other night, or …) move up the bottle a wee bit more. A minute, two, five, whatever works for you. Gradually decrease the ‘interventions’ – the shhing patting singing cuddling. Cut out cuddling first, then patpat … pat … patpatpat … pat. Make it irregular. Then light. Then stop. You want to not have her dependent on the pats! Shhhh a bit, then stop. If she rouses and fusses, shhhh again. Again, the more harsh, the harder it is on everyone, but the faster it’ll work. Eventually you’ll find that she finishes her bottle in the livingroom, and you go to her room, cuddle, and bed.

Alright, so all of that gets you to the point of her going into her bed awake, then falling asleep while you sit next to her crib/bed. I'd suggest doing the mommy-walk after that. Gradually move your seat from right by her bed to the door. Out the door. Gradually close the door.

Don’t lose hope if you have a step backward. That’s how kid stuff goes, as far as I can tell. Take a deep breath, get a hug from your partner or someone, and tell yourself a few times that tomorrow is another day, it won’t be like this forever. Remind yourself that you’re making progress.

Re-evaluate your progress at MOST once a week. If you’re going very gently, then once every two weeks. When you do, don’t just focus on the negatives. Write down the positives too! Review your last ‘report’, then write about how things are now. What is she doing now, and how do you want that to change? What steps will you take? What worked, what didn’t. Write it down, set it aside.

Take heart – with work and commitment, this will work. You will get her going to sleep on her own! Cameron now goes to sleep in his own crib, without me patting him, and if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he goes back to sleep on his own. This, only a short time after he was waking every hour or two for boobie and often moving into my bed to nurse the rest of the night.

I'm sure you know how important this is. Especially the bottle. It's awful for her teeth to fall asleep without brushing them - this can even rot her adult teeth before they come out. But I'll spare you the lecture:)

Best of luck, be strong!

Mel (who needs to take some of my own advice so Cameron will fall asleep without me in the room…)

Edit to add: What the heck? Honestly, three thumbs down? I didn't say cry it out or anything of the sort. In fact I answered step-by-step in a nice and helpful way. YEESH.

Answer 9

Lack of sleep in children can cause serious
health problems.If parents follow some simple
techniques for making their children sleep,
it can be avoided. I found useful information
at http://nosleep.in/sleepchildren.html

Answer 10

DEAR
WHAT EVER IS WORKING FOR YOU DO NOT CHANGE IT OK BECAUSE YOU MIGHT PAY FOR IT LATER OK
TAKE CARE