Taking my child off the bottle?

Question

Okay, so my son is 23 months, I know he should have been off the bottle for a while now, but he only took one for bedtime, well, I am having the worst time with it. I give him a sippy cup, with just a little milk, and he doesn't want anything to do with it, he throws it out of his bed, and he screams. Its not just regular whiney behavior at bedtime now, he screams and cries so bad, that it makes me just want to give him his bottle. Does anyone have any tips on how I can get him off the bottle, maybe I am doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated!

Just a note: When I said I wanted to give in and give hime a bottle, I meant that I WANT to, but I don't

And also, I dont know if I am supposed to just leave him in there and let him cry it out, or go in a calm him down and lay him back down then leave again..thats kinda what I really meant to ask, was what to do about him screaming

Answer 1

I agree... throw the bottles away or BOTH of you will continue to be tempted to use them again....

And yes, I think it's okay at his age to let him cry it out at night. As long as he's not crying for any other reason than begging for a bottle. My bet is after a night or two of that, he'll realize that it's the sippy or nothing.

Best of luck.... You're not doing anything wrong! :)

Answer 2

Well you really should not give him a bottle or cup at this age to go to bed. My son has just come from the Dentist and his teeth are decaying because of having milk when he goes to bed. If the throws the tippee cup away then take it out of the room. You take him in tuck him in and settle him down. Maybe put some music on & leave the light on then leave the room. If he is still crying in 5 mins then go back in and settle him down and then leave the room. This may happen about 3 times and then he will settle and go to sleep. Just leave a cup with water in there and if he gets a little thursty he has something to drink. Hope this helps but dont give in with the bottle. Good luck.

Answer 3

I saw an episode of Super Nanny where they did a whole ceremony of sending the bottle out to sea and replacing it with a special sippy cup (they were in Hawaii). It really made the kid excited about his new cup. Maybe you could try something similar?

Maybe buy him a new stuffed animal and include a matching sippy cup and have them both drink it at bedtime?

Answer 4

i have 3 children and my youngest gave me the same problem...maybe this will help... first try the slow approach put 2 oz of water in his bottle and in the cup put his favorite drink let him see you do this... do your normal bedtime routine but, when you put him to bed put the water bottle and the cup in the bed with him... he will hate this and throw a huge fit but eventually he will learn that the good stuff is in the cup and the bottle is boring...try this for a few nights and then during the day tell him that bottles are for baby's and he is now a big boy so ask him to help you put all his bottles into a box so that you can give them to the baby's that need them... i tried everything and this is the approach that worked for my daughter... as for the screaming and crying when he sees that mommy isn't going to give in he will eventually stop... but i know it can drive you nuts in the mean time...

Answer 5

My sister added a little water to my nephew's bottle each night so that it gradually became just a water bottle. She would put 7 oz milk with 1 oz water the first night then 6 oz milk and 2 oz water, etc. etc. Another thing is do not offer him anything other than water or the diluted milk in his bottle. If he wants regular milk or juice, etc. only give it to him in the sippy cup. Good luck!

Answer 6

I found this online:

ANSWER from Kenneth Liu, M.D.
The struggle isn't unusual. The key is not giving in, which is easier said than done. Offering an alternative "transition" object is a good idea. It can also be done "cold turkey" - when push comes to shove, if you eliminate a toddler's access to a bottle entirely and abruptly, it is not as if he can or will go out and buy one. He can fight you for a day or two and not drink much, but eventually he will drink whatever fluid you offer him, in whatever device, if he is thirsty enough.

Answer 7

I broke my toddlers from the bottle by using permitting them to see me throw the bottle in the trash and the same day I enable them to %. out a clean sippy cup that they enjoyed, my son grow to be lik 18 months however so he understood a liitle bit with regard to the trash factor. i does not undertaking approximately it in basic terms yet individually, yet you are the mum, what I did grow to be in basic terms positioned juice or something besides milk in the bottle so as that he might desire to nevertheless have it and the milk does not get rid of his urge for foodstuff. My motto is they are purely little as quickly as do no longer rush them to strengthen up too speedy. additionally a bottle is almost a secure practices blanket for them and in case you will take it away it desires to get replaced with something else. stable luck!

Answer 8

If he knows you are going to give in and give him a bottle, then he's not going to drink from a sippy cup. Get rid of the bottles, throw them away in front of him, and he will eventually give up and drink from a sippy.

Answer 9

When I told my Dr that my three year old still wanted her bottle, he said not to worry about it. He asked how many 5 years olds I saw with their bottle then said she'd give it up when she was ready. She mostly drank from small juice-type glasses.
By the time she was 3 1/2 she'd weened herself. She noticed that when her friends came to play, they didn't have their bottle with them.
This was great advise. We were not stressed out. We didn't cry, and she didn't turn to her thumb.