How can I get my 11 month old off the bottle at night?

Question

He has to fall asleep with it, and wakes up atleast six times during the night for one. We co-sleep so it's not like I have to get UP to make one, but it's still annoying and a bad habit we both need to boot.

Answer 1

You should give him the cup. I gave mine a sippy cup at 7 months. he got used to it. He wakes up at night because he;s used to his bottle being there, get him off the bottle first.

Give your baby a toy or blanket to sleep with

Answer 2

First of all you shouldn't be co sleeping with your child. It is not safe at all. But it is your choice.
My advice to you is to keep the boy on an eating schedule, eating every 3-4 hours, and less than that during the night, having him in his own bed will help enforce this rule, because he wont just get what he wants immediately when he wakes up. My son is 10 months and still does not sleep through the night, most nights, but he does sleep in his own bed, and will only wake up once, around 3am for a snack bottle, and then sleep again until 7.

Good Luck.

Answer 3

I have a grandbaby who just turned 1 yr. and my daughter's pediatrician told her she should start weaning her off the bottle now. I know that co-sleeping is great when they are newborn, but I think the main problem is his age and needing to have his own bed, so that he stops waking up so often every night. I had a friend who still woke up for her 3 yr. old 3 times a night and she drank a bottle. I watched that child for 3 nights, just gave her enough milk in the bottle to suck on to fall asleep (very little amount) and told her to not wake me up and for 3 nights, she slept through the night and was happy with the tiny amount of milk in her bottle. My girlfriend was amazed! But, the child went right back to her old habit once mommy was home. I really feel sorry for parents that are awakened numerous time during the night after babies are 6 mos. The best thing to do is never give a bottle to a baby in the bed or crib. Feed them, then put them to bed. My daughter had a hard time with putting her baby in her own room in a crib, but the baby got used to it and now things are much better for all of them! Good luck!

Answer 4

You need to give him his bottle before it's time for bed. And then maybe rock him a little bit, so that he will get used to going to sleep without it. If you keep giving it to him every time he wakes up then he will never learn to sleep without one. It would be annoying to you, but at some point you will have to let him cry and after a while when he realizes that he won't get one, he will eventually go to sleep by himself. If you don't stop it now, it will take you a long time before you are able to sleep a full night. At his age he should be able to go back to sleep if he wakes up and not need a bottle. My son used to be like that and he took us a week of telling him no, that he had to go back to sleep without it, before he finally did it. So it might keep you awake for a week, but it's better than for the next 3 years.
Good luck

Answer 5

Be prepared. Its not going to be easy. First of all, since you co-sleep, you're going to get very little rest.

You have to just take the bottle away, and find another method of comforting him. That's the only reason why he wants it, is for comfort. Rocking him or singing to him are good ways to comfort him when he wakes up at night.

You have to be consistent. If you give in once, and let him have it, he will just cry longer and harder next time you try and it will take longer.

Set a date to say g'bye to bottle. If you are ready, remove all bottles from your home. When he wakes up for it, you won't be tempted to get up and give in because you know they're all gone.
OR
Water down his milk and every week increase the water and decrease the milk. He'll eventually lose interest.

I hope I've helped you!

Answer 6

Definitely don't want him to get use to doing that, he will get baby bottle mouth. Just offer a sippy cup of milk and a snack he will soon forget it. For example every night before I put my son to bed he gets a snack like a cereal bar for toddlers, or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and his sippy cup of milk. He will drink some of the milk out of the sippy cup and when he's finished I brush his teeth and he knows it's bed time.

Answer 7

We also used water instead of milk with our second child. She decided it wasn't worth getting up for, and stopped waking up at night after about 4-5 nights of that.

Answer 8

Well, it's not like he's the one getting up and getting the bottle himself.. You have to be strong and not give him the bottle... Just remember that it's really, really bad for his teeth to have a bottle at night... It may take some time, but he'll get used to it.. Good luck

Answer 9

I took the bottle away at 12 months and it seemed way too early looking back...Most experts say 14 months... babies will look for other things to placate themselves w/o a bottle...That said, switch to a pacifier just for nighttime...you will have sleepless nights for the first week but after that they will know you aren't going to give them their milk bottle at night. hth

Answer 10

i just walked and told my daughter she was a big girl one night i tod her she didnt get her bottle , she cried and i held her and said big girls dont cry and i gave here a new toy instead of the bottle and she still sleeps with the giraffe i gave her.