Weaning Toddler off bedtime bottle - Help!

[Emerald237]

Hi, my toddler is 2 1/2 and still takes a bottle to bed. Nothing to do with the desire for milk, more to do with he comfort of the bottle to sleep as she has never used a dummy.

She can drink from beakers/open topped cups throughout the day so her being not able to drink from these isn't a problem. I have tried to give her drink bottles to bed but she's not interested as the tops are too hard unlike the milk bottles.

In search of advice if anyone has been through similar.

Thanks

I was going to suggest swapping the bottle for a glass of milk with a straw before bed (that’s how we did it DS) until I realised you were letting her take the bottle to bed (and fall asleep drinking it?) - have I got that right? Because that’s terrible for her teeth, a dummy would be less damaging than falling asleep with a mouthful of sugary milk.

I think you’ll have to go cold turkey - that’s what we did with DS’s dummy. Do the dummy fairy thing but call it the bottle fairy, get her a present in return for throwing the bottles/‘leaving them for the fairy to take to a new baby who needs them’.

She only got about 1-2 oz of milk and more often we put water in the bottle and she is fine with this. So it's the comfort of the bottle more so than the actual bottle contents

Tbh I’d first wean her completely onto warm water, then onto a dummy, then get rid of the dummy. Aim to be rid of it all by the time she’s 3. Some people think dummies are the devil’s work so would disagree.

Thanks WolfFoxHare, will work on the water and take it from there

I don’t see why you’d go from water to a dummy. Just change to water in a bottle, then a cup, and then try and give it before bedtime and hey presto you’re done.

It's not the drink that she needs it's the comfort of the bottle if that makes sense. She happily drinks milk/water from an open top cup already. It's more settling her in bed with a bottle

id give a bottle of milk on the couch and then settle in bed once finished. Then slowly change the bottle out- first though cut the connection between bottle and lying in bed.

TBH my eldest had a bottle of warm milk before bed up until 3.5yrs old- never bothered me, never caused an issue.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers presumably you cleaned you DC’s teeth after the bottle though? It’s not milk that’s an issue per se, it’s falling asleep with a milky mouth.

Yes.
My point was more about still having a bottle a day as a toddler isn’t awful- but yes teeth cleaning is important.

Bin the bottles and then just do whatever you need to to settle her. Back rub, toy etc.

Could she pick her own new flask and then have milk/ water in that before bed?
Our little one loves bottles as a toddler (not interested as a baby) but we were able to get rid of the bottle by letting him choose his new favourite drinks flask.

If she’s just having a bit of milk in a bottle to settle her to sleep then I’d stick with it if it works , obviously not great if she’s only drinking from bottles all day but it doesn’t sound like that’s the case . As my mum used to say ‘she won’t be doing it when she’s 16’ !!

If you can switch to water or a dummy that will do a lot less harm and then she can keep that comfort for a while longer. As this is her main comfort for falling asleep I'd not rush to get rid. My 4yo still has a dummy in bed and it does no harm but helps her comfort a lot

You just have to be strict firm and take it away and put up with the moaning and crying for about a week !
Having dummies and bottles as child gets to toddler age affects their teeth and gums.

I took away all dummies from age 2,as by then all teeth are nearly done.
Baby bottles from 3/4months as early you do it easier it is .I have 5children.
My 4th child took me longer to swap to cup as he had cleft lip so was about 6months and I just had to put up with crying took about a week.
Good luck x