Father Christmas is taking DD's bottles. Five week countdown. Any tips?

[Rockbird]

DD will be 3 in early January. She was a complete milk monster, slightly less so now but still will have about 2 half bottles of milk a day. We use these btw so not quite baby bottles .

Anyway, despite the reduction in milk, the bottle is the first thing she calls for in times of crisis, from being told off, to tired, to injured. Half the time it is empty. She is absolutely obsessed with it. But I am very aware of the looks we get when out and about and now she's knocking on I think the judges have a point.

So, we've had the conversation about she used to be in a pram but now she's not a baby so no pram, ditto nappies. I've said that we have to put all her bottles in a bag and FC will come and collect them to give to a baby who needs them and that he'll give her a present instead. She agrees willingly but I know what will happen. So, I'm looking for tips.

I'm making a meal of it because I know this is going to be a huge thing for her. I've tried before and it's kicked off majorly but with her getting hysterically upset, not tantrums which are easy to ignore. So help please and positive stories!

I really sympathise. DD is about the same age, and still has a bottle with water in it at night. She is also not potty training, so kudos to you!

My only question is whether Christmas day itself is a good time. In my (short) experience, kids get very overexcited, cranky, and generally badly behaved around Christmas anyway - will taking her bottles make this even worse?

Could you do a continental thing, where Father Christmas comes a bit earlier in the month, and takes her bottles, and leaves her some little presents/sweets?

That way, you would have it over and done with by Christmas, and there are also less likely to be other people around to interfere and make the whole thing more fraught.

Can you not comprimise and keep the bottle for bedtimes?

DS2 is 3 and still has his at bedtime.

Good point Barnacles, hadn't thought of that. . You might be right there... Our Christmasses do tend to be a bit of a bunfight.

TLE, I'd be perfectly happy with them at bedtime, wouldn't bother me at all. If I could get her to stop using them during the day I'd be delighted. I'm even trying to get her to suck her thumb instead fgs! Mad mother alert

Tbh my ds gave up bottles at 1. However he still had milk in a beaker. It's a comfort thing.

He's now 3 and heading towards potty training.

I'm going for full wihdrawal from tonight. Will suffer any tantrums

Wish me luck!

I managed to get DS2 to stop the bottle in the day. I went and bought him his own cup just like mine but smaller.

I started giving him his hot chocolate in it when he was around 2.7yrs he is fine with it but come bed time he wants his bottle and I don't have a problem with this.

Maybe you could try that?

As for a pram/buggy...she is still a toddler and the buggy can be a life saver when you have a lot of walking to do.

I am trying to find one big enough for DS2 as he has outgrown all of his now

I potty trained in 2 very different ways.

with DS1 I had him dry before he was 18m old because it was easier for me..it took a lot of work and a couple of weeks to be accident free.

With DS2 I left him to do it himself.
He got up one morning took his nappy off and said "me no wear mappies no more" he was dry that day and every day since. that was only 6m ago.

Tbh my ds gave up bottles at 1. However he still had milk in a beaker. It's a comfort thing.

He's now 3 and heading towards potty training.

I'm going for full wihdrawal from tonight. Will suffer any tantrums

Wish me luck!

DS3 (who was 3 in May) was still having milk in a bottle like your DD until just before the summer holidays. Though only at home

I'm not sure how it happened, it just sort of did. Suddenly I realised that he was only having one with his breakfast and one before bed, and now he just has one (in a proper baby bottle with the same teats that have been on there for about 2yrs ) just before he goes to bed.

I'm sure he'll stop when he's ready.......

it doesn't harm them to have their bedtime bottle they will stop when they are ready.

Baroque - DS2 has a proper baby bottle with milk in before bed as well.

It bugs exH no end that he still has anything in a baby bottle.

But tbh - I don't care. One bottle of milk before bed. Every other drink he has out of a proper mug or tumbler (I'd lost all the plastic ones by the time he was old enough to use them and couldn't be arsed to buy more)

We did the bottle fairy thing with DS when he was about 2.6. He only had one at night (just to drink his milk from, then teeth brushed before bed) but it was getting manky and he was starting to misbehave with it, instead of it being a nice, calm end to the day as it used to be.

Anyway, we talked about what was going to happen, he left out the bottle in a gift bag and the bottle fairy came and took it and left him a Toy Story cup and Buzz Lightyear doll. He accepted it pretty well, but there were a couple of nights when he was over-tired and cried for his bottle...but I think he could have kicked off anyway, IYKWIM. He really liked the idea of it being given to babies. We seem to be surrounded by babies at the moment, so he's very much aware of the difference between them and him and how he's a big boy and can drink his milk from a cup which little babies can't do.

Personally, I wouldn't do it at Christmas because, selfishly, I want to enjoy my Christmas and not be dealing with tantrums at bedtime! Also, routines etc can be different at Christmas and that confusion could just add to the mix. How about doing it a few weeks before Xmas? Maybe say that one of Father Christmas's elves, or Rudolph is coming on a special trip.

Good luck!

DD drinks out of absolutely anything, from Ikea tumblers to glasses and china mugs, she's really good and careful with them. But milk has to be in a bottle. Up till now I didn't mind because I justified it that it was her comfort and if it was a bear or a muslin cloth I wouldn't be trying to get rid of it. But I would be happy with it just for sleeping. Maybe I'll take that approach.

what about Father Christmas swopping the bottles for an advent calalder so that
a) you get the tantrums out of the way well before Christmas
and b)she gets the countdown to Father Christmas bringing her stocking for being so grown up about it

They're funny creatures aren't they. DS3 won't drink milk in anything other than a bottle (and he still likes it hot.........I tried to get him to drink it cold by gradually warming it up less but recently he's started "sending it back" to make it hotter and is now hotter then when it started LOL).

DD2 is 3 and still has a bedtime bottle then bed, dd1 had completely stopped all bottles by 18 months but dd2 still likes one at night, doesn't bother me. DD1 (5) still sleeps with a special blanket and is really fussy about having all her teddies in bed with her, whereas dd2 doesn't give a stuff about anything like that.

Baroque DS2 tells me "Make it warmies not hot hot hot" cheeky monkey!

And as it is only for bedtime I don't have a problem with it lol

BaroqueAroundTheClock - I really laughed at 'it is now hotter than when it started' - this is just the sort of thing that DD would do!

I'm not sure I would use Father Christmas as the scape goat! She needs to learn that Mummy has authority and sometimes will expect her to do things she doesn't like. Also I would worry that in years to come you will keep having to find someone/something to "come along" to sort out something uncomfortable when it should be you!
She will eventually stop crying/throwing a tantrum - I would just pick a day a long time before christmas and do it. Perhaps you could take her to buy a special cow patterned sippy cup to put her milk in. My son loves his cow cup and knows that's what he has milk in. He hardly drinks it now though as he lost interest at about 2.5 years. (Now 3years)