Anyone else got a toddler addicted to bottles?

[GordonTheGopher]

Was close to namechanging for this post.

DS was 2 in April and still has a bottle at night. Its effect is magic - instant calm and ready-for-bed-ness.

I'm not too worried about the bedtime bottle, but he also has one if he wakes in the night, or if he's awake early in the morning. These are diluted a bit but bottles all the same.

I've tried stopping the bottles in the night but I have full blown child-from-the-exorcist tantrums and at 3 in the morning I'd rather give him a quick bottle and get back to bed. This happens perhaps once every 3 or 4 nights. He has one if he wakes before 6 (which is often) as I'm not going to give him breakfast at 5.30 in the morning.

He also has them when he's ill- I find it's a good way of getting fluids into him.

He has a hypoallegenic formula rather than cow's milk, and as his diet isn't brilliant I figure they are still 'good for him'.

I just have no idea when or how I'm going to get him off the bottle.

And yes I know I'm a wimp.

Any advice or success stories gratefully received.

[lizinthesticks]

So it doesn't interfere with their appetite for solid food. That's why I do it - no idea if this is best nor even good practice.

[Shannaratiger]

I've got a friend with 6 boys ( I think). She still lets them have a bottle before bed until they decide they don't want it. She says if they like it why stop it's not hurting them. I agree and will be letting DS have his milk in bottles as long as he wants.

[2sugars]

DD1 was 5 before she gave up her morning bop-bop. To my shame. She just wanted nothing else in the morning, it was more of a quick-fix comfort thing.

[sugarpeas]

ds has 3 8oz bottles a day. 1 morning, 1 either before or after his nap and 1 before bed. If he wants anymore than this or wakes up in the night he gets a watered down one.

[halia]

thank god!
DS is 3 and 4m and STILl has bottles! I've been thinking for ages that I should wean him off them but just can't face it. He has some other issues which I was just about to post about actually to do with development and speech, his language is still only really that of a 2yr old and he certianyl couldn't grasp something like bottle fairies.

He has one at bedtime, and one if he wakes in the night. He will also ask for one if he is tired and its the ONLY thing that calms him down - as we are getting fairly desperate about his general development and behaviuor part of me thinks that if he has something which stops the bouncing off the walls injuring himself or the huge screaming fits then I'd be a fool to take it away.

He wouldn't ask for a bottle at nursery or in public - he does seem to see it as a comfort thing.

He's on soya milk due to lactose intolerance so its exactly what would go in a drink. I have also had his teeth checked and they are fine so that put that worry to rest.

[herbgarden]

if you want to get your lo off them I tried a bfree sort of hybrid bottle first and now an anyway up cup. Whatever he gets he gets used to and then doesn't want to change. At nursery they give them milk at snack times not in a bottle so I suppose he's got used to that. I cut down the milk intake so that ds doesn't lose his appetite for solid foods during the day. He often asks for milk in the day but I just tell him no and that that's what we have at bedtime and in the morning. I'm not sure we'll drop that morning milk easily - he loves it - as he does his nighttime milk. My nephews had milk til they were about 4 at bedtime - can'tsee what's wrong with it......

[sugarpeas]

what's a hybrid bottle?

[herbgarden]

it's a sort of cross between bottle and beaker with a softish spout (rather than plastic hard) and a pretty fast flow.I think the thing with the bottle is the time it takes to drink it ? Is that right??

www.babybornfree.co.uk/Catalog.aspx?categoryid=19621 copy this URL in if you can and this is what I got - it says the spout is hard but it's still flexible.

You can buy one cup and then a few teats...

[TheGreatScootini]

My DD 2.8 has two bottles a day.Some of this is because she likes them, some of it is because she sees her sister, 1.2 having them and thus automatically wants them.
She wont drink alot anyway and is a problem eater so Id rather she had the milk and if its got to be in a bottle so be it.She drinks out of a normal glass perfectly well the rest of the time when she does drink,so I dont see an issue with it really.I expect I will leave it till DD2 is a wee bit bigger then wean them both off them at the same time..

[nappyaddict]

herbgarden - it says they have hard spouts.

[herbgarden]

Yep, I know but they aren't hard like that plastic hard - they really are quite soft, honest !!