Kicking the Bottle - (babies bottle that is!)

[Charlee]

DS is going to be 2 in a couple of weeks and is still heavily relient on a bottle to settle.

He does drink water/juice/milk room a cup but will not settle for a nap or bedtime without a bottle of milk and is still waking 4+ times a night for a bottle.

I would like him to give it up and the advice from my HV is just to 'bin them all' is this the only way or is there a gentler way anyone has found?

DS has no other comforter so uses his bottle as another child may use a dummy/blanket.

We attempted to go 'cold turkey' with the bottl bu after 4hrs of solid screaming, ds was being sick and i was cared he was going to knock himself out from thumoing his head on the wall, plus he shares a bedroom with ds1 who requires alot of sleep.

i would not take it off him just yet then, 2 is still little. if it is his only source of comfrot, i.e no blanket/ teddy/ thumb/ dummy, then keep it. wait until he is older and can be persuaded to give it up for the bottle fairy !

Thats what i thought lulumama but the problem is i think thats why he's waking at night because all he asks for when he's awake is his bottle. Normaly i wouldn't mind him waking at night but bless him he is a real handfull in the day and i really need some sleep now and again!

some parents will offer milk, gradually watering it down, until they are happy to take water, or nothing at all.

some of it will be habit, not jsut thirst, at 2 years old.... it does take perserverance to stop that though

Thank-you for your help, i had an awful night with him last night he woke up 4 times then finally got up at 4am only to ransack the house which is still looking like a bomb has hit it whilst crying pretty much the whole time. I am on auto pilot today not really functioning at all!

am sorry you are having such a difficult time. do you have a dh/p who can help in the night ?

Yes i have a wonderfull DP thanks, he does help me alot were just both getting a bit worn down by it.