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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

3 year old DD finally off the bottle but...

2 replies

runningonplenty · 23/03/2008 17:08

I'm worried that she's dehydrated. She has always drank a lot of milk - 2 bottles a day up until she started playschool at 2 years. Then I dropped it to just one in the evening. (occasionally she'd have one in the afternoon if she was thirsty)

It's not so much that she was attached to the bottle itself - its just that - thats the only way she'd drink until it was finished. (I know I should have tackled this sooner but didnt realise how much a problem it can be with their teeth until I read an article recently and just pressumed she'd give it up of her own accord.) She drinks juice or water in the day in a beaker but not really very much.

Since taking the bottle from her at night - I've been trying her with warm milk in a special cup/mug/ you name it but she says she doesnt like milk anymore. (I dont think I'd like it either just in a cup - she won't drink it cold) So I tried de-caf tea (she has that in a morning with breakfast and drinks perhaps half a sml cup) but she won't drink that either. Last night she said she would just have some water and only had a few sips.

Now I wouldn't mind that so much but co-incidentally she seems to be going through a tantrum/arguing back phase - shes always been such a sweet little girl! And similarly - I've been having problems getting her to bed at night time. (She'd been fine before) Even if I manage to get her into bed without tears and a tantrum - she wont go to sleep for ages and keeps shouting me with requests from the sublime to the ridiculous. I'm worried that this is because she is dehydrated? And that its linked to giving up the bottle? (She didnt use it to get to sleep - just used to drink it whilst we had story in the living room.)

Sorry this is so long - basically could giving up the bottle have made her dehyrdated and act up? Or is it a coincidence - do they generally act up at this age anyway? Thank you for reading! Hope it's the in the right section! [smiles]

OP posts:
gagarin · 23/03/2008 21:39

Use a sports mineral water bottle with a sucky top filled with "nice fresh water"? My daughter fell for it.

She'll be missing the suckiness of a bottle at bedtime - sucking releases endorphins (natural brain relaxant chemicals- the "natural high" stuff) which will have been a major part of her settling routine. She's now doing cold turkey so it isn't really "won't" go to sleep - more "can't" go to sleep. Her calling you back is probably to do with the fact that she is much more alert than before at bedtime and feels wide awake rather than all snuggly and tired.

So she needs to develop alternative relaxation routines. One thing we tried storytapes playing as my daughter settled - not music and not loud.

Not sure what else to suggest - but hope it settles soon.

runningonplenty · 23/03/2008 22:04

OOooo interesting - yes she has those bottles sometimes to drink out of in the day - might try it with warm milk at bedtime! Brilliant idea!

I sat by her tonight and encourage her to drink a cup of tea. (decaf) She seems to have gone down better so it sounds like you are absolutely right about the endorpins!!! Thank yoooooou.

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