Please help me learn how to get child off bottle

[PMmehunx]

My child is 2 and still has a bottle.... Yes, I know, you don't need to tell me it's bad.

At around 12m I read on here to gradually water down night milk with water and do it that way. I went straight for half and half, then less milk every other day. Within about 2-3 weeks it was just water.

Since then it's always been just water.
Wakes multiple times during the night for water, and will cry and cry til she gets water. Often crying hysterically after about 30mins of not having the water. I tried last night to just try to keep comforting her and not giving the water, but she was awake the whole time and crying on and off for a very long time and then couldn't get back to sleep afterwards.

My parents told me this is just how some babies are, and that some of their own babies did this until aged 3 while some of us slept very well after 1 yr and didn't need anything at night. I'm not entirely convinced though, because my mother is a very relaxed parent so probably allowed it more and because literally everything I have read says this shouldn't be happening at this age and I was supposed to have got her into a routine at 12 months ish and should be sleeping through now. Honestly, it's worse as she grows up, nights were actually much easier from newborn to around 18 months.

Where am I going wrong?
Should I really leave her to cry and not give in with the water? Even though I know she will cry for hours?

If she really is thirsty would she drink the water from something else? A sippy cup or no spill beaker?

If it's just water, I would swap the bottle for a non spill cup and leave it in reach so she can help herself if she wakes up thirsty.
However, it could be that she's not actually that thirsty, but likes the comfort of the bottle and seeing you several times during the night. If that's the case, you might need to do some gentle sleep training.

That's what I think, she's not even really thirsty usually. I tried to offer a normal cup, she hasn't ever really used sippy cups, but she'll get even more hysterical and push it away, so I know it is probably just a comfort thing or because it's what she's used to.

Could try a non spill sippy or one with a straw though now I'm thinking about it, because then at least she can lay down and drink?

I have tried to speak to her about the bottle fairy too, and even that the bottle fairy will bring any present she wants if she lets the fairy take the bottles. She says no thank you.

I think I probably need to be a lot tougher, but just don't know how and feel very guilty when she cries for so long and worry about how she feels when she's crying for so long and that she'll think I don't care. Am I just too soft and need to be tougher and just let her cry no matter how long? How long do people let them cry for usually?

Thank you both. I will try sleep training then and learn to stop being so soft
And leave a sippy or two with her in bed so she can just reach for it.

God, I've know idea where to even start! But I'll look on the boards on here for sleep training methods.

If its only water in the bottle I wouldn't be too concerned. Bottles are an issue for tooth decay if they contain milk or juice but water is fine

I have heard it can cause teeth to become misaligned too?

Just give her it in the same cup she would drink from during the day.

As noarmani said, a bottle just containing water isn't that much of a problem, not really that different to a dummy, which plenty of two year olds still have for bed. What is more of a problem is if she wakes you up several times a night to hand her the bottle, so that's what I would work on to start with. It's ok to have water and its ok to have it in a bottle but it's not ok to wake mummy up.
Is she just two or nearer three? Would she understand and work with a simple reward chart - a big sparkly sticker for sleeping through and a reward for three stickers (she might be a little bit too young for this though).
I'd leave the bottle in her cot/bed to start with so she can easily get to it (bottles do leak a bit but if it's only water its not a disaster to have damp sheets for a week or two until she breaks the habit of needing mum to give her it).
Once you've got her sleeping through and helping herself to a drink if she needs one, then you can start thinking about swapping the bottle for a cup.

I have just read your post and thought I feel your pain ...my lo has just turned 3 he still up until two weeks ago asked for milk for bed and wouldn't settle without it ....and then all of a sudden moved into a big bed and didn't want milk anymore ...just like that ....so just wait and it will happen x I was amazed x

She's 2 and a half. I think she will understand a reward chart as she understood getting stickers for learning to poo and not only wee on the toilet, although that was more of an immediate reward.

I can stick the reward chart next to her bed, so that she will see it if she wakes and be reminded.

She does wake me sometimes, but will sometimes just get her own bottle.

Two of my friends confided in me that their 4 year old and 5 year old still have bottles with water to go to sleep with, this worries me too. She can't be going off to school and then coming home for a bottle! And I can't be washing annoyingly fiddly bottles for that long either haha.

Thanks Kab30, at least I'm not alone haha although sorry you had to deal with it too.

She's actually just recently seen her cousin get a new "big girl" bed and we were talking about her getting one too, so maybe if we do it sooner rather than later we can try no bottles too and just do it as part of the change to a new bed.

Do it ....I was worried but he now sleeps all night and we are all refreshed and ready for the day x well as much as normal lol x