Potty training but still has a bedtime bottle?

[pyjamasituation]

My son is just turned 2. We are planning on potty training over the summer. I am a bit worried though as I feel like there are a few steps we still need to take with him and I'm worried about which order to do things.

For example, my son still has a bottle of milk before bed. I know this isn't technically advised by health visitors, but we brush his teeth afterwards. He sleeps through for 12hrs and seems to get great comfort from having his bottle before bed (he was formula fed as I had trouble breast feeding so his main comfort has always come from the bottle rather than the boob). I was going to stop the bedtime bottle but then thought why am I doing this? Surely he will grow out of it?

Anyway, do you think it's silly doing potty training whilst he still has a bedtime bottle? (Eg we are talking to him about being a big boy now and all grown up using the potty and then giving him a baby's bottle!)

On the other hand if I stop the bottle round the same time as potty training I'm worried it will be too many changes at once for him and also might impact on sleep.

Has anyone's toddler kept having a bedtime bottle after 2, and after potty training?

They are two very different things. I can’t see why you can’t do both.

At 2, it's doubtful that he has the cognitive skills to realise that potty = big boy =/= bottle.

That said, 2 is old to still have a bottle, and the concern isn't just that milk will rot his teeth, it's that the sucking motion will distort his teeth, though one bottle a day probably isn't having that impact. I would say though, if you're already brushing his teeth after the bottle, it's not like it's a direct sleep association and I reckon you'd be able to swap the bottle for a "brand new special bedtime teddy" and a story without much trouble if you wanted to try it.

I think you might be overthinking. Small children just accept whatever you do at home as normal and don’t necessarily link things the way adults do.
Saying that, a bottle isn’t great for their teeth as they get older, so you could always try switching to a cup of milk. Maybe even just ask if he wants it in a cup or a bottle and let him pick for a while.
We ditched bedtime milk altogether by about 18m or so though as my children weren’t all that keen on it.

Thanks. Yeah I'm probably over thinking. Maybe I'll buy a new "special" cup and offer milk in that?

We switched to a cup at around 14 months, and then replaced milk with water around 2. He wasn't bothered by either change, just accepted it with a bit of initial puzzlement. Better to do it now before he gets older and starts knowing more of what's going on!

Switch him to a cup for milk and the deal with potty training