help weaning off milk bottle please

[azzurra]

My DS is two years old. He sleeps well but only goes to sleep if he has his milk bottle. I know that is not healthy for his teeth and that I should try and wean him off this habit but I am dreading the long crying sessions at nights and do not know how to tackle the problem. Has anyone had same problem or can provide suggestions? Many thanks

Aged 2, your son might respond best to praise and instruction about what 'big boys' :) do rather than what 'babies' do. Big boys, you tell him, have a nice drink of milk from their special sippy cup, brush their big strong teeth and then go to sleep in their big boy bed. Babies on the other hand... etc.

If you approach it very matter-of-fact confidently and smile about it rather than giving so much as a hint that you're dreading what might happen or that it's going to be unpleasant he could suprise you and rise to the occasion. Good luck

Good luck. My 3.0yo still does this. Usually she is obsessed with being a big girl like her beloved cousin but none of that applies with her bottle. I never thought I'd have a 3yo with a bottle but life without it is hellish for all of us.

Thanks for the advice. I will rehearse a credible speech in front of the mirror before trying it with my "big boy"... keep your fingers crossed for me please

We cut the bottle at the new year with DD (aged 2.5).

Originally we told her that Father Christmas needed her bottles for little babies who didn't have any, and that he brought her some presents to say 'thank you', but we had to delay it a few days as we were all ill and staying with relatives, and there was no way she would drop the bottle in those conditions.

Anyway, the night we decided to do it, we packed the bottles away, told her that Father Christmas had come back for them (maybe you could invent the 'Bottle Fairy' as others do the 'Dummy Fairy'?) and only offered her a "big girl's" cup of milk at bedtime. She tried it, then had a big tantrum. But went to sleep eventually.

The next night was a bit easier, the next night a bit easier again...and then the bottles were forgotten. We haven't got her to drink milk from a cup, but she goes to sleep without her milk now.

We've also found her nappy is much drier in the mornings, and she has stopped waking at nights. I do think the wet nappies were waking her up, and also if she woke in the night she couldn't self-settle. She would ask for milk. Ditto at nap time and if feeling upset. All of that has now stopped.

So, my advice would be to just do it, go for it. If you have a DP/DH, choose a night when they are around and make sure you give your DS the same message: "Bottles are for babies, you are a big boy".

I so wish we had done it six months earlier! Good luck x

Thanks for your advice Mum295. The first night you decided to do away with the bottle did you put your DD to bed and left the room or did you stay with her till she eventually went to sleep? Does she go to sleep by herself now?

Many thanks...

I have not really tried with my son: too much going on at the moment I have just started a full time job and he has been in nursery for only two weeks. I will probably wait till he is settled.

The first night we stayed but after a few nights, once she had stopped complaining about the lack of bottle, we left before she fell asleep.

What I do now is read her a story, by which point she is usually quite sleepy. I then give her a kiss, whisper to her that I need to pop downstairs for some made-up reason (usually because I need to check on the cat) and will be back to check on her soon. I then tiptoe into her room 15-20 minutes later and she is usually asleep by then.

It does sound like now is not a good time to start. My DH is not usually at home for bed time, and I needed to leave it until Christmas/New Year when I knew he'd be around for a few nights in a row to help and support me.

Thanks, hope that in our case it will also be easy. I have exactly the same problem: DH travel extensively for work. I have also just started full time as well and I think we need to find the right time to introduce this new BIG change!