Daughter 26 Months Old Still Has a Bottle to Go to Bed

Putting a child down with a bottle is very bad for their teeth. And being that she's a preemie her teeth are at even more risk. So you definitely need to stop that. Is she finishing the bottle or is it more of a comfort thing? If she really needs that bottle then I would make it part of the bedtime routine. But she can't have that formula in her crib. And afterwords you will have to brush her teeth. And then if she still needs a comfort bottle with something in it I would just give her water. There will most likely be protest for a week or so, but you need to get it away from her. Also, does she take all of her feedings from a bottle? Or will she drink from a cup? Once you get the bedtime bottle thing down you really should toss the bottles all together. Give her a blankie or stuffed animal to cuddle at night in replace of the bottle. Let her pick out that special bed time only toy or something. But believe me when you start potty training you are going to want her to be off all drinks after a certain time. My two oldest are now 10 and 7 and have been potty trained for many years, but all liquids are still cut off for them after dinner. Even my 20 month old can't have anything to drink after dinner. I suppose that's a personal choice. Some people give their children a glass of water to keep on their night stand, but personally I've found that if you start the no liquids after a certain time it does make that potty training at night go a little easier. It's one less thing they'll feel like they are losing control over. But if you are dealing with weight and feeding issues with her because she was born so early, then I can understand that you still need to give her that nighttime feeding, but you should not be letting her go to sleep with any sort of milk on her teeth. You'll end up with lots of very serious teeth issues.

I would switch her to water in the bottle before bed if you think it's a comfort thing. At 26 months, she should absolutely be going through the night based on her solid food intake as well as her liquids during the day. She "hates" alternatives now because she knows that she will get formula later. But she will not stay that way if you only make healthy alternatives available to her. She also needs her rest - and so do you! My friend Stephanie's son had over 50 "allergies" and he is now allergy free after taking a balanced and highly absorbable nutritional supplement which comes in vanilla and chocolate - delicious. It restored the balance in his digestive system which was showing up as allergies but weren't true allergies. She'd be happy to talk to you. I say this because all we hear now is about this huge epidemic of "food allergies" and reflux in children - they are on drugs, they are miserable, and their parents are frantic and (like you) not getting any sleep. Your pediatrician will probably say that no harm will come to a 26 months old child (even one who was a preemie) who doesn't eat during the night. My pedi said that when my son was a lot younger than your daughter. You need to establish good sleep habits now, and eating during the night isn't part of that. You can, like I said, keep the nighttime bottle of water only during the transition, but that's it. Or you can go cold turkey. It's important for her development, for her teeth, and for her sleep. There are a number of ways to teach her to self-soothe at night and put herself back to sleep - whatever method you choose, stick with it and be consistent! We did "cry it out" and it was awful for 3 nights, okay on the 4th, and perfect after that. Just don't take her out of her crib and don't give her a bottle. Read up on it at your library if you want or ask your pedi for a suggested book. There have been many great books suggested here on Mamasource. Just choose a path that works for you, and know that "spoiling" is a tough habit to break but an important one. You can do it!

At 2 years old, your daughter doesn't need the nutrition of the formula, and should be able to sleep through the night without a bottle before bed. I think the bottle is a comfort thing, and it's part of your bedtime routine. I would substitute something else in your routine - a bath, an extra bottle, some snuggles with you and a lovey. She may wake up at night at first while her body adjusts to not having a bedtime snack. Or go ahead and substitute a light snack, just make sure she brushes her teeth afterwards!

On the milk issue, talk to your ped, but I am under the impression that milk isn't a necessity for kids over 2, as long as they are able to get the fat and calcium from other sources. I think milk is overemphasized as a healthy food, because we were all raised on cow's milk (I know I was expected to finish my glass at every meal!) As long as your daughter is eating a well-balanced diet, you should be able to just let her have water.

Good luck!
T.

Hi J.,

Food allergies are so tough! I would try transitioning her to the Nuby sippy cups--they have a silicone nipple but at least it's a move in the right direction. My dtr also has a milk allergy, we transitioned her from Neocate by splitting it with soy milk, and slowly we were able to replace it.

Good luck!

Does she drink water during the day? She should, and if she doesn't, give her a short bottle with water (4 oz max) instead of formula. She may be attached to just the bottle itself, vs what is inside. Let that go for a few weeks as her only nighttime option, then cut the water in half. Eventually you can take the bottle away after a few more weeks.

Your daughter will only eat enough during the day to get her through the night if her appetite is not ruined by getting a bottle at night. So I would definitely stop giving her bottles. So, it may be a tricky week while she adjusts, but she will definitely adjust and fill up enough to get through the night with no calories. I would definitely try to get her on a sippy cup only for the health of her teeth. Good luck!!!