Any Ideas - Boynton Beach,FL

Maybe take her shopping and find something she really wants. Then tell her you will get it for her if she will give up that bottle, a trade of sorts. What do you think? There must be something she wants more!

Hi E.,
Much like Vlora, I agree this is a society of rigid rules for babies, although if I may add, the rules seem to get increasingly lax as children age, with most teenagers running their own show. Now, back to the topic at hand....in my own case, I never gave my children pacifiers, and yet my firstborn was drinking out of a bottle until he was six. At that point he entered school and never again asked for his bottle. He is now a robust young man with beautiful teeth and a smile to match.
If a child is still attached to a bottle, it's because it is filling some need within him. Studies have shown that children who learn to pacify themselves with a toy or other habit grow up more self confident than those who are deprived of whatever it is they use to calm themselves. I can guarantee you that he will not enter high school while still drinking out of a bottle. Relax and let time take it's course. Just make sure he brushes his teeth before going to sleep and that the nipples are always new and strong.
Congratulations on being a loving and available grannie!!

I don't think that you screwed up at all. In this country we really push for children to drop breastfeeding or bottlefeeding at an early age, however, worldwide the average age of weaning is 4 years. Your grand daughter probably has a physical need to suck, and thus wants/needs the bottle to fall asleep. However, because this is a bottle where the liquid pools around her teeth it may cause problems with cavities. At least can you switch to just water in the bottle for bedtimes? It may be the sucking more than the milk to help her.
She will grow out of it.

Dear E.,

I took away the bottle form my girls at the age of 2. Now, about you being a terrible parent :)
In this country it seems like everything has to be done by the book, no, not book, but by the letter or 'your child will suffer about this and that and this and aiiii you name it they name it). WELL:
my sister (who is 4 yrs younger than me), did not let go off her bottle and my mom never pushed. turned out to be her security thing.
The first day at school (6 yrs old) her girlsfriends came to pick her up and my mom opened the door and kind of raised the vocie and said:
NO SHE CANNOT COME NOW BECAUSE. . .SHE IS FINISHING HER BOTTLE.
That did IT,
My sister handed the bottle to my mom and off to school that was the end of the bottle.
soooo, no, you haven't done anything wrong. what you have done, and i don't even know your story, but seems like a whole lot more grandmas usually do. Wish my kids had a grandma like you
V.

She is 4 years old time to get off the bottle , she should've been off a very long time ago , maybe at 1 yr old. Try buying her sippy cups with different prints on them that would make her want to use them . Also let her know that BABIES drinks from bottles and that she is a BIG girl and BIG girls drink from cups. If you keep reminding her that she is a big girl and you show her what big girls do she will want to do the same as the big girls. Good Luck ... Oh yeah , alot of Grandma's are suckers so if she cries , let her , thats all apart of her plan to get you sucked in again lol . Good Luck

i would just tell her that if she wants her bottle that she can not go to gymnastic classes and she can not learn to play basketball because those are not for babies and babies are the only ones that take bottles

E.,

You havent done anything wrong! I do agree that she is to old for the bottle, and its time to break it. The question would be as to how. If it were me, I would sit her down and explain to her that bottles are for babies. Not big girls, and that gymnastics and basketball are for big girls, not babies. Let her know that if she wants to keep enjoying these extra activities, its time to throw the bottle away. This may work, it may not. When I recently broke my daughter from the pacifier, I tried every theory in the book, not to mention every one that was replied to me on mamasource. Nothing worked. Finally, I just took it. Got rid of every one in the house. We had a very very very hard few nights, but we survived it! If you need to come to that point, you will to. So will she!!!! Good luck to you.

God Bless.

I think that for those four year old teeth, it is a good idea to take it away. She is old enough to use a regular non-sippy cup. She will probably not like it, but will get used to it. Drink from a bottle at night or at nap is bad for little teeth and promotes tooth decay. Just give them away or throw them away. BEtter yet, find a place where you can donate the bottles (not nipples).
You can do it, MOM...not grandma.
God Bless,
Pam

Hi E.,

I had to switch my daughter from a bottle to a sippy cup.
and then slowly made her drink her milk before she got to bed.

Its worth a try. Just let her pick out a real cool sippy cup and tell her that is her new cup for milk.

good luck,
S.

If it were me I'd just pull the plug on it. I'd explain to her that she's not a baby anymore and bottles are for babies. And I would get rid of them (out of site helps keep out of mind) and not give in. After a few days she'll be over it and will move on.

HI I TO HAVE A THREE YEAR OLD HE LOVES HIS BOTTLE HE DRINKS ONE GALLON OF MILK A DAY AND IM NOT KIDDING!!! BUT ALL THAT IS STOPPING I STARTED BY TELLING HIM NO I KNOW ITS HARD BUT TOUGH LOVE IS NOT BAD THING!!!WHEN HE SAYS MILK I SAY NOUR BIG BOY U WANNA EAT HE SAY NO SO THEN I SAY OK GOOD NIGHT!!!

YOU SHOULD REALLY STOP LETTING HER HAVE A BOTTLE. DEVELOPMENTALLY SHE'S TO OLD AND IT COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR HER TO HAVE. SHE'S ABLE TO BITE THE NIPPLE WITH HER TEETH AND SHE COULD ACCIDENTALLY BREAK OFF A PEACE AND EITHER CHOKE ON IT OR SWALLOW. I'VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS YOUR CHILDREN GET VERY EXCITED WHEN THEY ARE GROWING OUT OF THEIR BABY THINGS AND INTO BIG KID THINGS. MY ADVICE TO YOU WOULD BE TO TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO A STORE AND LET HER PICK OUT SOME BIG GIRL CUPS. THIS ALLOWS HER TO FEEL LIKE SHE HAS A HAND IN THE DECISION OF LETTING GO OF HER BOTTLE. THIS AGE THEY ARE VERY INDEPENDENT IN WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO DO AND NOT DO. IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE HARD FOR YOU AS A PARENT TO LET GO BECAUSE SHE GOES TO BED EASIER. I WON'T LIE TO YOU THEIR WILL BE A FEW HARD NIGHTS, BUT SOON SHE'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO SELF-SOOTH. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO LET GO OF MY SONS PACIFIER WHEN HE WAS 18MO, BUT I KNEW IT WOULD BE EASIER NOW THAN LATER. THERE WAS A LOT OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, BUT HE GOT OVER IT AND GREW OUT OF THAT STAGE. I HOPE THIS ADVICE WILL BE HELPFUL TO YOU. GOODLUCK!

Hi Grandma

Have you asked her dentist? If the dentist doesn't think its a problem then I would let her have it. It is her source of comfort and she obviously still needs it.

You could try replacing it with something else if it would harm her teeth. Like a special stuffy. You could tell her now that shes getting big that its time for the bottle fairy to come and she will take the bottle but in the morning there will be a special stuffy just for her to snuggle with at night instead.

She should only be getting water in it otherwise that will rot her teeth and gums which affect your overall health.

My mom says I wouldnt sleep without my shoes and toothbrush for a long time. she thought it was strange but it didnt hurt me so I think as long as its okay for her health to let her have it otherwise get creative or try to wean her some other way but give her another comfort object.

Good luck

Jess

E.,
you know the answer, but I think at times and this day and age we all feel comforted to know theres an agreeance with our decision. The bottle is terrible for their teeth. What ever she is drinking stays on her teeth through the night causing damage. She'll get over it grandma, and yes initially you'll be the bad guy but, for her own good.
Thank you for loving her enough to be concerned.....