Bottle and Potty Training

As an older grandmother, with 13 grandchildren, I have found that children will do this when they are ready, it might be 2 or it may be closer to 2 year old.

No, the only way you're going to get her to give up the bottle is by going cold turkey. I disagree w/ the previous respondent who said that. Our son gave his up on his own when he was done with it and went straight from the bottle to a regular cup-not a sippy cup. He just decided one day he was done w/ his bottles, and didn't want them anymore, and you know, there was absolutely no frustration that we had to deal w/ since we weren't making our kid do something he wasn't ready for. I don't understand why so many parents make their kids do something they are not ready for, and then complain that their child is being difficult. It sounds to me, like she's already giving it up on her own. I'd just let her be. I don't see what the problem is anyway, if she's only taking it at night. Oh, and 10 months is WAY too early to take it away from your kid. Imo, that is being cruel.

I haven't read the other posters so forgive me if this is a duplicate. I think you could begin the potty training thing. My daughter was trained at 20 months. I am not saying that is the average b/c I know she was early but she was intersted in it. Just take her to the bathroom when you go so she knows what is going on. With you being home with her during the day, you will get in-tuned to when she goes. Reward her with a big hug & smile and clap or a tootsie roll or something she likes. I never used pullups just got those thick training pants and my daughter didn't like to be wet. I am not saying it happened over nite but it did work. If you think she is getting close to starting, just put the big girl panties on her and stick to it. Good luck.

I wouldn't worry too much about the bottle. Once she figures out big girls don't use bottles, she may be willing to give it up! Good luck with that too!

C.,

Every baby handles bottle weening differently, so there are different ways of handling the situation. One method is to only give a cup of milk instead of a bottle before going to bed. Allowing the baby to understand they don't need the bottle in order to receive something to drink. If your baby is already drinking from a sippy cup this should not be too difficult for her. However, falling asleep may be hard for her to do, so this is where you are going to have to set up a routine until she is able to understand how to fall asleep on her own. You should try to transition your baby from the bottle at night by only allowing her to drink from a cup, then get her ready for bed by giving her a bath, brushing teeth and reading a book. Then when story time is over lay her in bed. You may sit in the room close to her to allow her to understand you are still there but at all costs do not pick her up from her bed once she is in it or give her any eye contact. She may try to get out of bed or cry for you and if she is try to ignore her because that is what she wants you to do. Gradually leave her room as she starts to settle down more. She will eventually go to sleep. As long as she is not harming her self she should be fine to lay in her bed. If she gets out of bed simply put her back in. I hope this information helps. Good luck!

I had a tough time getting my son off the bottle...he was very attached to it. He's over 2 1/2 now. I finally got him off the bottle right around he turned 2. I basically had a talk with him and told him that "babas" were for babies and that he was a big boy now and big boys drank out of cups. He seemed to understand and it wasn't too bad. I think he cried a little bit that 1st night but if I remember correctly it wasn't too bad after that 1st night. I felt a lot of pressure about getting him off of it from other people. Try not to listen to other people. You know as her Mother when it's time to get her off the bottle and when she's ready to be potty trained. My son never took to the binky and I feel like every young child needs some kind of comfort item. His was the "baba". He replaced it with his blanket (s). And as far as potty training...she seems pretty young still. I was told not to push it. He's taking baby steps. He's at a point where he can hold it but the diaper is kind of like a security blanket for him. He likes to be naked but when I ask him if he wants to go on the potty he still choses the diaper. But he doesn't like the feel of the wetness on him. I know he'll get there...on his own time. Hang in there Momma!

I hate to say it but the only way you are going to get rid of the bottle is cold turkey. it has become a comfort habit than anything. I kicked the bottles out of the house when my daughter was 10 months old.

as for the potty thing your lucky my daughter is 22 months as doesn't care if she is wet or dirty. so just keep taking her potty everytime she says she needs to potty. She eventually will become consistent when she can completely control it. my daughter is behind on her talking so that makes it more difficult for us.

Good Morning Cinday, Let your little girl have her bottle until she decides it's time to let go. Night time bottles arent a biggie. It's wind down time and if it helps her settle, let her.

As for potty training it will go in spurts, one day she might do it every time the next she will have accidents.

She might pp in the potty but still poop in her pull up or big girl panties.
DIL started Potty training Zane (26 months) over the weekend. On sat. he did Awesome. Sunday was a bust he wanted nothing to do with it. Now I will have him during the day this week, not sure what to expect.
His big brother wasn't completely potty trained untill he was almost 3, still wasn't Poopy trained, but was regular enough at the time he could go to pre-school and have to poopy time when he got home. Usually at nap time when he was relaxed.

Corbin was like your little princess, smart, verbal and could do many many things on his own. I just told him let Nana know when you need to PP and I will help you OK! That worked for him. We left the poopy part of it alone for a while.

I guess what I am getting at is relax and let it come as it will.

God Bless you C. with a Very Wonderful Merry Christmas
K. Nana of 5
PS Our eldest was potty trained at 19 mo in 2 days, his baby brother was almost 3 before he decided it was yucky to have messy pants.

Well, I don't have a lot of advice to give as I am in the same boat as you. Our son is 19 months and sometimes very enthusiastically wants to use his potty chair; at other times he is not into it. Seems very random to me. I don't want to push it because he is so young, but I don't want to be doing him a disservice either.

Also, he still wants a night time bottle and passifier after that, then goes straight to sleep. We are ready to give those up, too. However, we are expecting a new baby in 2 months, and from what I gather it is not recommended to make any big unwelcome changes in his life right before then. So we are torn.

I am looking forward to reading the responses you get back on these issues. Good luck!

my mom always broke babies from the bottle before they turned a year old. I was never too worried about it with my first 2. I breastfed my second 2 so they never took a bottle but I did wean them from breastfeeding at about 13 months and then gave them a sippy cup at night, the kind with the silicone/soft lid/nipple. They were pretty much done with the sippy cup thing by about 2 and a half or so and I just gave them a little cup with a few drinks of water on the nightstand. I don't think any one way is cruel or right. It's what's right for each parent and child. One thing for sure is that it is much harder to potty train if they take a bottle or sippy cup at night. I wouldn't expect your daughter to be very consistent at anything yet at her age. Just accommodate her requests to go potty when she asks and eventually a routine will develop.

Well I don't know about getting rid of the bottle, as my daughter wouldn't take one. But we did recently get rid of the sippie at night. I just slowly reduced the amount of milk I put in it at night and eventually told her she was too old to take one to bed (she's almost 4). As far as potty training, my daughter also showed interest young-18m. I encouraged her by letting her go on the potty when she asked, watch Elmo potty video and read potty books. We also put her in pullups at that point so she could better feel when she was wet. After a while she decided she wanted nothin to do with the potty anymore so I stopped pushing it. We still read the books and watch the video and kept the pullups, but I didn't ask her all the time if she wanted to use the potty. Eventually she decided that she was done with being wet and at about 2.5 or 3 she was totally day potty trained. It took longer to get night trained, mostly due to the sippie at night, but once we got rid of the sippie at night, she started waking up dry and we were able to get rid of the night time pullups. It may take a while, but I say let her tell you when she's ready, pushing her may make her more resistant to actually doing it. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about either of these. I don't see a problem in taking a bottle once a day. The thing about comfort is, it helps kids get through their tumultuous life a little more smoothly. The year from 2-3 can be so challenging, with so much growth and new independence, which is at once exciting and compelling and scary! So I think a couple comfort behaviors are not at all unreasonable, as long as there is no serious drawback, which in this case is sounds like there isn't.

As for the potty, every kid is different. There are lots of methods and "tricks" for getting them to comply, but they never work if the kid isn't ready. I also think we don't realize how much of that readiness is emotional. There's a lot of responsibility involved, as well as a need to feel that she is in control of her body. If she feels you are pushing her (even if you think you aren't), it could backfire. My older daughter made so much more progress when I let her take the lead. She decided when she wanted to use the potty, when to move to the big toilet, when to use pull-ups, etc. And she's smart like yours, fyi, sometimes that can be more challenging than an average kid!

wow those two previous posts were on complete opposite ends of the child raising spectrum. i am more middle of the road - i prefer to ride the fine line between them "training" themselves (which i don't believe happens except in extremely rare cases, and then it's usually way later than necessary), and being helga the nazi mama. however, i do feel like 19 months is too old for a bottle, even at night. aren't you tired of washing them? besides, if you're trying to potty train, just take it away from her - she doesn't need those fluids right before bedtime anyway. she'll put up a fuss, but just let her know if she wants a night-night drink from now on she'll have to use her sippy. and if/when she accepts that, make it a very small amount. i never let my son go to sleep with a drink of any kind. it's not necessary. and anything other than water is bad for his teeth anyway.

ps, my son was walking at 9 months and has always been really advanced too. if it eases your mind, he wasn't potty trained till about 33 months. it was a really smooth transition, i belive because i waited until he was really ready. i tried every few months from the time he was about 2. it didn't happen "for real" until he was 33 months. but i didn't force the issue either. it's one thing you can't force them to do!

I'm not an authority but after raising 8 kids I think dates when kids do things is less important than I used to think. Whether a bottle is quit at 19 mo. or 12 mo. or 23 mo. is not the point as much as when the child and you are ready. You know your child better than we do so does she need a bedtime bottle to get ready for bed? Don't let her go to bed with it but I would think she could give it up real soon and it will be you deciding when she's ready and then having a battle probably but she'll get over it fine if she is drinking from a sippy cup well. Read to her at bedtime and let her drink from her sippy cup, or whatever routine you have for bedtime. Only change the bottle to cup if ready to do that. I would then work on cutting out much of a bedtime drink at all as if you do potty train her that early, or whenever you decide, it will be a problem at night.
As for the potty training, I think if she talks to tell you, wakes up dry from night and naps she might be ready to try it but if you start it be consistent. If not I wouldn't bother. I never had a child potty train themselves but it sure sounds great. I had to start and not stop. I had to see that they sat on the potty about every 15 min. or so for about 2 days and then it was done with reminders for awhile. One of my grandsons was potty trained in one day but he was about 28 months old. My own kids were all around 26 months. So that too depends on your child and you. I know the times I started earlier it just was a battle but later it was only a day or so process. Let her be a little girl as long as you can as they grow up way too fast and enjoy these precious days without too much pressure to rush either of you.