Need Help!!! - Myrtle Beach,SC

Cheryl,
I would say its time to loose the binky. The bottle, you still have a little time on. Just try gradualy introducing to cup to her once a day and build on it after a few days. I would definately take her to see a chiropractor. He/She would be able to determine what is going on with the ears. They really do amazing things and are so good for children! Its a lot less expensive than an ENT too:) My baby had ear problems at 9 months and it was a chiro that fixed it! Best of luck!

I am a mom to 4 kids and 3 had problems with ear infections. My youngest boy is actually moderate-severly deaf and is aided. Take her to a chiropractor! I have a close friend who is a chiro. and he made the smallest adjustment to my kids while they were laying on my chest and they have not had an infection or fluid since. They also rocked all the time and since the adjustment they have stopped that as well. I swear by it!

I know this is a bit late. I'm guessing you are to get rid of the bottles and binkies because the sucking thing is a great way to keep fluid in the ears. If she's not drinking from the cup, wean from the bottle -- just don't let her lie down and drink -- she has to be upright!!! Actually, I would take the pacifier away before the bottle. Just insist on upright for bottle time.

Assuming she's bright and "normal", the speech will come when the hearing is better.

GOOD LUCK!!!

It sound like there are two separate issues: 1. The Bottle/pacifier and 2. Chronic fluid in her ears.
1. My suggestion would be to take the bottle away first and let her have the pacifier in limited doses for awhile. (baby steps) She will drink more (eventually) from a cup when she doesn't have the bottle as an option. (You will really have to stand your ground on this.) Let her satisfy the sucking need with the pacifier in the meantime.
2. My youngest son had chronic fluid in his ears, and ear infections. He was very slow to speak. We had the tubes put in his ears, but after a few months, one fell out and he got another infection. A friend of mine used homeopathic medicine and I asked her if I could try some. I gave my son a remedy called Pulsatilla. It got rid of his ear infection AND dried up the fluid!!! We used it several more times ove the next few months and were amazed with the results. My son is now 23 yrs old. We've been using homeopathic remedies for various ailments since that time. There are many resources now, online, and at health food stores. There are also Naturopaths that can help direct you to the right homeopathic remedy for each illness. A helpful website is: www.abchomeopathy.com. They have a pharmacist that can help direct you to teh correct remedy. We also used Mullin/garlic drops in his ears regulary at the beginning to prevent ear infections. You can get those at the health food store. Allergies may be causing the fluid. So we eliminated all dairy (makes mucus thick) and most sugar (weakens the immune system) to help him get healthy again. He is now a strong, healthy wonderful young man. Our family still uses homeopathic remedies to this day.

I have to agree with Mimi, use your instinct and don't stress.
Although my son didn't have fluid in his ears he still didn't utter a word until he was 18 months and then he started speaking in full sentences. People always commented on how articulate he was for two! We were concerned because every child in his playgroup was already speaking. One thing we realized, for the most part they grow and shift when they're ready. Don't force her, let life take its course. We're so inundated with books and day to day info, if our kid's not at a certain place at a certain time something's terribly wrong. Our son carried his puppy to pre-school up until this year and he's 4 1/2.
Puppy was security for him, in fact when we would go to his pediatrician, he would check puppy out first. Finally in the first few months of Pre-k he started to leave puppy at home even when I was still trying to bring him with us! The sippy cup she'll get to, my son started using one at about two.
15 months, she's still a baby; give her a chance and what ever makes her feel safe. She will grow and shift, introduce the cup to her slowly, I wouldn't hide the bottles as they’re obviously a source of comfort and familiarity. I promise you she'll switch to the cup when she's ready.

Cheryl. I have not experienced the problem of speech delay with my children, but I am a Speech Language Pathologist and have seen this many times with children who have frequent ear infections. Children who have fluid in their ears and constant ear infections usually experience a speech delay due to the fact that they temporarily lose some of their hearing. That is why you saw a decrease in words during the time of an ear infection.

I suspect that the ENT will suggest that you have tubes put in your child's ears. It sounds scary because it is a minor surgical procedure, but it is done pretty routinely and will help your child tremendously. The ENT will be able to better explain the tubes, but in essence it gives a way for the fluid to drain out and not remain in your child's ears.

In the meantime, I would suggest that when you talk to your child make sure you are very close and allow her to see your face. Give her excessive praise for any sounds that she is making. Also, you may want to start using some "baby signs" (simple sign language) so that your child can still communicate her wants/needs and may be able to understand you. I highly recommend this method because this way her language skills will continue to develop and the speech can come in when she is able to hear! I would suggest starting off with things like: milk, drink, eat, sleep, hurt, no more, stop, play, go, etc. The words you choose may be determined by your routine and daily experiences. You can find these signs on websites or you can pick up a sign language book at Barnes & Noble bookstores. I know they have several dictionaries. A book that many people recommend (I have not read it since I am fluent in sign language due to my background as a deaf ed teacher before being an SLP) is "Baby Signs."

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions... I may know the answer and if I don't I'll talk with some of my Audiology friends to find out!

It's hard being a mother and having your 'motherly instincts' questioned by a doctor. It sounds like your doctor is trying to hold your little girl to what's on the famous developmental charts and such. The thing to remember is that every child is different. They all learn, develop, grow, speak, etc. at their own pace. Sometimes that's a little quicker than the average child their age and sometimes it's a little slower. It doesn't mean anything is necessarily wrong.

My son is also 15 months old and he makes a lot of animal sounds, but really only says a couple words. My pediatrician didn't seem to be worried about that b/c he said he'll start when he's ready.

As for the tubes....my son did have tubes about a month ago due to so many ear infections and a very severe one that lasted from the end of December to the middle of February (4 different rounds of antibiotics didn't ever clear it up!). When we visited the ENT, he told us that our son could hear us talking to him, but he heard it as if he had a finger stuck in each ear or he was under water. It was very jumbled and hard to understand. We've noticed that since he got the tubes, he seems to be understanding us better and is talking ALL the time! Not saying words, but babbling and trying very hard to form the words. You will probably see a big difference in your daughter's speech if she gets tubes.

My son's been off a bottle for a while now and it did take him a while to get used to a sippy cup. He went through a phase where he didn't drink as much but then eventually came around to it and loves it now. As for the binky....he still uses one when he goes to sleep. We allow him to have it a few minutes after he wakes up in the morning or from a nap and then we try to take it away. If we can get it out of his sight, he's absolutely fine without having it. If he sees it, that's another story. So, maybe just try to take it away gradually...during certain times of day, etc. Then she'll know she can be ok without it but you're not taking it away completely. I kind of feel like it's ok until they're around 2. They're still babies. :)

Good luck and please try not to stress. Trust your instincts as a mother and do what you think is right. Let us know how things turn out!

Hi Cheryl,
My name is M....I have 3 daughters and 2 grandsons, each child is different...some walk and talk faster than others,and I,ve learned over the years unless you've got a Dr. who has children of thier own ,a lot of times they are going by what they have read in some book somewhere usually written by someone who has no children of thier own. My youngest grandson is 2, he had a lot of trouble with his ears this last year and wasn't talking much, we took him to an ENT they put tubes in his ears and now he is a little chatter box. The ENT said his ears were causing him pain an he couldn't hear well and that was one of the reasons he wasn't talking much... Out of my 3 girls I had one that never shut-up,one talked sometimes an sometimes she didn,t and I have one that hardly talked at all. The major thing I've learned they are all different they have thier own personalities and thier own pace for what they did and didn't do. The oldest through her bottle down at 12mths. and her binky away 3mths later, was pottie trained before she was walking good. My middle daughter didn't walk til she was 15mths, wouldn't give up her bottle til she was 24mths, and I let people talk me into taking her binky around the same time as her bottle and she started to suck her fingers and I never could stop that, to this day if she gets very upset she'll snaek off to her room or sometimes in her sleep do it without even realizing. Just listen to your mothers intuition , it and your baby will let you know when she's ready. Sincerely, M. S.

My son had the same "problem" with his speech. We went to a speech therapist (not an ENT) and she said that while he was at the end of the speech developmenet grid, he was on the grid. For us not to worry unless he didn't progress any in the next 6 months. Once we got the ear infection stuff cleared up (had ear infections for a total of 6 months) we were good. We did not get tubes, although it was highly recommended for us. Tubes do not prevent ear infections, it helps the fluid drain out easier but it also allows other stuff "easy" access inside the ear. We didn't want to put our child through a major surgery when it wouldn't really help him and they would come out in a few months to years anyway (as ear grows, the tubes get to small and just kind of fall out - no pain, suppossedly).

As for bottle and binky - ***personal opinion here*** -
I think that all children should be off the bottle and binky before they are 1. If you are ready to ween them, take them away (throw them away so you will not be tempted to revert back), and only offer sippy cups, cups with straws, or real cups (which ever your child seems to prefer). They will eventually drink from the cup you are offering. Sounds mean I know, but by the end of the day... :)

Good luck :)

~A.

Cheryl,

I would get a second and third opinion in that situation. I also think it is nuts when these doctors label children and are not realistic about when they "should" do this or that......
Call Dr. Kute. Her web site is www.drkute.com
I strongly suggest speaking to her about this stuff.

Hey Cheryl,
I went through the same thing. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. When we went to the ENT they told me that my daughter had hearing loss. They put tubs in her ears and she has done great since then (she is three now). She talks great and her hearing is at 100%.

About the bottle: she wont starve herself for long. Just ask yourself the question - is her will stronger than yours. Once she realizes that you wont give in, she will gladly take a sippy cup to quinch her thirst....my little girl did (it took about two days of hell, but after that she was great).

I also used a pacifier, and when they told me to get rid of it, I thought I would die and that she wasn't ready to give it up. This method is fool proof: it worked for both my girls (age two and three). Cut the tips off all the pacifiers. Each day cut just a little more. With the whole in the tip they can't get good suction and they just give it up...works like a charm and no screaming for the paci.

If she won't drink from a sippy cup, try a straw cup. My son prefers a straw cup over a sippy cup any day and he's 12 months old. My daughter was the same way. I think straw cups are better for them anyway. Move to an open cup as soon as possible too.

As for the fluid in the ears, we went through that with our daugther. She had chronic ear infections and fluid in both ears for 5 months straight. It resulted in her losing some of her speech gains. We went to an ENT and had tubes inserted and her adenoids taken out a few weeks before she turned two. Before the tubes, she had a moderate hearing loss in both ears due to the fluid. The fluid blocks the sound waves from reaching their destination point. There is a more technical explanation, but basically sound needs to be able to enter the ear and bounce back. If there's a lot of fluid, it can't do it. We wish we would have had her tubes put in sooner!! It's the best thing we ever did. She spoke her first 3 word phrase the very next morning and the surgery was a breeze.

I'm a speech-language pathologist, so I was trying not to obsess over her speech delays and obvious articulation problems, but it became very apparent to me that her speech was developing like a person with a hearing loss. I waited longer than I should have because I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but looking back, I wish I had done something sooner. She is now three and speaks beautifully, with just a slight lisp : )

Good luck!

With the bottle/cup thing....it just may take some time. With my daughter it was breast/cup and she hated the cup. After 3 days of minimal drinking she drank up a big cup of milk. Just make sure that you give her lots of juicy foods during the transition time -- watermelon, pineapple, applesauce...etc.

With the binky, while she is still young enough, if the Dr. thinks it would improve her overall hearing and speech to be without it, I would get rid of it.

All in all, though, I find it odd your Dr. is diagnosing a speech delay this early. I have had friends with children with SIGNIFIGANT speech problems that they were unable to officially diagnose until the children were 2.5-3 yrs old. Some kids are late talkers (just like some are late walkers). But the fluid would concern me. The ENT may recommend tubes. Ask his/her opinioin on the pacifier.

Cheryl,
I am so sorry for the trama.

I would go to the health food store and get some ear drops with tea tree oil & grape seed extract (or something close to that). They have shown that antibiotic do not clear ear infections and are not used in other countries to fight ear infections. There are also some homeopathic remedies that are good. If she has been on antibiotics, for sure get her on some probiotics (the good flora that is killed with the antibiotics.

Also, get her COMPLETELY off of any milk/cheese products until the ear situation clears up. The milk is very mucus forming and may even be the cause of the ear infection... espically with a bottle! We used soy milk, but that can be an allergen as well. Babies really so not need cows milk!

I do not know enough about the speach therapy to give any advice, but my thought is that she may resume speaking if the ears clear up.

My daughter &I talked for about three weeks about the binky fairy coming to take her binkies to the small babies. The fairy would leave a present. She really missed the binkies, but she knew the babies needed them and so was OK with it.

Will your daugther drink out of a regular cup? Maybe pull up some fluid into a straw and put your finger over it so the liquid stays in the straw... then she can drink out of the other end of the straw. That is how my daughter learned to drink out of a straw.

Good luck!
C. Hiebel
www.candlewealth.com/soy4u

My son had numerous ear infectins from the time he was 3 months old until we had tubes put in at 12 months. He is now five and hasn't had an ear infection or problems with fluid in his ears since. Trust your pediatrician & see the ENT. As far as the binky goes, I cut the end off of all of my youngest son's binkys & he got rid of it himself. It made him not like it any more. He was a little cranky for a couple of weeks, but for the most part it was not that bad. As for the bottle, my kids pretty much were a breeze. Not all kids are the same - it may take a lot of patience and some time, but you have to be persistant. Keep the bottles hidden and keep giving the sippy cups. She'll get the idea.

Eventhough my kids are grown up now. My daughter when she was younger had speech and hearing problems. We thought she was just ignoring us when we spoke to her. we found out that because she had had so many ear infections that she had fluid build up and scaring. We took her to ENT and found out that she needed tubes and after the tubes she was 100 percent better at hearing us and most of her speech. Her half sister had to have her tonsils and adnoids taken out when she was three because she was having difficulty speeking. Now she is 14 and you would have never known she had a problem. I wish you all the best and good luck. Let us know how it went

Hey listen first the ENT is probably going to tell you they want to put tubes in her ears. I am not against this for some children however I did not want to with my first child untill i was sure nothing else would work. The doctor that we had at the time said we could try putting her on a decongestant for about six months every day first if i was more willing to do that. While I don't like giving my kids medicen they don't need I also don't want procedures done that don't have to be done. My cousin also had a son who was having hearing problems and was sick alot their doctor finally put him on an allergy medicen and since all the fluid in his ears is gone speach and hearing has improved. When i took the first one off the bottle i just eliminated one bottle at a time instead of 5 a day she got 4 for one week then the next 3 and so forth once i got rid of the day time bottles i still gave her one at night before she went to bed holding her sitting up while she drank it helped her ears then one night she fell asleep with out it and i never gave it back now this was about 4-6 weeks after we got rid of the daytime bottles. and the playtex sippy cups were the best to use for her no handles alot like a bottle but hard plastic tops.

I am going through the same thing with my daughter, she loves her bottle. I cant get her to take a sippy cup, even the ones that are made like bottles almost. The speech thing, I think he went a bit overboard with that one. I have 3 kids and at 15 months they were not speaking clearly either, but when they started talking..........I can't get them to stop. They turned out just fine. The fluid in the ears, and the reason he says no to the bottle comes from laying down drinking. Try propping her on a pillow when she wants to lay down and drink. Her head should never be level with her body while drinking. She could very well have an issue with her ears, tubes will solve this with no problem because he caught it so early. As for the speech don't worry, SHE IS NOT BEHIND. Trust me. Doctors practice medicine, it is all an educated guess. Use your knowledge of your child,doctor's speculations, and a little common sense to determine what is best for her. No one knows her like you mom.

I have a little boy who will be 2 on April 4th. he had continous ear infections and speech problems up until he was about 13 to 14 months old. His pediatrician also sen tus to an ENT were they recomended that we get tubes in his ears. I was very scared but we went through with it any way - he is talking up a storm now. Even a week or so after the tubes we notice a huge difference.

As far as the bottles it is going to be harder on you then her - just keep them put up - when she is thirsty she will drink. Try a reward system to get her use to it. My osn also has a binky (we call it a ninny) and the dentist told us he has to be off of itby May so if you figure soemthing out with that one let me know. When I took it from my daughter she went straight to her thumb and still does that at nap and bed time and she is 5. Good luck and I wish you the best

Cheryl,
You and your husband should try using straws for your beverage (milk or juice) at the dinner table and offer your daughter a taste for a couple of days. Once she accepts that and is comfortable, you and your husband remove your straws and drink normally from the glass offering her a taste. It may take a little time but it's worth a try and you can probably eliminate the sippy cup stage entirely. Be prepared with a roll of paper towels for the spills :>)
CW

Hi Cheryl,
My friend has had experience with this. Her son had a partial hearing problem. It turns out from ear infections and chronic fluid in the ear. Her son had speech thereapy and eventually had tubes put in his ears and his adnoids out. All of this helped, but was still getting fluid in hid ear. He went to an allergist and found out he is allergic to quite a few things. He is 3 1/2. Allergy testing can not be done until 3, i think. They are slowly elliminating certain things from his diet and hopefully that will help.

I hope this helps a little,
S.

Two of my five children have needed speech therapy during their preschool years because of articulation issues. With my son, the doctor suspected his lack of articulation was due to fluid in his ears, although he rarely got ear infections. We spent a summer on prescription decongestants for him to clear up the fluid. (I didn't care for the medicine because it made him hyper, but we did it anyway.)I would definitely go to the ENT. There is so much they can do to help. I would not stress about the speech delay, although I would start looking around for options for speech intervention and work with her yourself at home too. Parent involvement in speech therapy makes such a difference. My son and daughter each had about 1-2 years of speech therapy and were completely "normal" before kindergarten. The standard "rule" is that by age three the child should be able to speak clearly enough that strangers understand 90% of what is said. At 15 months your daughter still has plenty of time to develop her language skills. We did speech therapy at the local elementary school for 30 minutes, two days a week. Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties offer this; I'm not sure about the others. I think they also have therapists that go to preschools and day cares, but we didn't need that. It takes up to 6 months for testing and enrollment, so it wouldn't hurt to start looking now. Some insurance companies will actually pay to have a speech therapist come to your home.
I'm not sure if the bottle and binky are related to her speech, but she is definitely old enough to give up both. I've tried to have mine off by 14 months, but honestly I'm not sure if I'm going to make that with my fifth child (now 10 months); he loves his so much. Since your daughter isn't taking to the cup very well, I'd wean her gradually. If she's taking 4 bottles a day now, for example, go to 3 bottles and one cup for a week and then reduce it further and further. Sometimes this works; sometimes you just have to go cold turkey. Also, limit the amount of time each day she has her pacifier (like only at bedtime, only in the crib, etc.) and work on that gradually as well. I'm not for letting little ones cry it out, so I prefer the gradual method, but the most important thing is for the parent to be consistent. Good luck.

hey i am in the same boat as you. i have a 21month old boy who loves his binky! i have now taken it away during the day and only for naps and bestime. when i get him out the crib in the morning, I throw the binky back in the crib from out of his mouth and i say "bye bye binky" and my son has now started to understand it. i have tried almost every cup like you and i had to be hard on him. it broke my heart but I wouldn't give in on the bottle and if he didn't drink out the sippy cup then he didn't get anything else. i know it sound horrible but he soon realized after about a day that this was his way of drinking now. i do still have to give him a bottle at night but that is it! i am trying now to just feed him dinner with a cup and bath then bed, no bottle or anything. it seems to be going o.k. it works sometimes then sometimes not. i am a firm believer that whatever works for you may not work for the other. but give it a try. good luck! Oh and by the way, don't freak out on the speech thing. my son still only says about 5 words and my oldest was like this and now he won't even shut up to save his life! lol don't get yourself upset b/c one say your baby will surprise you!

My son had major ear infections from 6 weeks on until about 2 years old. He had tubes put in at 13 months and had to have them removed just after he turned 2. They are supposed to fall out on their own, but they never did and bacteria and fluid became lodged behind them. Once they were removed the ear infections were gone. My son is now 4 and he has been fine since, as far as infections go. Because of the infections and the fluid the ENT (I strongly suggest seeing an ENT over the pediatrician for this)the doctor said my son could have minor hearing damage. After the tubes were put in I saw a dramatic change. He was more alert to sounds and noises. He was also behind in his speak from lack of hearing. The ENT should preform a hearing test to determine whether or not the speeach delay is caused by hearing damage. My son is ok and is currently in speech therapy at his daycare twice a week. He loves to talk now, but has some problems with pronunciation ( I always assumed it was baby talk). I believe he says the words as he heard them for so long.. . He will continue with his speech therapy through preschool and everybody feels confident that he will be up to speed by kindergarden. My advise would be to find a good ENT. My pediatrician kept treating the individual ear infections and not the bigger problem. My sons ears! All of the anitibotics my son has become immune to, so I wish I would have insisted on an ENT earlier.

hey girl! for the ear infections, take her to your chiropractor!! believe it or not they can help. apparently some babies ears don't tilt the way they're supposed to fast enough causing excess fluid build up. my first child had this problem and my chiro said "you shoulda brought him to me" so my girlfriend's daughter had the problem and she took her to the chiro and fixed her right up!!
Also, just completely take the bottle away and deal with a day or two of crying. If you're using formula too, use vanilla soy milk. my daughter still loves her soy milk in her sippys even tho we only give her milk once or twice a day and water and juice the rest of the day!!
My daughter still uses her binky to go to sleep with, and THAT'S IT. When she loses it, it's gone... hehe
Good luck momma!!

Hi Cheryl,

It may be that she is not hearing as well with the fluid in her ears. My daughter had chronic ear infections and could not clear the fluid. After 3 months of continuous antibiotics, we went to an ENT, he recommended tubes for her ears. We were nervous but a few of my friends had children with the tubes and they all said great results quickly. My daughter was talking well but she was not letting go to walk on her own. She was 16 months old when the tubes were put in and literally that same day, she let go and started walking. I do believe the fluid was effecting her balance. The bottle may also contribute to the fluid and I did wean my daughter at about 12 months from the bottle. I would try to get rid of the bottle but let her keep her pacifier, too many things at once to give up :-) My daughter just turned 6 and her ears are doing fine, she did end up getting a second set of tubes about a year after the first set but due to our experience, I feel like they helped her alot. In most cases, they come out on their own. Hang in there, it is most likely that there is no speech delay. Hope this helps. I am a happily married, working mom of a 6 yr old daughter and 3 year old son. M. in Marietta.

Cheryl,

I have not gone through this with my child but my sister is going through it with her little girl. She is almost 2 and doesn't hardly speak at all. She also had her tonsils and adnoids removed and tubes put in her ears about 4 months ago. We thought that would fix the problem but even after all of that she still doesn't say much. In fact my sister has started using sign language so they can communicate. She understands everything you say to her she just can't say it herself. It is a delayed progression and she should be fine eventually but she is in speech therapy. That may be something you can check into.
Say a prayer and know that she will be ok!!

K.

Cheryl,

I am an RN. If you can't get your child off the bottle completely, at least don't let her lay down with her bottle or binky. Sucking while laying can cause fluid to build up in her ears and cause infections. This can, if untreated lead to permanet hearing loss. The best solution is to wean her from both as soon as possible!

Hi Cheryl. My sister went through a very similar situation. To stop the binky/bottle use, her ped. told her to clip the ends off of the nipples. Sure enough, my nephew didn't want thebottle or the binky anymore after about a day. (You have to watch, though, since they can chew off little pieces easier after the tips are clipped.) We (my sister, me, my friends) use the born free cups. (You can get them at Babies R Us or Whole Foods.)They are made without harmful additives in the plastic, and they have a valve that prevents sucking too hard, which can cause problems in the ears. (They are not super spill proof, though.) After tubes in his ears and switching cups my nephew is fine - a regular chatterbox, in fact. He immediately began speaking much more clearly, and he hasn't had an ear infection since. I hope this helps.

We went through this with my daughter. We put her on antibiotics for a while but the fluid didnt' clear up. So, we did the tubes and had her adenoids taken out to help with speech. It made an incredible difference! I had no idea her hearing was so bad and her adenoids were enlarged and made it difficult for her to speak. She had the surgery in the morning and she was back to her old self by the afternoon. Even her attitude was better--that fluid must really bother them.
I did't ween her off the bottle until she was 2 and it was a big mistake!!! It's hard to take the bottle away, but it really is in the best interest of the child. She ended up with bad teeth and then we had to go through all of dental issues. I weened my son early and he hasn't had any ear problems or dental problems and it really wasn't that hard.
Sometimes it is hard to watch our kids cry over a bottle or binkie and we think we'll just let it go but it really is better for their overall health to ween early. Good luck--you'll lose about a week of sleep during the weening process but it will be worth it. Your little girl might be easier to ween once the fluid in her ears is gone, too.

Hi Cheryl,
I had an experience very similar to yours with my son when he was 2. I know that taking my son off his paci and bottle actually did help. But what we did to keep from having the tubes was this: (and always run things by your pediatrician...we did, and she was fine with it). We applied drops that were equal parts rubbing alcohol and distilled white vinegar into his ears about three times each day, and we gave him Dimetapp (ask your ped) every night at bedtime. The pediatrician told us that we could do this, but it would not help. We took our son back every 2-3 days, and had her check his ears (he was scheduled for tubes 2 weeks from the day we started this). Every visit, she said there was no change, but 2 days before his tubes were supposed to go in, she looked again and her eyes got big...I asked her if it was getting better, and she said that all the fluid was gone. She sent us back to the ENT, and he said that there it would be wrong for him to put tubes in those ears. He retested my son's hearing, and he was back to normal. The little bugger started learning about 8 words every day! (Of course he was older than your daughter is, so she probably wouldn't learn that many words that rapidly).

For the paci, I just cut the tip off of it and gave it to him. He looked at it, made a protesting sound, and handed it back to me. I said, "Oh, it's broken, I'm sorry!" and gave it back to him. He whimpered a bit, but took it anyway. I cut a little bit more off every day until he finally threw it down in disgust and stomped off to pout. He only asked for it for a couple of days. The bottle was a little easier than I thought it would be. I would only put water in it, which he didn't want as much as the milk or juice. At bedtime I started putting less and less water in it until I finally gave it to him empty and told him I was sorry, but that was all I could give him. During the day, I let him have smoothies and such in a regular cup with a straw. I had to sit right with him so he wouldn't make a mess, but it got fluids into him and made him accustomed to drinking from something other than a bottle. I started thinning out the smoothies more and more until he was just drinking milk or juice. When he was a little older (by which time we had 4 children) we decided to cut juice out of our house because of all the sugar (even if it's natural, it's still more than some sodas have). I just watered it down more and more until they just would rather have ice water!

Sorry so long, but hope this helps!

I was having major problems with my son's binky use; well actually it was more along the lines of a binky addiction!! My friend absolutely raved about the cut method, and all of the psychology behind it. She found it on www.bye-bye-binky.com , which is great that it was also free. We went with it and OMGosh... worked so beautifully for my son with NO tantrums, not even one! Thank you God. Five days later he did not want anything to do with his binky. What a relief it was to all of us to finally be done with those darn binkies. Highly recommended! I am also interested in others experiences.... B.

Well, if your daughter is diagnosed with fluid in her ears I would get that checked out. I think it's good that you are going to a specialist for a second opinion before you "do" anything. To be honest, I've never had the fluid in ears problem but I suspected that my 21-month old was speech-delayed at that age. She was also only saying about two words. The pediatrician told me that all kids have their own timetable and she would pick up as she aged. In fact, there was a point at which she seemed to regress speech-wise. But now she is saying two-word sentences and is right where she needs to be. True, most people outside the family don't understand everything she is saying but she is making herself clear to me and her siblings. I took a class in language for young children as part of the course requirements for keeping my teaching certificate current. A link you might want to check out:

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/language_...

I never gave my kids bottles or pacifiers, they all completely rejected the binkys from the start and were breastfed so transitioning to a sippy was easy. However, my sister's kids all had the binky and I thought her way of transitioning was pretty good and worked. When they were old enough to understand, there was a rule that said that the binky was only to be used in a certain chair or in bed. So of course they struggled with the desire to go play and the desire for the binky, and of course play won out so they gradually got used to not using the binky.

I think what I am missing here is why he wants you to give up the binky? Because of speech delays? My sister's boys all had speech problems (not delays but pathology) from using the sippy cup too long, believe it or not, not from bottle feeding or the binky. I think prolonged use of the sippy cup can be more damaging than bottle feeding or pacis. If you are really oncerned about what effect this is going to have on her speech, I would consult a speech pathologist. Pediatricians can't be completely knowledgeable about everything, all they can do for things like this is give you a heads up. Truthfully, I am immediately suspicious of any doctor that says your child "must" be doing this or that because of what it says on some chart. None of my kids fit the charts and they are all perfectly healthy. I would immediately want to consult with someone else on all of these issues. Maybe it's time to get another ped? Doctor's orders aren't always set in stone or even correct. If you suspect what he is saying then by all means go elsewhere.

Hi Cheryl.

I am sorry to hear about your daughter and her ears. My daughter had tubes put in her ears at 20 months old. It made a huge difference. It was as if she had been hearing 'under water' and all of a sudden, she could hear clearly. We see Brian Hermann. He did ALlie's tubes at the outpt center at Scottish Rite (Meridien Mark surgery center). THey put her out and hte procedure was done in 5 minutes. Allie woke up, we went home and it was like nothing ever happened. It was the best decision that we made.

good luck!

Have you tried the Avent or Playtex sippy cups? Playtex are the only ones my son would use at first. Just a thought, in case you hadn't tried those. We cut out all of the daytime bottles first (at 12 months) and still gave him a bottle before bed. We replaced the bedtime bottle with a sippy cup after a month or so. He didn't like it at first, but then he gave in and started drinking more from the cups. We didn't really have a hard time with it. He didn't cry for the bottle, he just didn't drink enough from the cup at first.

We haven't used a pacifier since 6 months. My son started spitting it out and so we put them all away and took advantage of that. I know from other moms that the longer you wait to get rid of the pacifier, the harder it is. It will start to interfere with speech soon if she is using it all the time. I'm glad my son made that decision and we didn't have to take it away. Made it much easier for us.

I think bottles and pacifiers are associated with ear problems. I guess the sucking puts pressure on the ears and it's worse when they're laying down. That's probably whey the ped wants you to get rid of them.

Good luck.

I had a similar situation when my daughter was younger. You will probably have to take her off the bottle completely and offer her nothing but the sippie cup. After a while she will get thirsty and nature will take it course.....she will drink from either the sippie cup or a regular cup with a straw. As a matter of fact.....try a sippie cup with the straw attached. As far as the binkie....I cannot comment because I did not allow my daughter to have one. I was told that they caused ear infections due to the constant sucking.

Good Luck and Kiss the baby!

P.S. The baby will cry and have a fit but if you stay strong (you will cry too) and don't give her the bottle she will do it. THROW ALL BOTTLES OUT SO THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE AN OPTION!

I've never had to go through the speech problem with my children but as far as the bottle and paci I think she is WAYYY to old for the bottle.I took the bottle from both of mine the day of their first birthdays,threw it in the trash,bought a sippy and they adjusted with no hassle.I know every child is different but the bottle is just gonna mess up her teeth and once they realize that the sippy is the new bottle they get right over it.For the paci, my doctor always told me,even when my son was 3 with it to let him have it until he's ready to throw it away.Your daughter still has plenty of time to have her paci..in fact it HELPS the teeth.So ditch the bottle in the trash and be thankful you don't have to worry about ditching the paci yet.

Hi Cheryl,

Yes, my daughter had hearing issues and ear infections. And your daughter will, of course, be speech delayed if she can't hear, but it is EASILY remedied. Getting her off the bottle is your decision and if she is drinking in an upright position and is not laying down immediately after, it shouldn't have anything to do with her ears. And her blanket????

An upper cervical chiropractor can alleviate the ear issues. Mine did and I have seen wonderful results from it with several other people. I took my second daughter to the chiropractor as soon as we got home from the hospital. My first daughter was not so fortunate because I relied on the opinions of others and thought that chiropractors were "whacks." Chiropractors look at the body as a whole, not like a machine where every part is separate and doesn't have anything to do with the other parts.

Honestly, your doctor sounds like he wants it his way so it's easier for him. I don't mean to insult him, but you're her Mom and God gave her to you, not him.

Please don't stress. Take one step at a time and she'll be fine!

God bless!

M.

cheryl for the bottle you may have to go cold turkey. my son had a lot of eAr infections he had to get tubes.he is 7 now and doing great no more ear problems. oh yea my name is K. mom of a 7year old boy.also i own an in home daycare.

Hi Cheryl,
I unfortunately don't have any advice to give you about the ENT except you may ask for a second opinion. I know from witnessing my friend's experiences that just the slightest bit of a problem hearing or seeing can affect a child's learning and speaking abilities. My daughter was slow compared to my son's speech and she did get allot of ear aches from not her bottle but a sippy cup that had a mouth piece similar to a bottle. When both my kids turned one, I threw away all the bottles!!! It was the only way I would stick to the new plan! The sippy cup was from Nuby. It's a good transition sippy cup due to the likeness of a bottle. Of course maybe you can just try those cups with a straw in it. When my daughter stopped using that particular sippy cup, her fluid build up went away. I would try the removal of the bottle and "binky" (pacifier?) before doing anything drastic if you can.
To get her to remove the binky from her life, I would recommend the method the "Super Nanny" uses. I love watching that show!! She would explain that there are these little babies that are in the hospital that are in need of binkys and the binky fairy wants to know if she would give her binky to them. Create a special envelope/box for her to put the binkys in and pretend to send them off by putting them in the mailbox. And then make sure to put a surprise in the mailbox for her showing that the fairy did come by and left a thank you gift. I think it's sweet and it works for both girls and boys on the show.
Just in case you haven't used that Nuby sippy cup... The top is soft plastic like a nipple of a bottle. It's not hard at all on top like a traditional sippy cup. It won't hurt them if they drink less. When they're thirsty, they'll ask for something. My daughter did drink milk in her sippy cups but when I took her off them, she stopped. She gets most of her milk when she eats cereal. She like drinking it from a bowl. Good Luck.

I think the bottle and pacifier advice others have offered are good. I would like to address the ear infections and speech. I have been through the tubes and andoids surgery with one of my children. I think that it is wise to see a speech therapist to make sure she is on track, you would hate for her to have problems later. I also think that regarding the ear infection/chronic fluid that you need to determine the underlying cause of the fluid. I am now moving in a more natural direction with my children and we are seeing a doctor called a natropath. Natropaths evaluate each person individually and using natural supplements and dietary changes can improve ones health. For example, that fluid could be caused by a different kind of food allergy that doesn't have a dramatic reaction but may show itself in a day or two. By removing foods that your body is sensitive to from your diet you can improve your overall health. Children and adults with issues like your daughters, skin problems, ADD, ADHD and more can be helped in a natural way. It is a different approach but may avoid surgery. I would google Natropath. I found one nearby that answered questions via email before I made an appointment. Good Luck!

Hi Cheryl,

I know this seems tough but you will both get through it. My now 3 yr old daughter was also late to break from the bottle. I had to just throw them out finally and eventually she did take to the sippy cup. Try ones with straws. They like to see the drink come up through the straw. It took my little girl about 4 months to REALLY start drinking from the cup. As long as she is drinking something and still urinating don't worry. Hope this helps.

V. H.

Hey there-
My Dr. told us cold turkey the bottle and passy with my son at one year (he just turned 2 in Feb.) I couldn't bare to do it...it seemed a little harsh! Dr. said he would eventually drink from the sippy - NO HE DID NOT! The child would have thirsted to death! Don't know if he's just particularly strong-willed or what. Strange thing is - he gave the bottle up on his own @ 18 months. I was shocked - he LOVED his "ba ba". He lost interest in it - started trying to bite through the nipple and just wouldn't drink from it like he used to. At that point, I tried sippy and it worked! He happily drinks milk, water, and juice from sippy all day long. He does prefer a soft spout sippy for his milk - I know, picky little thing! The Nuby sippy with a soft tip works best for us (they are cheap too - go to WalMart). As far as passy - he still has it, and believe me, I have heard it from everyone! He only has it at night. He is sort of losing some interest in that as well. I think we'll tackle getting rid of it this summer. I haven't dealt with the delayed speech, but have a friend who went through it. She stressed and stressed and now has a perfectly normal, very talkative 5 year old.

I had to fight my peds in florida for a referral since my insurance required on to go to an ENT be happy for this that you are going to one. Finally at 18months old my son got ear tubes this is what my ENT told me he was speech delayed it doesn't mean anythig bad they can't hear so they can't talk. My son could only day 2 words also. Ask you ENT for a referral writen on a scrip pad for speech therapy eval. then find out what your insurance covers for speech therapy get and eval by one on your insurance and go from there for that. As far as drinking from a bottle here's the thing when your child gets the tubes you can't have them the day of surgery sucking on a bottle and these doctors seem to think that sucking on a bottle helps leave fluid in the ears I personally think it is an opinion and I don't get worked up over it my son still sucked from bottle until he was about 24 months and was fine. The is now 7 yrs old he had 3 yrs speech therapy he attended a school public at 3 yrs old for pre schoolers special ed it ws the best thing that every happened to him. he was in that until kindergarten then off to a regular class with still speech therapy that yr. after that he needed no more speech therapy he is in first grade he's head of his class he's on honor roll every quarter grading period he can tell you if you are pronouncing a wording incorrectly, he can also read and pronounce words wonderfully. He's doing great yes it was a bit of a long road, no don't hurry them help them, learn NOW right NOW to sign it will help them communicate before they learn words and saying them the correct way. NO it doesn't mean anything negative and she will be able to communicate sooner to you but as you sign you must say the word and yes this is even after tubes and yes they do this in the special classes for developmental delay. She will do just fine..you'll see..and you are her advocate get her everything she needs she's like a flower you want her to grow so she'll need your love, sun, food, speech, stimulation of all 5 sense. My best wishes to you.

Cheryl,

Please do not be too alarmed. My oldest child, now 13, was diagnosed at 18 mos with chronic fluid build up. The pediatrician wanted to medicate her with antibiotics for 6 weeks to "keep the fluid sterile". At the end of the six weeks, if she developed an ear infection, he would place tubes in her ears. Fortunately, I had just finished reading the book "Beyond Antibiotics" and had discovered that fluid retention and build up in children's ears is due to a vitamin A deficiency. Since vitamin A can be toxic, a supplement was not the answer. I immediately bougtt an inexpensive juicer and a lot of carrots and began giving her carrot juice three times a day. She loved it since the juice is very sweet. It can also be mixed with other juices as well. The beta carotene in the carrots can be used by the body to convert to vitamin A as the need arises. I followed up every month with the PA at Dr. Zoller's office in Savannah, and had him monitor her hearing so I could be assured that she was not losing her hearing. In three months, the fluid was completely gone without antibiotics and to this day, she has had 2 ear infections in 13 years. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me. I will be glad to talk with you about this. If you can find a copy of the book I mentioned, I think you would find it helpful.

I hope that this has helped.

Kids are tough. If you take the binky and the bottle at the same time she will be fine. She will most likely handle it better than you. It will be awful for the first day. Bad the second, then you are good to go. Once the ENT gets that fluid off she is going to talk your head off.

Hi Cheryl,
I may be just an old grandma but I have to say leave the child's binky alone. 15 months is not a big deal unless she is keeping it in her mouth constantly. I never took a bottle or a binky away from a child and believe it or not they just gave it up on their own. Same with potty training and mine were potty trained with no trauma or tears by 2 (boys take longer than girls for some reason).

My sister was rabid about taking away bottles and binkies and both her children sucked their thumbs, one to the tune of $4000.00 worth of orthedonture work. Binkies are a lot easier to break than thumbs. You could just try taking it from her except at nap and bed time.

As for the sippy cups, she'll drink when she's thirsty, babies aren't dumb. I remember being a young mother and asking my dr (who delivered me) about my first daughter's spell of not eating as often as I thought she should. He told me to leave that baby alone, that baby didn't get hungry just because I was hungry... lol. And he not only delivered and cared for every child on our small island for over 50 years, he had 10 kids of his own.

I also have chronic fluid in my ears, a condition caused by not having my tonsils out before I was 19. I'm sure the ENT will want to put tubes in her ears which isn't a big deal, they've done that to me and 2 of my grandchildren (I have 10 btw). It's painless and helps a lot.

I think trusting your instincts as a mama and using plain old common sense is a lot more dependable than many of the new "theories" and "ideas" that are preached daily. Look at all the "Dr. Spock" stuff that has turned out to just not be true. And huge numbers of women in my generation jumped on that bandwagon. Modern medicine is wonderful and I'm glad we have resources that weren't available back when mine were young... however nothing beats good old common sense.

So hang in there and try not to get too stressed. Babies are pretty resilient. You really need to save most of your angst for when she's a teenager... THAT'S when you're going to REALLY need it! LOL

Blessings,
Kate

Hi,
I am a mother of 7, grandmother of 14, great grandmother of 13. Don't get uptight about what the doctor says. That's the first thing, ok.
Now the best thing to do about the bottle and binkie is remove them. Don't let her see them, don't mention them. In her mind, she has to forget them. Let her know they are what babies have. Always have the sip cup on hand, but not to take to bed.
This is a BIG step for her and she can do it, but you have be strong and not give in to her demands. She will want them back, maybe throw a tantrum, whatever.
That is why YOU have to be the strong one. I don't mean sound harsh, but it is up to you how easy this is will be for her. Hope this helps.

M.

Hi Cheryl. I experienced delayed speaking with our middle child. She barely said anything until she was a year old. After that, she spoke whenever she needed to communicate, but as a very independent and quiet child she just liked being in her own little world. She read early, passed all tests magnificently, was the life of the playground and is now a very talkative teenager. She started off w/fluid in the ears, but after seeing the ENT and having her ears irrigated it got much better. Now, unless your baby suffers from sleep apnea and airway obstruction which causes her to stop breathing 10 - 50 times a night - the fluid really isn't life threatening or cause for alarm. For those two ailments, we had the tonsils and adenoids removed. It worked swell and she suffered no ill effects from it. As far as the bottle goes, for some reason doctors are now trying to bully parents into taking bottles away before 12 months of age. It has more to do with the sugar and juices which settle on the teeth (and result in 3 hours-so our nurses one of which is my niece-of those substances working to invade those little teeth) than anything. Your little one should be drinking less and eating more, in my nearly 20 years of mommy experience. Fruit, wheat crackers, yogurt, some cheerios in a bag to carry in the car, soybean patties chopped up on her plate w/softer carrots that she can feed to herself (if you're a vegetarian) will be her new best foodtime friends. Our youngest refused his sippy cup until mealtime after he started feeding corn, fresh cooked brocolli, apple slices and apple sauce to himself. And lastly, the soothing benefits of the binky cannot be ignored! No one on this planet can tell mommy & daddy when a binky has to be removed; Besides, we were told by nurses and the ENT that the chewing motion helps clear the ears. Hence, the importance of giving our children gum to chew as the plane would take off to relieve the ear popping. Trust your instincts, you are right on target. With the absence of the bottle and the introduction of the new, brightly-colored fun finger foods, your sweet baby will be happy as a clam with her new-found diet. Enjoy those baby days, and be blessed. A

My son was breastfed and never had bottles. He hated sippy cups so at around 1 year I started giving him drinks in a regular cup or one of the sippy cups with two handles just without the top. Of course they can't carry it around with them everywhere but that't not really a good habit to get into anyway.

when my children were small, we had lots of chronic ear problems - turned out they were allergic to milk! when i took the milk away, there were very few earaches or ear problems. my five year old son brought a note home from his kindergarten teacher that he didn't appear to be able to hear her. we went to the dr - had a 75% hearing loss - due to ear fluids - got off the milk, cleared up the ears - he graduated high school with honors -- maybe your child is speech delayed because she can't hear well?? not that hard to diagnose and get fixed!!

Cheryl,
If your child has had some chronic ear infections, she may not hear well. One of my children needed to have 3 sets of tubes in his ears. He had constant ear infections. Another pulled out her hair and once again the result was chronic ear infections. I would visit an ENT and check that out. She won't talk well if she isn't hearing well.
Secondly, I don't care what your doctor said, don't remove both the bottle and the binky at once. That doctor isn't living with the child, you are! Start by just
putting water in the bottle so it is more boring than juice.
Then, only offer the bottle once or twice a day, and slowly
do away with it. After a while, try offering the binky only
before bed and slowly do away with that six months from the
bottle success. Don't do both at the same time and get her
hearing checked out. I'm the Mom of five kids and have been through these problems a time or two. A.

Doctors orders are to take away her pacifier and bottle. It will be hard on you and her, but if you want her ears and speech to get better, you have to do it. When she gets thirsty, she will drink. At this age they can be stubborn, but it is for her own good.

Buy some ear plugs for yourself and give her plenty of hugs and attention when you are not focused on the bottle and pacifier.

I have a son that turned 2 in September and he didn't talk till about 2 months ago. He didn't even say momma till a month after he turned 2 and now he talks in complete sentences. If she has fluid in her ears it can delay her speak but once you get the fluid out she should be okay. As for the bottle... my suggestion is just take it away and offer her the cup. Chances are if she doesn't have the bottle to drink from she will end up taking the cup because she is thirsty. It is hard to do that to your child but in the long run it is better. I had the same problem with my daughter but after not having the bottle she started drinking from the cup. We got her the cups with the straw in them. As for the binky I think you should do one thing at a time. The bottle is more important to get rid of right now. Babies can get baby bottle rot teeth from using a bottle for to long. My step daughter has had to have 9 of her teeth pulled and she is 8 from baby bottle rot. Just do your best and don't worry even if she has to have speach therapy its really not that bad and most of the time they end up with there speach more advanced for their age because of it. My oldest daughter has a hearing loss and uses a hearing aid and at the age of 4 and a half she had the speach of a 2 and a half year old but not she is 13 and doesn't stop talking and is very intellegent. Good luck to you and just take one thing and one day at a time.

I have not gone through the fluid in the ear problem, but I have gone through the bottle and binky thing. I have been pretty lucky that 3 of my 4 have gone to the sippy cup fairly easily. My 12 yr. old didn't want to give up her bottle because I was going through a divorce. I did what you said about putting all of her bottles away so she couldn't see them. When your little girl gets thirsty enough, she will take the cup, you just have to be patient, although I know that is hard at times. I am going through the binky thing right now with my 22 month old son. I have weaned him down to just when he is going to bed for a nap or for the night. Most of the time he is ok with it. Try telling your daughter that she is a big girl, and that she only needs the binky when she is going "night-night". That is what I have been trying. She will resist at first, but she will get there. And personally, I think a binky is ok until they are about 2, so use your mother's instinct. Your doctor is giving you advice, but you are the mother, trust that you know what is best for your daughter.

Good Luck,
D. T.

My son is 17 months old. He had chronic ear infections and we got ear tubes a few Pediatric ENT of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

My son has been slow to pick up "words". He understands me, loves to babble and use sounds for speech but never really said a lot of words. Our doctor thought it might be due to hearing but the ENT checked his hearing and he was fine. He probably had 3 words at 15 months. Now at 17 months he has 10 words and seems to get a new one every day. Everyone told me that right before 18 months they just start talking away and that seems to be the case with my son. Maybe you should get a second opinion or ask the ENT about it.

As for the bottle cold turkey workded for us. My husband was not for it but I just took all the bottles away and sippy cups were it. There are some that say it is easier to drink out of a bottle so maybe take the valve out of the sippy (while messy would make it easier to drink). Maybe the fluid in the ears has something to do with not liking sippys. If the baby has to suck harder it might hurt the ears with all the fluid.

We still have the passy but only for night time. Our doctor said it was fine until 18 months. (see it really is a art and not a science....everyone and every doctor has their own opinions!)

The ENT is a great idea. My grandson was not talking much at 2, although he is quite bright. The similar problems with both his ears kept him from hearing words spoken to him, and then he was not able to repeat the words back. No speech!
He had his tonsils and adenoids out, along with placement of tubes in his ears, and now never stops talking. It was a lot harder on his parents than it was on him--he sprang right back from the surgery. S. B.

Cheryl, I am sorry to hear about your daughters ears. Yes I have heard that if children are not hearing properly this could delay their speech. So hopefully once her ears are healed she will be OK and begin to speak more.

In regard to the bottles. Its best just to get rid of them. Do not give in and give it to her. Eventually children forget. I took my daughter off her bottle at about 12 months. She cried a little at first but soon forgot. I hope this is helpdful.

I think your child is perfectly normal on at least 2 of the the 3 counts - the speech development and bottle.
(see Google Answers: Toddler and baby bottles
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=160294)
I don't have an opinion on the pacifier issue, (I avoided them from the beginning with my 2) but I've seen plenty of children older than her with pacifiers and no one seemed to think it was a big deal. (Personally, I'd look for a pediatrician that's not so rigid. Sounds like he's getting you all worked up over nothing.) Obviously, follow up on the ear infections, but I wouldn't sweat the other stuff.

He actually said "Speech delayed"? Didn't he ask about whether she was using gestures (like pointing or waving), imitating sounds, or using more sophisticated babbling sounds that sound more like words than they did 6 months ago? Those were the types of questions my pediatrician was asking at 15 months.

And chronic ear infections can affect the hearing, so once she gets past that, her hearing may improve. But even if her hearing is perfect, I don't think you have any reason to be worried at all. I have about 4 friends with kids ranging from 24 months to 16 months, and none of our kids are talking much at all - about the same as your girl, but none of us have pediatricians that are raising concerns yet.

My 2nd son spoke a couple of words around his first birthday, then got so excited about walking and exploring that he pretty much stopped talking. But (now 18 months) he imitates sounds like the siren of a toy fire truck, or when we make fuuny sounds reading "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" He is still a man of few words ( "uh-oh" "uh-uh" "no" and "eat!" - and recently "ball"). But he understands plenty, and he is very capable of communicating with gestures, and just watching him I can tell he's thinking through problems, coming up with solutions (usually how to get up to the level of the kitchen counter to turn on the water or how to get to food.) His pediatrician isn't concerned, and I'm not either (although after reading your question, I *did* do a quick search on developmental milestones for speech.)

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/not_ta...

According to the kids heath website (above), your girl sounds like she's completely in the normal range. (There's a big difference between what's "typical" and what's "normal", each kid is different. And Albert Einstein didn't talk until he was 3 -it isn't just a myth.)

And what's the big deal with the bottle? All I've heard is that you shouldn't put juice in them or let them fall asleep with a bottle because you ought to brush their teeth before sleep. I offer my 18 month old a bottle of warm milk before naps and bedtime, because he'll suck it down all at once, rather than taking a sip or two here and there like he does with a regular cup. I just don't want him to wake up hungry in the middle of the night, and tanking up on 4 oz of milk before toothbrushing and bed usually helps. Although, he's pushing this away more often these days.

And it's not like I'm the only freak in the world with a toddler who enjoys a bottle a couple of times a day. Plenty of pediatrians (including Penelope Leache) have no problem with it at all. I hope the following will reassure you:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=160294

Cheryl,
We did go through this, sort of. My oldest was referred to Ent around 16 months because of chronic fluid and ear infections. Affecting his hearing as well. We had tubes put in at 17 months. We labored over that decision, heard stories on both sides. After the 10 minute procedure, I couldn't believe we labored so hard on the decision. It worked and worked well. He did have a couple ear infections after that but was easy to diagnose and treat. At 4 we had to have another set put in, because of same thing and his hearing had been greatly lessened then because of fluid, it was obvious. oh, btw, he used a pacifier until he was 4. Has been fine since then. He did have to have speech therapy, but I am convinced it was because of the pacifier. Get rid of it as soon as possible, we waited entirely too long. Even the shape of his teeth is odd and may need braces. My 2 year old has speech delay , but was referred to speech therapy. He only had about 10 words when he turned 2 and didn't use a pacifier.

I've been through this and in the end we had to get ear tubes for our son. Once the tubes were in, it's amazing how quickly he learned to talk (he had zero words at 22 months and starting talking one month after the tubes were in). And the procedure wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Since moving here, we've been taking our son to Pediatric ENT of Atlanta (www.childrensent.com). I would definitely recommend that practice.

Stopping the bottle and the binky don't do anything, other than perhaps reduce pain in the ears. If there's a chronic problem, see if the antibiotics work, but if like with my son, the infection goes away but the fluid remains, there's not much choice other than to get the tubes. But it has made a world of difference. Good luck!

Hi there! Happy Easter! Both of my children have had tons of ear infection's and both have speech delay. They both have tubes in their ears and have had their tongues clipped. Their tongues were too attached to the bottom of their mouth's. That is one thing that Your ENT doctor should look at and see if that could help. My husband had that problem too. Good Luck!

Hi! I have a 2yr old son and an 11 month old daughter. I had no trouble with the transition to a sippy cup with my son. He took to drinking milk out of the cup immediately, but did not really want to drink water out of the cup. I wanted to limit how much milk he was drinking, that is why I was giving him water. Anyway, we decided to put some lemon juice in his water and that seemed to work. He drank out of his cup from then on. I have a goal of getting my daughter bottle free by 12mo. I have just started the process with her, but have not done the lemon water thing yet. Hopefully, it will work the second time around , too. Good luck! You never know what will work...