I had a lot of issue breast feeding and unfortunately didn't get to very long, so part of our routine before naps and bed every single day has been to turn off the lights and feed her her bottle of milk in my glider while singing to her and then laying her down to sleep. She completely expects this portion of the night and nap now, opening her mouth for the milk the moment we get to her room and it has been our bonding time and time for her to relax before sleep ( she doesn't take a binky any longer).
I was told by our pediatrician we need to stop feeding her bottles and she should have her milk during the day, with meals or whatever. BUT she won't drink milk from a sippy, or even her bottle unless I feed her in the chair, and she completely freaks out ( not just for 5 minutes but for a loooong time) if I don't give it to her before she goes to sleep. Also if she wakes mid nap/or sleep upset or crying, I give her a little more milk and it usually calms her right back down and she goes back to sleep.
How the heck should I try and wean her? I am at a loss on what to do. Any input would be great.
Thanks!
Offer it to her in a cup and tell her she is a big girl now. Then gradually start offering her water.
At day care, both of our kids were weaned from milk bottles during the day at 13 months. All milk was offered at mealtimes sitting in a chair in a sippy cup. The first week was hard, but after that, no problem. However, both kids continued to have a bottle at bedtime until about 18 months or so. And one day, we just switched cold turkey to sippy cups at night. There was about 2 days of fuss, and then no problem. I think now, your daughter associates the milk bottle habit with sleep, so you may need to re-sleep train. Replace the milk with a different routine habit, like a book, rocking, a song, and train her to associate sleep time with that, instead of the bottle. It might take 2 weeks to retrain.
Your doctor isn't in your home every night. You are her parent and you can decide when you stop giving her milk in this way. There is no magic age that children can't drink milk from a bottle. Sucking is a need for a baby, and also the closeness with you. You'll know when the time is right for a change of routine, trust your ability to parent your child. You know best.
My daughter had a bottle of milk before bed at night, and at naptime until she was three. She was never allowed to have the milk in bed with her or to carry around a bottle (or a sippy cup). She is 10 now and has perfect teeth (quote from her dentist).
Well, if she was still nursing, she would still be doing the sucking motion in the inclined, rocking position. So, what's the harm in a bottle like this? So long as she is learning to drink from a sippy, and she isn't going to bed with the bottle (since it can cause tooth rot).. then I would enjoy your night time cuddle/feeding time with her for the next few months. :)
My children never took a bottle, or really a sippy much either. I went from breast, to giving them small sips from cups that I held to their mouths and gently poured. When they became toddlers, that is when I introduced them to a sippy they could use themselves.
As for her freak outs during the day, it will pass, you just have to train her, only give her the milk in the sippy or cup. She will throw a fit for a week or so, but she will get used to it. Dr. Sears has some good advice here:
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/faqs/alter...
Just stop offering it to her. She's going to freak out for a week or so, but then she'll get into the "new routine" and be fine.
When we moved from the bottle to a sippy, our pediatrician suggested offering ONLY water in the bottle so that if he wanted milk he needed to use the sippy. He also suggested just leaving the sippy cup with a little bit of milk "out" all day long so that it was available if he wanted to experiment with it. We also let him have VERY watered-down juice in the sippy ONLY. It took a week or two, but once he was off the bottle he never looked for it again.
The reason he wants you to stop giving her bottles of milk before bed is because having milk sit on her teeth while she sleeps put her at high risk for cavities. Not only that, rocking her to sleep is a really tough routine to maintain as she gets older. Take this as an opportunity to establish a "big girl" bedtime routine... bath, dim lights, reading a couple of books and a cuddle. There are other ways to bond with her!
The first week is going to be rough, but know that once the new routine is establised you'll both be fine.
We threw out our bottles at 1 year old. Lo was upset for a day but then he started drinking from the sippy and cup. I was so worried about how to do it! My sister has 7 children and told me its harder on us then them she was right. So with my experience cold turkey was the best way! Good luck mama!
I'm curious about the nature of the urgency in withholding the bottle. If it's not hurting her, I don't see the big fuss in taking it away.
In my experience, when children are ready they naturally make all the important transitions - weaning from breastfeeding, interest in a sippy cup, interest in big person cup, weaning from paci, sleeping through the night, ect... I don't understand the reason for wielding our power to force these transitions to happen.
Well..it's oblivious who is in charge here.....lol. I am a St. Lic. Family Child Care Provider. I have been caring for little ones for 25 years..still do and love it! (BEST job in the world!!!)
You simply need to take back your roll as "Mother" and remember she is the child...and most importantly YOU are in charge. Pick a week when you know you can follow through. To prep your little gal...make sure she only gets water in the bottle....everything else in a cup. As I said pick a week and on Monday toss the bottles away and no more bottles. SHe will drink when she's thirsty. WHen she wakes up DO NOT GIVE HER MILK. You are reinforcing a bad behaviour. At 14 months she should be feeding herself. You are doing her a disservice by feeding her and catering to her like that. You want to raise a self sufficient, self soothing child...not a dependant, whiny little one. If she wakes and crys.........go in to her room, do not speak, lay her down and pat her back and leave. Let her cry, scream for 20 minutes and go back and do the same thing. Do not speak to her..just lay her down, give her a comforting little rub on her back and leave. DO NOT GO IN for at least another 15 minutes...and keep repeating this until she's asleep. THis may take three to five nites...but when you are done she will sleep through the nite. Just take back your power...as a mother of two girls, both in their late 20's...you will need that power in the teen years!..LOL..HUGS and good luck
If she's not ready to give the bottle up there's no reason to actually do it.
Think about it. Milk is milk is milk. There is no difference if the milk comes through a straw, a sippy cup, by drinking it, or by sucking it out of a bottle. There is no magical transformation that happens to it be it being put in a different container.
Sometimes docs and other people just take too much on themselves to say a mom is doing something wrong when in truth if you just think about it there is no sense to it whatsoever.
Milk rot comes when a child is allowed to carry the bottle around all day or sleep all night with it in their mouth. The milk constantly drips on the teeth and the saliva never has a chance to rinse the mouth out. The milk sitting in the mouth surrounding the teeth all night is what makes the enamel erode and the teeth to decay.
If she is only taking this 2 bottles per day she is fine. There is no damage to her teeth or anything else.
This is a special time for both of you. She will eventually decide to not want the bottle anymore. Right now she wants it. There is no reason to stop giving it to her.
My grand kids all gave up wanting the bottle at different times. The one that took it the longest was just over 2 when he brought it to me after his nap one day and pointed at a tippy cup. He took his drink in it the rest of the time except his nap. He never looked back, no battle, no war, no crying, no issues.
When they're ready they are easy to do.
