2 Year Old and Bottle Issues....

You definitely need to get rid of the bottles and look at the amount of milk he's drinking. He really should only be getting about 16-24 oz of milk per day and it sounds like he's getting alot more than that. Since going cold turkey on the bottles is hard on you, try decreasing the milk in the bottle and also adding water to it. Then it's not as tasty. Give him small amounts of the full strength milk in sippy cups and he'll learn quickly where the good stuff is.

As far as waking in the night, it's something they all do from time to time, even the good sleepers. My son did the same thing and it passes.

Hi J.,
I think you have two separate issues here but I don't think the bottle/milk issue is related to the sleeping one.
But I do have advise for both :)

I think the sleeping issue you are having is probably his molars coming in. My son is 2 1/2 and his came in right around his 2nd b-day and he definitely had some bad nights from them. I'm not sure what is still OK to give toddlers as of these latest recalls, but find either baby motrin or tylenol and give him some of that before bedtime. (Motrin works longer--up to 8 hours, so that would be the preferable one).
When and if he wakes up--don't go in there right away just wait at least 15 min and see if he can get himself back to sleep. If he works himself up more, and its time for another dose, then go in there, calm him down so he can take some meds, then put him back down. If you run in there every time right away he will get used to not just waking up but you coming in there, and the cycle will continue. But of course, you don't want him hurting either--so go in there if you think he needs some pain medication, but try and stay out and let him work it out on his own if he's just waking up and wanting mommy.

Now your bottle issue. He would have to be drinking soooo much milk to have an iron problem, but since you think he is, I would say you definitely have a milk/bottle issue that you need to address as soon as possible. And really it's all up to YOU. He is TWO and probably very strong-willed, you are the parent/adult and need to stay strong with this (and all) of your decisions.
Take that bottle away and don't look back. It will only get harder. Throw them away so you are not temped to give him another. And then stick your ground. This will be the first of many off battle of wills with your toddler and you need to set a precedent now or you will only continue to give into his pleas and it will get worse with everything. Jut because he is screaming for something doesn't mean he needs it or it is even good for him--so stay strong--you can do it!!!
By giving him mixed signals, saying you are doing something and then giving in, you are only teaching him that screaming and whining for something does work...and that is something you don't want to encourage since there is plenty of that from toddlers without the positive reinforcement!
Good luck! I hope you find some sleep soon!

Hi J.! I have an 18 month old daughter and my pediatrician has recommended between 16 - 24 ounces of milk per day so that is probably a good goal to shoot for in order to get him to eat more. You will probably get different opinions on your 2 year old still using a bottle and while it is true that all kids do give up the bottle eventually, it can be damaging to their teeth if they use a bottle for too long. So I am of the opinion that it is best to get rid of the bottle as soon as possible. My daugther drank well out of a cup by 11 months and I just quit giving her a bottle one day and life went on. It wasn't a difficult transition but I think it may have been because she was young and wasn't yet to the stage of whining/crying for hours to get her way. With that said, if you can stand it - I have found that the "cold turkey" approach seems to work the quickest. If you just can't take that then possibly watering down the milk will work or work on getting rid of one bottle at a time. Like keep the morning and evening bottle and elminate the day time bottles at first. Then once that is ok - start eliminating the morning bottle and so on. Or only give water in a bottle and milk/juice only in a cup. Expect crying and tantrums. I don't think that you can take a beloved bottle away from a 2 year old and not have any crying. You just have to be strong and realize that you are doing this for his benefit. He is not old enough to make good decisions for himself and though he may not understand and thus protest (cry), you as the parent have to make the good decisions for him. If you stick it out - I think he will be "over" it fairly quickly. I am giving you this advice because it sounds like you want him off of the bottle. Other parents allow their children to have bottles as long as the child would like and if the parent doesn't care then that is their decision and I wouldn't criticize that - although it wouldn't be something I would do.

As far as the night waking, I do think it is normal for even good sleepers to have "off" nights or even weeks. But you do want to make sure that it doesn't just become a habit. He may really miss you at night but maybe tell him that you are tired and need your rest too and that he should only call for you if he really needs you for something. Then follow through with that and if you find that he is calling for you for no reason then wait a little longer each time before you go in to him. It does sound like it may be his molars though if he has been drooling and has been a good sleeper up until this point.

Good luck!!

your pediatrician can give him an iron test so if he has enough, if he does not you can give him supplements and cut back on milk.
have another bottle party and don't give in. just because he is crying does not mean you aren't doing what is best for him. there are many other reasons besides iron deficiency that a two year should not be drinking out of a bottle. do your research and make a decision.
remember, two year olds are stubborn and will cry over change. you must be strong and do what is best for them and take the advice of your trusted pediatrician.

I just wanted to point out that if you getting close to potty training, you might want to consider not getting in the habit of giving a bottle or cup of milk at night. Better not to start a habit which will be hard to break in the future. Good luck!

We got our daughter off the bottle habit by letting her "help" us pick out her big girl sippy cups. She likes that she gets to drink her milk out of her special cup, and that really helped us lose the bottle. When we weaned her from the night bottle, we started giving her a choice of a regular bottle with water, or her sippy with milk - she usually chose the sippy. Once she got used to that, we just stopped offering the bottle.

To get her to like drinking her milk from her cup, her pediatrician suggested I mix a packet of Carnation instant breakfast with a cup of milk and only gave her a little at a time. I used the vanilla flavor, which she loves, and that helped make the transition easier, and made sure she was getting some of vitamins & minerals she needed. Be sure to check with your pediatrician about that first.

call your dr or health dept. Could be something wrong with digestion track. Iron causes constipation too little causes animea (sp) Milk or surgary driks at night from a bottle can ruin teeth, because it sits on the lower teeth when sleeping

Most peds will tell you that 16 oz of milk a day is plenty. I know from lots of experiance if you keep it at 16 oz the appetite picks right up. I too give my daughter one cup in the morning, then one just before bed each night.

The sleep thing will pass. Lots of kids go through it. Could be teething, could be nothing at all. Just keep comforting and before you know it, you will get a full night again.

Best way to keep from going back to the bottle, get rid of them. With my older girls we had them throw the bottles in the trash, then we took the bag to the can and said bye bye. With my youngest, we packed them up in a box and went to the post office to mail them to my soon expected grandson. When the crying begins, just remind him of whatever you did with the bottles, and offer the cup. Usually less than 24 hours of misery. (My oldest grandaughter was a bit stubborn and held out for about 36 hours before she just gave up! LOL)

Hey J.,
i had the same problem w/my son...he used to be a great sleeper and then all of the sudden he stopped...i guess it was because of this teeth too. I gave him every other day some tylenol at night. Now, he sleeps pretty good he has his nights he gets up crying but he goes back to sleep.
About the bottle i only give him 9 oz of milk in the morning when he wakes up and same amount at night before he goes to sleep then a little bit of water. During the day i started giving him water and juice together in his bottle then transitioning to sippy cups. At walmart they sell these plastic bottles cheap that look like a huge bottle but they are sippy cups and he loves them. Then, i told him big boys drink from cups then while i'm helping or watching him i give him a little bit of something to drink in a cup. He loves it. Just try little by little. Don't take his bottle away all of the sudden. Good luck!

Hi J., My name is B. and I'm a mother of 4 daughters and a grandmother of two girls and 5 boys and another one on the way. First let me tell you not to stress yourself with the small things. As your son grows you'll see many different stages that he'll go through.
One way to get him off the bottle is to buy him a sippie cup that he picks out and slowly substitute it with the bottle, start out only giving him that in the day and then slowly get less and less of his bottle. My grandchildren love choc. milk and we'd put that in the cup for them to drink in the day or juice.
At bedtime make sure he's eaten, give him a bath, put him in a cool room with no noise....you may have to stay with him a few minutes until he falls asleep. If he has a favorite stuffed animal give him that. Sleep patterns will change from time to time. Make sure he's not wet or hurting anywhere. You mentioned his teeth and that could be whats causing the change in his sleeping pattern. Don't worry he'll out grow this. It sounds like your a very caring mother!
B.

First talk to your pediatrician.
Second try giving him a bottle only at bed time and nap time. Give him his milk in a sippy cup. If he still wants a bottle put water in it- no milk unless it is bedtime or nap time.
Hope this helps.
L.