Bottle and a 21 Month Old

J.,
I have a 16 month old boy and all the doctors, pediatritians etc. all tell me I should have already taken him off his bottle at 12 months, however I am in the same boat you are in when it comes to bedtime without a bottle. The doctors are telling me that children 12 months and older need to be brushing their teeth before bed, so no milk because it rots their teeth quicker. There isn't much you can do, but wait until they get really sleepy, and lay them in their beds and just hope they fall asleep without any aggrivation, if they do not... get them up and wait until they get even more tired... eventually they will learn that bed time is bed time with or without a bottle now. It's difficult, but it will work out just fine.

Yeah you should end at 1 year....I ended at 22 months. I knew if I went to his 2 year appointment and she found out he still used it she would be so mad. I did it cold turkey and he will not use a sippy or regular cup for milk. I just don't worry about it. He gets yogurt and cheese. Do expect that she will either stop drinking milk for a few weeks or stop all together. But you do need to stop it for her teethes sake. We did it cold turkey and besides him not drinking milk anymore he doesn't tantrum for it or anything. Good luck!!!!

I am embarrassed to admit this but my oldest used a bottle until age 3.5! (GASP!!) It was a total crutch for her and us. In the last year or so, we only gave her water in it to soothe her at bedtime. This later interfered with keeping her dry during the night when she was potty trained. We had to resort to drastic measures to make the bottle unappealing. By the time our second child was 12 months, the bottle was gone. Didn't want to make the same mistake twice. This can be difficult. My best piece of advice is be strong and don't waiver once you decide to take the bottle away. Best of luck!

get rid of it cold turkey asap should have been done at 12 months, plus bottle at bedtime could rot her teeth

Yep - Cold turkey worked the best for my little guy, too. I did it at 13 months and he never missed it. He loves the sippy cups with straws, which is what we use at meals and snack times. The only time I used a bottle since then was one time when he was running a 103 degree fever and I was trying to do anything I could to comfort him. The Nubi cups with handles and a drinking straw are our preferred sippy.

Just quit cold turkey. It's not for nutrients at this point--it's for comfort. She can use a blanket or a cuddle from you instead. Sometimes we have to make hard decisions and face the fall out. It's what parenting is all about!!

Just take it away but be strong. She will cry for a couple of nights and it'll be worse for you than her. She'll forget about it quicker than you think.

Take away the bottle now. The longer you wait the harder it will be. The first 2 nights will be hell. I went through it, but by the third night my son was going to bed with out it. I took his bottles away at 13 months. It will get easier. hOpe this helps.