Bottle to Bed We Go!

Is he having milk in his bottle? If so, thats a huge no no. I'm a dental hygienist and I can't tell you how many kids I've seen that take milk or juice to bed and it completely rots their teeth. And I mean ALL of their teeth. If he's having milk, switch to water right away. I know this is tough but sometimes just taking it away, cold turkey, is the best. He'll be upset the first few nights but he will get over it. That's how we got rid of my 22 month olds binky.

Hope this helps :)

If you can't break him of actually having the bottle, at least switch to water in it! The milk in the bottle in bed can rot his teeth out! Have you ever seen little kids with all silver teeth? I have, and my dentist says it is because they were put to bed with a bottle and the milk pools in their cheeks and rots the teeth.

Good Luck!
M.

I had the same problem with my daughter she was 2 1/2 and still taking a bottle. We just stopped the bottle cold turkey it took her about four nights of crying and continually asking for it but she did finally give it up. I know it is exhausting to listen to them cry but it only took a few nights, and about the tooth rot it is so true my daughter who is 6 now has had three crowns and six fillings (thank goodness we have good dental insurance and a great peds dentist). So definetly switch to water if not taking it away immediately.

every child is different so this might not help at all, but what i did with my son (although he was much younger) was to give him a very small amount (in either a bottle or sippy cup), right as he's going down, and stay with him while he drank it. maybe just an ounce or two, then complete the "night night" routine by taking the cup/bottle, laying him down, and kissing him goodnight. since your baby is older he may not fall for it, but that was how i broke the going to bed with a bottle habit. that way he's already in bed and in bedtime mode AND he has had his milk. maybe worth a shot. good luck!

J.,

I suggest that you switch to water in the bottle or sippy cup when he goes to bed. Explain that he is a big boy now and that milk is for meal and snack time. He can have milk in the morning. I'm sorry, but you may have to just sweat out a few tantrums on this one. Milk is very bad for his teeth while he is sleeping the sugars will destroy the enamel surface if this goes on for long.

My nephew had to have all his front teeth capped before he was four, because of this exact problem. Sam was so embarassed by his teeth even at that age that he contorted his mouth to hide his brown pointed teeth. The family had problems understanding him and he refused to smile. The caps made a huge difference, but it was an avoidable sittuation. My sister-in-law still blames herself for his continuing dental problems.

When you are ready to potty train you will need to cut back on the water at night as well. We are doing this with our daughter right now. She knows that she only gets a little bit of water in her cup, about 2 ounces at the most.

Best of luck,

J.

I don't have any experience to help you with this child, but for your next one, consider using the eat-wake-sleep cycle recommended by Dr. Gary Ezzo in the book "On Becoming Babywise." I used it with my son (now 13 months) and it has been wonderful in many ways. He breastfed for 9 months, decided he was ready to stop on his own, never used a bottle (breast to cup), and is a great sleeper. He wakes up, eats, and plays until nap time, at which point, I put him in his crib, say goodnight, and most times he goes to sleep without a peep. The theory is that if your baby doesn't eat right before sleeping, he won't associate the two and therefore isn't dependent on one for the other. (In the interest of full disclosure, my son does use a pacifier - in bed only.) Good luck!