Help Get My 14 Month Old off Nighttime Bottle

I don't see anything wrong with a bottle of milk before bedtime. I do the same thing with my 13 month old son. I do it for the nutrition but also the comfort. My doctor said that primarily he should use a cup but the bottle is not a terrible thing at night for comfort.

Hi S.,
I felt and still feel the same way about my son he turned 2 in June and I was afraid he would still be on the bottle at that time I spoke with his pediatrician and she said cold turkey take him off the bottle my son would only drink milk in the bottle nothing else and that is all he depended on so I was afraid to take him off the bottle he was not a good eater because of the bottle and now he does not drink milk at all ever since I took him off the bottle, But I give him yogurt and foods that contain calcium that's all I could do! he is eating better and is drinking a Lil milk when he wants to, But I suggest take him off the bottle will ruin his teeth fact! he was 14mnths when I took him off I suffered more I think he cried for the bottle maybe two weeks after that he was OK! But you have to do it! Best of luck
T. C.

If you want to get him off the bottle - my advice is to go cold turkey and have him cry it out. It will be a tough few nights but well worth it.

Jenn Smith
http://jennsmith.stayinhomeandlovinit.com

Hi S..
Just wanted to say that Jessica gave you great advice as far as diet and how much milk is needed, etc. As parents we always worry whether or not our kids are getting what they need. As far as the bottle goes, kids go through stages in their wants and attachments and stuff. If I were you I would stop the bottle now, especially if he is not attached to it at this point. Later it may become a real habit for him and be just another thing to deal with and could be hard to break. If it's not necessary and he doesn't really care, I would do away with it now. It's the perfect time. My youngest is now 20 months and when I weaned him he really didn't want anything to do with regular milk. It took me a while to get him to drink it and he also was 14 months. He really liked straws instead of a sippy cup. In the evening I would give him a cup with a straw and sit and read a book with him. He came to really love this and it's our nighttime routine now.

Good luck! :)

S.,

At 14 months, your son needs 16 oz of milk a day. That's 2 8 oz glasses. That's it. In addition, cheese, yogurt, etc helps to meet those goals. So, feed him a yogurt with breakfast, or make him a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and you've given him 1/2 of his calcium need for the day. Other options:

1. Look for calcium fortified juice. He shouldn't drink more than 4 oz of juice a day, but if you give him the calcium fortified kind, it's helping.

2. Add Ovaltine to his milk. Yes I know. Caffeine in chocolate, added sugar, yeah yeah. Ovaltine adds calcium in the first place, and he'll actually drink it, which helps get the milk into him. My son gets a sippy cup of warm Ovaltine before bed every night. Not only does he drink it all, but when he was your sons age, the warm milk KNOCKED HIM OUT!! My Mom accused me of drugging his milk, it worked so well. He would sit in my lap to drink his cup, and you could watch his eyes roll back and his whole body start to sway and go limp. Not quite as effective at three, but still helps.

3. Feed him leafy green type vegetables if he'll eat them. They're full of calcium.

4. If he's still eating oatmeal type cereals, mix it with milk instead of water.

5. Put cream cheese on a bagel or toast strips for him. Even the fruit flavored kind counts.

6. If he likes to dip things (lots of kids do), give him fruit with yogurt to dip in, or cooked veggies with a sour cream based dip.

Good luck!

Jess