My son turns 1 on the 28th and I'm wanting to get him off the bottles. I'm not super concerned about it being done in a month, I just don't want him to be 2 and still have a bottle. He loves his sippy cups and I have tried putting his milk or formula in those, which he will drink but...he won't take it that way for bedtime or naps. So how do you do it? He also does not sleep through the night which could create an issue with losing the bottle. I never made him cry it out, I couldn't stand to do it. Sometimes I feel like I failed because he is waking 1-2 times a night. I'm so worried I won't be strong enough to get him off the bottle. Since he is turning 1 in a couple of weeks I'm starting to feel like a failure. All of my friends babies sleep through the night and I'm sure they will make the bottle to sippy cup transition with out any issues. Sorry for rambling, I just don't know what to do. I'm thinking its too late to fix the sleeping problem, I think he may just have to out grow it now.
Thanks moms for reading and for any advice and encoragement.
My daughter is 1 1/2 and she gets her Ba-Ba as she likes to call it only before bedtime and we put it up once she is done. I lay the sippy close by so if she wakes up and wants it its there. I still let her have one then just because its a comfort to her so I havent taken it out completely.
Just do what works best for you and your son.
You are a great mama, and don't let anyone else make you feel inferior!
In regards to him waking during the night, that is COMPLETELY normal for anyone! I still wake up 1-3 times a night, and then fall asleep again, and I'm a grown woman! As long as he is sleeping a few hours at a time, I wouldn't sweat it. Some kids wake during the night and fuss and cry, others wake during the night, not making a peep and just go back to sleep without their parents ever realizing they woke up in the first place!
Do not stress about getting rid of the bottle immediately, he is still really young! I would just start putting milk in a cup at nap and bedtime and not look back. It will only be stressful for him for a short time, and the bigger deal you make of it, the bigger deal he will make of it. If you don't think that you will be able to do it that way, then start lowering the amount of milk he gets in his bottle at nap/bedtime, 1-2oz every other day, until he is down to 1 oz or so.
I had to do this with the little boy I had to nanny for, and it was much easier for me to get him off the bottle at naptime than it was for his mama at bedtime. (Very hard for her to let go, and the more upset she got, the more upset her son got)
You can do this J.!!!
When he wakes are you feeding him? If so, you need to stop. It is only a habit. I bet after 3 nights he will be OK. I am assuming from the way you talked about the bottle a nap and bed time he is using it to fall asleep. The book the Baby Whisperer is full of great tips and is not a "cry it out" method. As far as the bottle goes, my daughter would not even take a sippy cup. The day she turned 1 I threw out all the bottles. When she woke up I gave her the cup. It took about half a day and she realized the bottles were gone. GOod Luck!
First of all, you sound like a GREAT mom! Don't second guess yourself - I don't think your son even has a sleeping problem! All children are different - some require less sleep than others and some are lighter sleepers than others. You will be very glad to know that when you are potty training, you will be the mom envied because you won't be doing 40 loads of sheets every week from naptime and bedtime accidents! I found that taking away the naptime bottle was easier than the bedtime bottle and I started there. I didn't replace it with a milk sippy either. We simply started taking a nap minus any liquids which was a great transition for taking away the nighttime bottle. Do it slowly...like you said there is no rush. Soon he will be sippy-free, pacifier free and sleeping through the night and then come the years where we will be dragging them out of bed at noon! Enjoy this wonderful age and know that you know your child better than ANYONE else!
