I need suggestions on how to wean my 2 year old daughter off her bottle. She only drinks milk from her bottle, no cup. When she goes to sleep, she insists on the bottle and still occasionally asks in the middle of the night for it. What is the best way to break the habit?
I weaned my kids off the bottle at 13 mos. Here's how you do it - get rid of the bottle. They will adjust rapidly. Same for pacifiers. Throw them in the garbage. They get over it.
Simply dont give it to her. Dont give in. She is waaaay to old to still be drinking from a bottle.
Cold turkey is swiftest, and our pediatrician said it's the fairest to a child, no "teasing" as in allowing them to have it at certain times and not others. My guy went off his bottle at 13 months, the same night I couldn't find his pacifier so he went cold turkey with that as well. He fussed that night and cried some, (it wasn't horrible) asked and fussed the next day a little, by the 3rd night he wasn't asking for either, and I have to say, he fussed more for the pacifier than he did the bottle, he was ready to be a big boy!
Get her some cool sippy cups, Being that she's two I would suggest that when you decide no more bottles you allow her to see and help throw them in an outside trash (so they can't be retrieved) and when she asks again you remind her they're gone in the trash. And remember when she goes to sleep and "insists" on the bottle or asks in the middle of the night for it that YOU'RE the mom : )
Cold turkey is the only way at her age!!
I think cold turkey is the best... I have a 2 year old and an almost 4 year old and both were off the bottle by 14 months -- went to sippy cups and they both had very little problem with the transition. The longer they have it, the more it becomes habit. We use the "take and toss" sippy cups and each boy also has a nice cup they have picked out (with toy story on it). It will be tough for a few nights (maybe) but I would offer a sippy cup- and no other choices (throw the bottles out, so you are not tempted to give in). Explain that she is not a baby anymore and is so special she gets a big girl cup for being so mature. It may take a few days for her to get used to the idea of no bottle but she will soon be fine with it. Good luck!
I started introducing zippy cups to my daughter around 9mos or so. Didn't care if she drank out of them but at least they were familiar. When she was about 12mos old and drinking from a sippy cup more often (I gave them to her at every meal and when we were out and about on errands) I started lessening the amount/number of times she got a bottle. She got one when she woke up, before a nap, and before bedtime. Pretty soon I'd forget to give her a nap time bottle, then she was drinking enough out of her cup in the morning that her morning one went away. Once she was only down to one bottle in the evening it went away fairly quickly. Try warm milk in a sippy cup (find a cup that she can tip up like a bottle so the motion is still the same). Thankfully she was off a bottle completely with no fights by about 13 months. You might just have to deal with a few nights of crying and fighting you on the 'no-bottle' but stand your ground. After a few nights or a week she may not even realize it's gone. try putting it as your a big girl now. good luck!
Dealt with this when DD was 15 mos. Cold turkey was horrible, but only lasted 2 or 3 nights. The sooner you take it away, the better. No 2 year old needs a bottle. Just tell her that she's a big girl now and that if she needs a bedtime drink, she can have some water.
When it came time for our daughter (now 4) to give up the bottle...we had a visit from the "bottle fairy". She came overnight one night - took all the bottles, but left a few new "big girl" sippy cups with a note explaining that the bottles were taken and were to be given to the new babies that needed them. Our daughter was so proud that she was helping all of the new babies and she loved her new sippy cups...no questions. It worked so well with the bottles that we had a visit from the pull-up fairy when it was time for big girl panties...hang in there you will figure this out - just do what works for your little girl and your family! Good luck!
We just went through this with my son. Don't let the judgers get you down. My kid loved his night bottle and we let him go with it for a while, our pediatrician was not concerned. About a week before he turned two, I told him he was going to be a big boy and we were going to get rid of the bottle. Each night I reminded him and then the night after his birthday I started a more structured bedtime routine, gave him a new stuffed animal, and put him to bed without the bottle. It was rough for two nights but he got used to it quickly. Stay strong, that first night was tough but it's if you feel it is time, then it is.
I don't see a problem is she is happy. My grandkids all took a bottle at odd times until they were 2+. They eventually just put it down and wanted a cup.
Milk is milk is milk. Whether it comes from a cup or a tippy cup or a bottle. The same thing. It is milk no matter what they drink it from.
Our pediatric dentist talked to us about how the milk dripping all night, from mom's who let their kids hold the bottle in their mouth while they slept. That is where the bottle rot comes from. Saliva rinses the mouth and if it is getting a constant supply of milk for hours and hours it cannot rinse the milk off and the milk will rot the teeth.
If you are taking the bottle as soon as she is done then she is okay tooth wise.
If you are just wanting her to stop taking it then just don't give it to her. Stop. She will get over it eventually. You could put 1-2 oz. of water in it to make it taste different and she might not want it but if it is the only milk she drinks all day, not even chocolate or strawberry then I don't know that I would take it away right now.
She may suck on something else though. She can suck her thumb, fingers, a blanket corner, etc...if she needs to suck she will find something but at this age she probably just associates it with comfort and routine.
what i did with my daughter was decrease her amount by an ounce over the course of a week. after she was down to 2 ounces i let her have the 2 ounces for 2-3 days then took it away. maybe have a small cup with water in it for her to drink in bed.
this is one of those questions that you will get outraged "she is way to old for a bottle answers" and she is but those are the same people who will be outraged that you would consider weaning a baby off the breast before she was ready lol. So having said that I think the best way is to only put water in the bottle nothing else at ANY time. water only. and put the juice / milk etc only in the cup. also at that age I would not mess with sippy cups. I would go to a regular store or a second hand store and buy her a really really pretty cup. let her help choose and then it is only allowed at the table. good luck.
