Getting Rid of the Bottle...

D.,
I too just recently had this dilemma and I also posted a similar question. My daughter is 21 months old and we have had some success with allowing her to take a toy or stuffed animal of her choice to bed with her, and on the nights when she is really adamant, I will give her a sippy cup, but I have started to dilute the milk with water, more and more each time. The belief is eventually it will be all water and she'll either drink the water or completely lose interest.

I know it's hard, I am going through this right along with you. Stay strong consistent.
Good Luck!

He's only 20 months, are you sure you want to get rid of his bottle? If so, here is one thing you could do. Start diluting the milk in the bottle with water....gradually adding more water until eventually it is only water that he is getting. He may continue to drink water from the bottle, or may opt to go to the sippy cup. It is a gradual way and it will be easier to remove the bottle once he is not accustomed to getting the milk from it. The amount of water you add will increase very gradually so he will not notice. The sucking on the bottle may give him the oral stimulation he needs at this time, though. I tend to let baby decide when to give up the sucking, but if you are determined, this is one way that can help speed up the process.

D.-
I had the worse time getting my oldest off the bottle. But I finally told her that it was time and that she would only get a sippie cup with water at bed and nap time. She really threw fits for a little while but I stood my ground and about two weeks later she didn't need it at all. I would put one on a chair by her bed at night, but I only filled it about half way and told her that it was for when she got thristy at night. It will take a little time, but stand your ground. Good Luck.
S. C

The Easter Bunny took our bottles--all of them. It was a trade. He brought my youngest a basket of treats and little toys, including fancy new sippy cups, but he had to take the bottles to another little boy who needed them. Maybe your Easter Bunny could bring your son a cuddly little bunny to go to sleep with him and he may be distracted from the bottle. And then make sure they all go to the outside trash can so you are not tempted to pull out a bottle if he fusses.

Good luck.

When my daughter did this, I changed it to where she only got water in the bottle. The milk, juice and anything else only went in the sippie cup. It was hard at first, but she eventually gave up the bottle. She was 22 months old.

With my son I put water in his bottle. Not being a fan of water it got him to pitch the habit real quick. Of course there were a couple fits to deal with but aren't there always. lol. I don't know how your little guy feels about water but it's worth a shot.

Hi Darcy-
My doctor suggested putting water in it instead, and only putting other drinks in cups... it worked great for us (he gave it up quickly because water wasn't his favorite! )
Hope this helps.:)

i know i am QUITE late with this but i didn't see anything like my experience. i never let my daughter have a bottle to sleep because of the risk cavities and ear infections however she did have a pacifier until she was two. she started telling me she was thirsty after she went to bed well before she gave up the pac. i fought it at first but then i realized how much water i drink after i go to bed, probably >16 ounces! i gave it to her in a sippy cup with a short hard spout. she can't sleep with a spout like this in her mouth but she has it if she wakes up in the middle of the night. i'm just now encouraging her to put it on the night stand after she has a sip (like mommy does). i will probably regret this when i want to get her out of diapers at night but i'll cross that bridge when i get to it. as long as it's water and he can't sleep without sitting up and swallowing you are probably ok.

You might try substituting the milk for water in the bottle. He probably won't like it but milk in a bottle going to sleep is very bad for his teeth, causes decay. You might have a few nights of cring but don't give in, give in once and it will make it harder each time. During the day give milk or juice, in a cup only, water too. It's not too soon to visit a pediatric dentist to "count teeth", to get your son used to that doctor.

Good luck!

Go cold turkey. I did that with my daughter when she 15 months...it was a bit of a hassle at first but it worked!

I let my boys have milk in the 'baba' at nap and bedtime until they were three. I didn't see any harm in it and they are 13 and 17 now and are normal well adjusted kids who make a's and b's in school. Their teeth did not rot from having a bottle for so long. If it comforts your daughter consider letting him have it.

A week before they turned three I told them that on their birthday the 'baba' fairly would come and take the baba's away to a new baby. Magically, the bottles disappeared and neither one of them cried.

T. C.
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Just get rid of it. Don't replace it with anything! It will be hard and he will cry and it may even take a couple weeks. But stick with it if you really want it gone.

I think you're right to try and wean him off of the bottle because I have read many articles on the negative affects this habit can have. The natural sugar in the milk can promote cavities while the child sleeps and drinking bottles in bed can also raise the chances for him to develop ear infections.

Maybe you could try giving him a bottle filled with water for bedtime and give him his milk as a "reward" when he awakes. My older son (22 months) uses the Nuby sippy cups for milk and I give him a regular sippy cup for the rest of the day. The Nuby cups have a silicone sippy-shaped spout which is kind of like a happy medium between a nipple and a hard plastic spout.

Or you could try making a big deal out of being a "Big Boy" and let him brush his own teeth with a special toothbrush before bed but also make that the cutoff time for drinks.

Different kids respond differently to different approaches but I think you have to expect that no matter what you try, taking away something that he has come to expect will be no easy task. Weaning my older son off of a pacifier was ROUGH because he would awake during the night and cry for his binky. I imagine you might deal with a similar response. Just be supportive and give lots of hugs etc. when he is upset by the absence of his milk bottle. I hope this helps! Best of luck!