Need Advice on Breaking from Bottle, Sleep Habits, and Eating Habits!!

When he throws his sippy cup. give it right back to him. tell him he is a big boy and does'nt need a baby bottle any more. As for his eating they all go through times of not eating much. give him less bottle or cup and his eating may pick up more.

After about 6 months of age, a baby should not need any night-time feedings (barring any physical issues where a doctor would recommend it)--it becomes a habit. Have a regular daily schedule; toddlers and even older kids desparately need it. Have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day, bathtime at the same time, play time, bedtime. Make it predictable, and have a routine that signals him what's coming up next. Let him know before you put him down "Night time is for sleeping--I'll see you in the morning." And that's it. When he cries, go in, pat him, say again that night time is for sleeping and leave. DO NOT FEED HIM. When he follows a regular eating schedule during the day and he is eating a variety of healthy, filling foods he will not need food in the middle of the night. It will be hard, but you are reaching a time where the window of opportunity to change this behavior is closing--if you don't make the hard decisions now, you will be doing this for years to come. It will take a few days--then again, if he follows a routine during the day he may suprise you. All kids go through stages where they are on the thin side, especially after a growth spurt. As mommas, feeding is one of the toughest things to deal with because we don't want our precious babies to starve. Trust me, he won't. When he gets the idea that 4 am party time is over, he will compensate with what he is offered during the day. You decide what goes on the plate, he decides how much he will eat. And again--he will NOT starve! Bless you, and have a wonderful Mother's Day!

We had the same problem w/our now almost 3 year old-- he wouldn't eat much, and wanted to continue w/bottle, out Pediatritian said to continue giving him bottle, but make it only 3-4 per day (8 oz each) and then just keep offering him food throughout the day. We ended up taking our little guy to Our Children's House at Baylor (you have to have a referral to there from your Pediatritian) in Allen (they also have one in Dallas), and had eating therapy whereby they worked with him and got him to eat more (he now only wants a bottle at night, which we give him, but are slowly removing that as well-- I think he mainly wants it now b/c he sees his little 7 mo old brother having one more than anything else, b/c he eats wonderfully all day long.)

My youngest son never liked to eat much as a baby / toddler. He liked to eat a tiny bit every hour, which during the day was no big deal, but night got exhausting. One thing we did that kind of helped was change the bedtime bottle to a cup of yogurt. We'd feed him a Yo Baby yogurt before bed and he slept much better.

I'm having the same issues with my toddler and breaking him of the bottle. What's working for us is diluting the bottles. Over time we've increased the water and decreased the milk in the bottle. Now he's taking only water in the bottle and drinking his milk from a sippy cup during the day. I'm confident that we'll be able to throw the bottle away totally in a few weeks.

As for the waking up in the middle of the night for more, we took our doctor's advice and just ignored him. I wasn't thrilled to let him cry it out, but in just a few days he was sleeping much more solidly AND eating better during the day.

Remember that this is not just a weight gain issue. Leaving your kid in bed with a bottle may also lead to early cavities...a fact I remind myself of daily.

Check out the book "Good Night Sleep Tight" by Kim West. It's really good and it really helped us to get our daughter to sleep through the night. It is easier (on the parents I think) than the Ferber method, although it is similar. Sounds as if he is used to one thing. Is he on any type of schedule, as far as sleeping and/or feeding goes? We found that with our daughter, she did so much better once we put her on one. Best of luck!

I had some of the same problems with my youngest daughter. She ate well but would not sleep through the night. She would wake up and want to nurse. My ex got mad if she woke him up. When he went out of town for a week, I put my pillow over my head and just let her cry. After 2 nights she started sleeping all night and I never had any more problems. I cried in my bed when she cried but it was worth it. My doctor told me to just let her cry. Seems harsh but it worked and didn't hurt her at all.

I am a big fan of Dr. Sears and "The Happiest Baby on the Block" so I was very opposed to anything that resembled letting my son "cry it out.". When he was 14 months old I was still breastfeeding him every 2 hours through the night. I was at my wits end, so I got online and looked up the "Ferber Method.". It worked in 3 nights for my son and he didn't scream as much as I thought he would. He's been sleeping through the night (11hours) ever since.

He's drinking too much...that's why he's not gaining weight. His body is older, and he needs more nutrients than the bottle can give him.

It'll be hard at first, but you must stand your ground. He doesn't need it...it's a habit now. He should not be waking up during the night at this point. Don't give him anything to drink at night...maybe a tiny bit of water. He's going to get mad at you, but you are his mama trying to do right by him. Also, if he's waking up that many times, then he's not getting enough sleep. If he's not getting enough sleep, then he won't grow to his full potential.

Believe me, it's tough, but I went through the same thing. I was so worried Elizabeth wouldn't eat. We even had to go to the dr for an 20 month weight check. Between 18 months and 20 months is when I started giving her Boost and giving up on trying to force her to eat. She gained 3 lbs in 2 months because she was no longer in control.

First go get Boost for kids. You can get it at Kroger and super target. It contains vitamins and calcium. Give him this with breakfast just to satisfy your need for him to have what he needs in a day. Next remember for anyone the portion of food they need is the size of the palm of their hand. Your little guys hands are very small = small portions. He will survive. I don't know if you have tried nuts or you have a nut concern, but my 22 month old loves cashews and has eaten them since she was 1 year. As long as he has good healthy snacks during the day that he can feed to himself, he is fine.

Other than this, you have to know he is at a point where he is trying to control whatever he can. The more frustrated you get with the situation, the more control he has. Give up on the food thing. Don't give him a bottle at night. If he throws the cup back at you, apparently he doesn't NEED it. You are the adult and you set the parameters for him.

Was your dr concerned with his weight? Give the nurse a call to settle yourself... GL! Every day is a new challenge and you can do this. :)

W.,

Taking my son off the bottle was one of the hardest things I have done and I will tell you why. It broke my heart to hear him cry. It took about two days before he accepted the bottle was gone. I know its hard but my son started eating a lot better and sleeping alot better as well. I got him sippy cups that had the soft tips to them not straws.

Tired momma, you are enabling your son's behavior because you are letting him dictate this unhealthy behavior and you give into him. You are tired already, so just let him cry it out. After two or three nights, he'll be sleeping through the night, and so will you! As for bottles, just keep giving him the sippy cup. As a matter of fact, he may not be eating well because he's filling up on fluids (milk, etc.).