I have a 17 month old that refuses to give up her bottle. I must point out that we are down to 2 a day, nap time and bed time, but those two a day if I don't give her one she will cry until she vomits. I'm just not sure how to handle this. She is my 4th child but my other 3 didn't seem to care that one day their bottles were just gone. She uses a pacifier as well and will gladly exchange her paci for a bottle...
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi there! I was having the same issue with my son until I found a sippy cup aw walmart by "Nuby" It has a silicone mouthpiece on it and he loves it. Hope this helps!
Have you tried exchanging the bottle for a pacifier at nap and bedtime? You might also give her a drink of whatever before you go to nap and bed. Then hand over the pacifier instead of the bottle. It might be just the sucking sensation and not the actual bottle.
I'd rather see you get rid of the pacifiers over the bottle. The bottle will eventually become useless to her. The soothing feeling they get from the sucking can stay with them for years. Loose all the paci's. If her speech is developing normally, then three is a good age to shoot for. When you begin potty training, as you know, full bottles equal full diapers.
Tell her bottles are for water and only put water in the bottle. Put everything else in a cup. As she get older, you may be able to exchange the baby bottle full of water for a sports bottle full of water. Hey, if you can get her to drink two bottles of water a day, you're doing much better than us. We have to mix juice with water. Don't sweat it. I've never seen a kindergartener in diapers or with a bottle.
I would begin by watering down whatever you are putting in the bottle. Begin with a 50/50 mix with water. Then every few nights increase the water, until she is eventually getting straight water. Many children will refuse the bottle by this time. If she cries because of the water, stand firm. This is her bottle and that's that.
If she continues to want the bottle even after it is 100% water, then gradually reduce the amount of water in the bottle, until you eventually have an empty bottle.
For the pacifier, wait until the bottle issue is resolved, then consider snipping off a small piece of the nipple each day. Make sure that ALL the pacifiers in the house are the same way so she doesn't just go to a different pacifier. Snip by snip, she'll eventually give it up.
It's really important to only work on one issue at a time, so choose the most important, work on that and then move onto the next when you're successful on the first.
Keep up the good work!
mom what is the rush.....wait and see if at 2 she shows interest at being a big girl....also offer the cup with whatever you put in the bottle and put water in the bottle....don't change back though because she might get confused on what is in what....
When it was time for me to kick the bottles out, I told my children that we were going to replace their bottle with reading a book. I took nap time first then did bed time a few weeks later. I told them that they would be read a book at nap time instead of getting a bottle. I also made sure that they had a sippy cup of milk with their lunch to eliminate the urge for milk as naps are right after lunch. When I did bed time, I made it sound like an exciting change and said that we were going to read 3 books now instead of having a bottle. It was easier than I thought it would be and they love being read to.
Why not wait till she's a little older? Maybe at two yrs. she'll understand a little better and not mind as much.
C. M
I have to disagree with the other advice to just wait to break her from the bottle. Have you tried the newer sippy cups that have a soft nipple? They were what helped me break my youngest at 15 months. My pedi is pretty adamant they are off the bottle by one, and he made sure I understood she was off by her 15 month check-up (not in a mean way). It messes with their teeth and palate development.
Also your daughter is crying til she vomits because she knows that if she just cries long enough you will give in. I have been quilty of this myself. Your tired and it is hard to concentrate with a screaming child. I would suggest giving her a sippy cup and then letting her cry. Maybe you could try this at naptime first then work it into bedtime as well. If she really wants or needs a drink or the sucking reflex the soft nuby cups are very good for this and she will learn this. Also, make sure you are only putting water in the cups if she takes the cup to bed. If you have anything else in the cup, it will rot her teeth, especially if you do not give her tap water which has flouride in it.
Becca
