Getting your kids off the bottle

I was watching Rachale Ray a few days ago and I have to say that.. woow.. I didnt think people let theri children stay on the bottle that long! Im not saying she was a bad mother, but what I do think is that she needs to set the rules and keep to them. Know what it best for your kid and do it wether they like it or not. Its obvious that a 3 1/2 year old shouldnt be on a bottle for many reasons. Tantrums and hard times are exspected when "weaing" a child off of anything. When my daughter turned 13 months I took her bottles and bagged them up and stored them away so she couldnt see them. A week before i did this I let her pick up a sippy cup that she really liked ( ok i know she was to young to actually pick one out but it was a sippy that I knew she would use rather than a bottle..some like to get the sippys with the soft rubber spout on it kind of like a nipple to a bottle, others like the hard ones and so on. just pick one that best fits your kid) and thats what i used everyday. I had a few bobbles once in a while but thats where a comfort object came into play. My daughter loves a blanket that my mother made for her and that has become a comfort object. She made the transition from a bottle really fast and easliy becasue she had other ways to calm herself down and reilized she dosent want a bottle. But if this dosent work for you try some of these ideas.

1) try swapping the bottles for a "specail sippy" let the child pick it out and then ither donate the bottles to a family store or if you know another baby that needs bottles have the child give the bottles to the new baby.

2) same idea of swapping...but instead if you dont think a sippy cup is going to work swap it for a comfrot object. Maybe a new favorite stuffed animal, blanket, pillow, has to be somting that wont hurt if carried allot, higged, slept on, and so on.

3) or.. just go cold turky....one day just hide the bottles or get rid of them, and hand out a sippy instead. Try the ones with the rubber spout like a bottle and then as they adjust to that move to a hard top sippy or what ever you choose to use.

4) if your child is older say older than 2 everytime they ask for a bottle give them the bottle without the nipple (and contraptions if it comes with).

one thing to remember no matter wich way you choose to do it is that it is NORMAL for the tantrums, sleeples night, crying, and anything that might get "thrown" at you. Its normal but stick to it and I swear things will fall into place. Kids need stability and consitancy, stick to that and things will work out.

Parent Comments on "Getting your kids off the bottle"

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I think you've offered some time-tested advice that we "old pros" have had to employ a time or two!

It's a difficult right of passage, so to speak, and can definitely test any parent's patience and mental endurance.

I can relate to TJ's hesitancy to let go of that special time of bonding a parent gets to have during bottle time, but a word of advice, remember those times fondly as they will help you remember why you love them so dearly when they reach those trying adolescent years!

Good luck to all and great advice given here!

Thanks, Unkept! Bedtime is getting a little easier each day. I definitely won't make a habit of letting her stay up but it was too cute that night. Tonight she tried the same sort of thing but instead of going along with it, I told her she could only have two books and then it was bedtime. She went right down tonight! Just like in the days of the bottle. Anyway, thanks for your encouragement and your advice.
:)

That is great! good work!. Its amazing the things kids hide or just dont do because they become to dependent on something isn't it!? she knew how to say bottle or maybe she just learnd it cause she didnt have t anymore. but ither way it got her talking becasue she has to comunicate what she wants. thats kind of what ive been doing to my daughter to get her speaking more. I act like i dont know what she wants so she has to try and say it.
that bed time story made me chuckle. lol. but i would suggesnt not to make it a habit of putting off bed time, it may become a problem later.. but great job!

It's been just about a week and I have successfully eliminated the bottle! Day three she actually asked for it by name for the first time which made me somewhat sad for her, but also made me realize that she knew how to say it this whole time!

Bedtime has gotten a little tricky. She cries and whines and moans for about 15-20 minutes before she finally falls asleep. I'm sure this will pass though.

Last night she really tried to put off bedtime. It was making me laugh so I went along with it for a while. For example, we had a stack of books and when we got to the last one she wouldn't let me read it. Then she decided she wanted a little more dinner so I put her back in her high chair. Once she finished eating, the child who consistently twists and turns in an effort to climb out of her high chair, wouldn't get out. Hey, fine with me. I got the dishes done. But it was really cute watching her try to outsmart me. :)

I know exsactly what you mean when you talk about the extra cuddle time, and the extra sleep you get!. I miss that cuddle time before my daughter gose to bed or druing the day before a nap. The bottle was an excuse to hold her, and cuddle her wihtout her wanting to get up an run around like toddlers do best! lol. I find myself rocking her at night when she has night mares and even after she falls asleep, i stay in the rocker with her im my arms simpmly because I dont want to let go of that moment. moments like that are so precious to me, and i miss them! lol but luckly i can do other things withher now tha she is older that i couldnt do befor. But i still find myself sneaking in and holding her at night...i think i even for me it was take time to get over my selfishness..

I've been really wishy-washy about the bottle since my daughter turned 12 months. She's 18 months now. She has one bottle in the morning when she wakes up and one bottle at night before bed. I think she gets one once in a while at daycare, but her teacher says she wants to be like the older kids and she mostly goes for a sippy cup.
The reason I haven't completely weaned her yet is purely selfish: I covet the extra 20 minutes of sleep I get while she lies in our bed with the bottle. Plus I love the cuddle time.
I told myself that after we got back from our vacation, which was a week ago, that I would start weening her, but I still haven't.
Thanks for posting this because it's a reminder to me to start this transition.

I know your mother-n-law has seen way more things then I have and my hat is off to her.. It is a line of work that takes its toll but the out come on children are worth every effort.. I understand where you are coming from and ment no disrespect at all. I was sharing this so other readers can see the whole picture.. I thank you for sharing your point of view it makes this topic worth sharing for all :)

Oh I totally agree, likle I said eveyr situation is diferent. If a child is in that rough a shape then obviously, because of emotional and phycological consequences, then the last thing to be doing is taking away, right away, the only thing that has held them together that long. Its great to hear that the child was able to catch up and even go above age level!. Its sad when you see chldren that come in suc shape, they didnt ask to be born or put into that situation and It really ticks me off to see children get hurt like that. thank god for people like you and oather foster parents who care enough to share their life with children who need that help. My mother in law is an advocate and social worker for family and chldren services with our local county and she see's to many cases simular to the child you talkd about, but the child couldt be removed from the home, yet. So they must stay and continue to be abused and neglected untill there is enough to remove the child and put into a careing foster home. Thank you for what you have done for children, I know it isnt always easey.

I had some kiddos in care come to my home. one of them at age 3 was still on a bottle didn't know how to talk, if got hurt would not cry nothing I was learning sign language to work with this child..Long story short you pick your battles and in this case the bottle was the last thing I worked.. It took me 6 months working with this child the good news is the child is at age level learn how to talk no more bottle or pull ups learned how to eat..I am not saying this for a pat on the back I am just giving you a case that happens oh and the child lived in a play pin so couldn't walk as well the child came a very long way in a short time the first time this child cry It was awesome to know the child had a way to vent and feel emotions, not that I wanted to see the child cry but to know that they had this child labled as one that would never be able to do anything and to see that they had to change the way they were lable was lost child.. I might add kinda ticked me off.. to say the child was a normal 3 1/2 yr old child in a short time was the greatest gift of all to know that this child is now 4yrs old who had taking test from CDS aand was ahead of age 4. WOOOOO HOOOO!!! So I guess what I am saying is sometimes you have to pick your battles my battle was teaching how to talk and walk before taking the bottle and diapers away..

Could it be maybe because of a slow develoing bladder that some of those children at ages 7 still need puul-ups? I have no doubt that children in the care of the state are under stress, and face uncertanty and fear, and sometimes not the best of conditions. I do think that there are different circumstances and every child is different and develops differenly at different times. But i deffinelty dont agree with letting kids hold onto bottles for that long. The kids have enough to worry about let alone adding in the teasing and badgering of theri piers because of things that can brand them being called a "baby". But children do still have bottles at such a late age...im not saying that its absolutely worng and the caregivers are bad for allowing it. Thats not what im saying at all. I think foster parents do a great deed in provideing homes to kids who really need them. so I think the question should be what can people in that situation do to trade the bottle in for something else to confrot and have that same sence of safety as the bottle gives them?

I agree with you if the child is your child.. How ever if the child is in states coustdy that maybe a different story, some of the kiddos in care at age 7 need pull-ups for bed still.. maybe look at the whole picture if the child is in an environment that is not good then maybe the bottle is the child way of keeping safe.. I use to think like you do and doing fostering it opened a whole new world for me..

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