Hi! My daughter turned two in December, and she still takes a bottle at bedtime and will wake up multiple times throughout the night, either wanting more milk or just waking up. We’ve tried everything; she doesn’t like or take any sippy cups…her doctor suggests melatonin to help her sleep, we tried that for a while, but we definitely don’t want to use it as an every night thing. So my question is, how can I get my toddler to get rid of her bottle and to sleep better/throughout the night?! We’ve tried just not giving her a bottle, but she will scream and cry until she throws up, and neither her dad or I can handle seeing her get to that point…it feels like we’ve tried everything and nothing works.
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Many years ago my 2yo refused to give up her dummy/pacifier. We had tropical fish at the time so I told her if she threw her dummy away I would get her an angel fish. She threw it away immediately and silly me had to go buy an angel fish then. Perhaps something along similar lines.
I had exactly same problem with my daughter , shes almost 4 now, I made juice weaker and still nothing , actually she would cry throw cup and say make a nice juice, the one thing i do now, fill her cup with water for bed, and now she doesnt wake at all same 1 drink all thru night , no sugar means she wont wake up being thirsty for more, and i proved it works bec for one night she had juice she must’ve drank 4 cups!
Shes going to have rotten teeth. Take away the bottle. She will get over it. Or put water in it
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Feed her more solid foods during the day and water in the bottles at night. if you keep giving into her it will never change. you have to be firm and stick to it . The melatonin will not harm her it’s natural we all have it in our brain already it’s what helps us all sleep at night some people just need a bit extra
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No more naps to help your sleep problem, i’m having a hard time with the bottle to
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Do you give her a small snack with sippy cup milk, or cereal before bed? U can also purchase the kids berry smoothies for her to drink before bed. They’d give her extra protein. Just a thought! 
good luck!
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You just need to stop giving it to her. I went through the same thing. We threw all our bottles away except for 1 in case of emergency during the beginning. Your child WILL be miserable. It will pass. She will start to take a sippy cup and eat other foods once she becomes hungry enough
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Take away the bottles completely. We bought quite a few sippy cups and let my kids figure out which one they liked best. Also let them pick out their own cup. These things worked for mine
My son does this too but now when it’s bed time I give him one bottle and then after he’ll want more I’ll replace it with water and he just passes out now lol it’s kinda funny because he doesn’t complain now
My son takes a sippy cup at night and he turned 2 this month. I think its more of a comfort thing, like a blankey. I would use the cry it out method but i live in a small place and my daughter has school so i cant always wait for him to fall asleep. His doctor and dentist said that as long as i brush his teeth hell be fine and grow out of it. I have been looking at stuffed animals or other things for him to lay down with him that are the same shape, but thats a lot easier said than done lol
Buy a sound machine 
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I found my daughter just let go when she felt it was right for her. And yes…put water in it. I gave her a pacifier until she spit it out herself.
My youngest daughter was almost two before I got her away from the bottle, but it was NOT easy… I told her that somebody took all her bottles because there was a baby that needed them, and she wasn’t a baby anymore and all I had was a sippy cup ( she refused them), it was a rough couple of weeks, but she eventually took to the sippy cup, my point is, is she will move past it, just dont give in! You have to stuck to it… good luck!
The only reason she is still taking a bottle at that age is because YOU are giving it to her. I’ve raised 4 daughters, I stopped giving them a bottle at 12 months of age. Only an issue for a couple days/nights, they get pass it pretty fast.
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Wait until she gets a cold or something like that. And take the bottle. She will, play up so do it on a weekend . Tell your neighbours what you are doing so no one reports a kid screaming .
It’s hard but worth.it . She might be hungry at night this does happen . Give her some protien food before sleep.
Good luck .
You should stop liquids about an hour before bed anyway. It sux but you have to just stop giving them to her. Start a new routine.
Pediatrician told us to keep with the milk at night if that’s what my grandson wants ,just never put water or juice in it for risk of choking on it at night laying down , during the day he doesn’t take a bottle at all but will not drink any milk and not a really big eater they said it’s fine for no where is it written when a bottle should be taken away or them being potty trained by age 2 for every child is different and there needs are different they also said it would be nice for parents to stop listening to old wise tells.
Just get rid of the bottle. It sucks for a few days but she will get over it
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New routines work. I put baby Mozart soothing piano songs on my phone and rock my twins to sleep. Bath time with a little lavender works as well. It calms them down when they’ve over exerted themselves. Mine are also down to just 1 nap a day now in case you were still letting her take multiple naps. There is no one way to make it happen each child is different try different things until you find something that works. I also gave the girls a small cuddly Stuffed animal to hug at night. Helps with security feelings. Best of luck to you.
Throw the bottles away!!
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What’s the rush? She’ll be treated like crap from the rest of the world soon enough. Let her be little!
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Don’t eliminate her bottle by taking them from her. Let her give them up voluntarily and this is how you do it. You tell her that she is a big girl now and she doesn’t need bottles babies need bottles. The bottle fairy is going to come and get all of her bottles so that she can give them to new babies that need them after all she doesn’t need them anymore because she’s a big girl now. Explain to her that when the bottle Fairy comes she will take the bottles and she will leave an extra special present just for her. Then you make a game of it you around the house with her and a little basket or something to put them in and you gather up all the bottles and I mean every bottle. Put the bottles on the table whether it be coffee table kitchen table whatever and tell her that those are for the bottle fairy to come and get. Now in the meantime you have to have gone shopping to get something extra special just for her. Make sure you wrap it up all pretty with bows don’t forget the bows LOL. Take her someplace out to eat somewhere while she is gone bag up the bottles and throw them in the garbage and replace them with the gift. When you walk back in the door make a big deal about it let’s see if the bottle fairy came. She will find the bottle’s gone and the gift in its place and then when she gets upset at bedtime explain to her remember the bottle fairy came and she left you this great present and she said thank you for the bottles the new babies are going to be so happy. Let her sleep with that gift instead. This that gives her an explanation as to why the bottles are gone and she helped and if she does get upset you can’t get discouraged and give her a bottle because they are gone. This also works well with pacifiers. The ninny Fairy comes to get those. Sounds crazy but I’m telling you it works give it a try
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She needs to brush her teeth before bed & milk during night will cause dental issues. You talk a day or two about bottles go in garbage. She’s a big girl now. Show her to toss them in the garbage. She will cry a night or two, you remind her bottles are gone. Offer a drink from a cup before bed.
I bought my daughter sippy cups with the rubber type of straws and eventually ended up with the 360 sippy cups. Only put water in her bottle. During the day, fill the bottle up with water and put watered down juice or tea in a sippy cup. Let her make her own choice between the bottle or the cup. I would definitely give her a snack and some milk at night before you brush her teeth and put her to bed. My daughter went through a growth spurt and I would get up with her once during the night and make her a snack. Also, an overly tired child will not sleep well.
I went through the same thing with my first child, but at a MUCH younger age. Get rid of all bottles except 1. Put NOTHING BUT WATER in this bottle, all other drinks in a sippy cup. She will learn what’s in the cup is MUCH better than the bottle. At night give ONLY WATER in the bottle.
Don’t give it to her. She can’t scream all night
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Alternative method: get her to associate bottles with bad tastes. Put the stuff she does not like in the bottles and the favorite stuff in cups.
As a small child my daughter loved brushing her teeth after every meal and bedtime. They still fell out 💁
If you know someone with a little baby, tell her that the baby really needs a bottle and can she please give hers to that baby because bottles are really for babies, not big girls. Worked with my three and taught them compassion, sharing and empathy at the same time. Without the tears.
You’re doing well mummy. Be patient with her, increase her interaction with older children who don’t use bottles.
For future start zippy cup at 8-9months.
What I had to do with my son is let him cry, after 2 days he got use to it. If not those teeth are gonna be rotten if not already, stink breath, and you will have to pay for braces later. You have got to take that bottle away.
Try the sippy cup nipple on a bottle. We used nuk brand, it’s soft like a normal nipple and on a bottle so I think it’s a comfort thing that will be met for the time being.
I agree more solid food in the daytime for cereal before she goes to bed water in the bottle I hope she brushes her teeth before she goes to bed the milk will cause them to rot out I don’t know about the melatonin i thought it could give seizures
You just have to be firm and tell her no she is a big girl she.does not need her bottle if she is thirsty enough she’ll use a sippy cup have u tried reading tonher before bed it’s a calming effect.sit with.her until she falls asleep no napping in.the afternoon
I had the same. I got 6 5 ozs bottles filled them up and left them out side the cot on a small table. Where they can get them. Had them for the first few notes then fell a sleep with the one going to bed a never woke up again. When they go to play school or what ever really mixing with other children. They won’t want any.
If its warm enough, take her outside as close to bedtime as possible. Fresh air and some running around will help her sleep
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What is the rush. Let her be little for as long as you can.
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Let her have her bottle but only with water in it. She might gradually give it up on her own.
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Water in the bottle at night.
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My son turns 2 next week. I was having this problem too. I tried every sippy cup. There were some he would take a couple times… others he threw immediately. Then i tried a weighted straw sippy cup and he took to it right away. They’re expensive so I’m waiting until i slowly build up a supply before i throw away the bottles but keep trying! You’ll find something!
Give it to her she’s still young it’s a comfort thing will she gave a dummy
Instead
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Hi mummy , my little 1 is 3 yrs and 7months now , she just started creche and is still on the bottle
She has a bottle just before going to bed and 1 during the course of the night ( if she does not have that bottle during the night , i know exactly what you are referring to when you say she cries until she throws up ) yes i know all kids are different thus me giving you my scenarios as well , i did in the past try to take away her bottle but it just wasnt working well , so i let me be , i guess this is her only form of comfort from being a baby , she never toom a dummy , so maybe you are in the same situation ( and plz plz plz dont feel bad , like you are not doing it correctly , you are doing a perfect job)
So maybe cut down on her bottle feeds at night but dont take it away completely , shes still small , she will come around and eventually give it up on her own , with kids growing from being a baby into a toddler going thru the many changes , there will be a few things that they will latch onto which will be more difficult to get rid of but eventually they will come around
My baby is like a big girl , her mouth , very informative, she also loves /loved having her morning tea in her bottle ( bare in mind i use these small fancy cups to make her tea , she would have the tea from the cup depending on her moods , but if she wanted it in the bottle it was a must , or its blue murder 
now shes like 4 weeks at creche and she refuses to have her tea in her bottle now due to the other kids …
With this being said , give her time
Im not sure whats your setup at home
Maybe shes the baby , and just wants to remain a baby … Maybe this is her comfort… Allow her to be
Once shes all grown , you will miss these baby days …
Hope this is helpful and wish you guys all the best …
Lavender on the feet help kids sleep I used it on my little girl all the time she would say no mommy not the lavender lol.
Might be different here in the UK but using drugs to help them sleep is NEVER an option…My sons 2 n half,still takes a bottle but really only wakes and takes a few sips of it,few times a night.Hes still our bed tho.Hes no.6🤷sorry I’m pathetic when it comes to bottles/sleeping so good luck🤦
I had this issue too found a snack before bed filled her up and gave her some bottle then she gradually stoped waking for bottle during the night as was full
Throw it out and make her eat a solid food dinner. If she doesn’t eat she goes to bed hungry and you try again in the morning. Doubt she does it again.
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Give her a snuggly to sleep with
I took my daughters bottle away shortly after she turned 1 it was an extremely hard 3 weeks but it worked yes she screamed and cried but eventually it stops. Bottles at bed are not good and as time progresses it’ll just get harder. I gave myself no option and got rid of all the bottles so I couldn’t cave because there will be times you really want too lol
Sometimes it’s tough to be a parent. She’s used to a bottle and there will never be a time she just wants to give it up. Bottom line, longer you wait, the harder it will be. Get rid of all the bottles. Just do it. She will be upset and there will be a rough week or so transition. But she will adjust. It will be easier if you give her lots of praise for being a big girl along the way. Good luck.
Try pretending the bottle is lost. Look all over for it with her… All gone
They’re not babes for long.let her enjoy the bottle for a bit longer & she will give it up eventually.
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Tell her she’s a big girl now and have her throw away her own bottles. Tell her only babies drink from a bottle. She can have a sippy cup with water till she’s done crying and trying to manipulate you to give in
Worked for my granddaughter
Another poster asked this and someone recommended to start mixing their nighttime bottle with water, gradually increase the amount of water and decrease milk over time. Eventually they stop wanting it on their own. I have not tried this myself but I made note of it because my son is extremely reliant on a bottle at nap times and bed times. We ONLY use bottles if he is going to sleep. And we tried putting milk in sippy cups and he screams and it can go on for hours if we let it, so we don’t. He won’t take a dummy/pacifier lol that makes him even more upset so we don’t even try that. My son is only 14 months so I’m more hesitant to start putting water in it just yet, the fat in whole milk is actually really good for brain development but I would think certainly by 2 he would be ready to start making that transition. I also have known parents who just let their child have bottles until they put them down on their own, usually around potty training because they’re “big kids” now and not babies anymore 
Take it away! No more at night! Tough love! Cause when she throws a fit and u guys cave they got you wrapped around their finger!!
literally have to take it & deal with the fits she throws. don’t give in. keep giving in, she notices, & knows exactly what to do to get her way.
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She will cry. May last up to two weeks. But the bad habit can be broken. And u MUST break it. U will lose sleep and want to give in. Don’t. My friend gave her kid a milk bottle in his crib every night. Kid ended up with black, rotted teeth. Yes, baby teeth fall out. But that can last up to 12/13 years before all baby teeth fall out. And that is 12/13 years of unnecessary humiliation and being picked on that could have, and should have, been prevented. By YOU. Think about it.
I hope its just water in that bottle,
Every baby is different. Give her her bubba…when shes ready to let it go…she will.
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Put water on the bottle so she wont want it anymore, thats what we did, then he didnt favor bottles much at all anymore
My 8 year old still goes to bed with a water bottle on his night stand. And my 3 year old still goes to bed with a cup of milk or water. He occasionally wakes up for another drink , and I let him. I wake up cause I’m thirsty too. Unfortunately I don’t have advice as I have two in the same boat. But she will outgrow waking up for it. It’s more of a security thing I think.
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Take it slow. Count how many bottles she has during the night and slowly cut down. Take a bottle out and wait till she gets back into routine then take another bottle out.
Honestly I just stop cold turkey take the bottle out of the house and only do sippy cup. Definitely will be hard she will cry and vomit but it’s good for her to be taken off the bottle. If the bottles are out of the house then you won’t give in to her.
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Put very weak juice or water in the bottle. She will lose interest in it soon xx
No answer here. We coslept with a bedtime mama milk until 3 yrs old. It worked for us.
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I put my daughter almost 2. In a pack and play next to my bed and I lay with my head where my feet should be with my head right by her Pck and play and rub her back Nd sing you are my sunshine. I’d just lay by her or sit by her crib and sing to her or hum and rub her back or play with her hair
Try larger meals at night. Limit nap times to earlier in the day. I recommend only water near the bed at night. Don’t worry about the bottle…they’ll grow out of it 
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Try a soother, my boy didn’t like it until 2ish. It worked and didn’t last. My baby girl now is breastfeeding but I was giving her a bottle to go to sleep and she was restless all nightl. I stopped the formula and now she sleeps thru the night. The formula gives them energy and keeps them awake. Maybe water in her bottle.
You could try putting just a small amount of water in the bottle instead for middle of the night to start. That’s how I broke mine of night feeds. Took a while but was a pretty gentle way to break the waking up for milk habit.
So they say the bottle nipple and milk at night rots their teeth… if you can’t stop the milk without her being that way you could at least switch the nipples. These are nuk nipples that go on nuk bottles. My son isn’t ready to let go of his bottle either so to try to help what they are concerned about we dont use bottle nipples anymore.
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My 3 and a half year old still goes to bed with a bottle. My 2 year old the same thing. My 1 year old the same. Bottles are not terrible and I often feel that when the child is ready to let go, they will. Try a dummy? Perhaps the not sleeping thing is more of a security need. What works for you and your child may not work for others. Same between children…Example my 2 year old won’t settle without one, my one year old won’t take a dummy but cuddles with his teddy bear until he falls asleep or if he wakes during the night. Find something that helps your little one smooth. Perhaps try a different formula? Maybe a fuller tummy may help. Trial and error I think.
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I couldn’t let my son scream like that either so I understand.
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How I did this is driving down the rd I showed the bottle to them in the morning and when they asked their minds remember I threw out window no bottle I told them and they were fine
My youngest son is two. We transitioned him from bottles to sippy cups at 9 months thinking that would stop the bedtime milk. Nope. Now he just drinks it from the sippy. He doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night for more like he used to though. I figure he will give the bedtime milk up when he is ready. It’s not hurting anything and it comforts him when he falls asleep. 
My daughter was like that. I got her a nuk learning cup and that was the only sippy cup she would take since it was similar to a bottle. Eventually I just had to get rid of any “bottle like” cup (the kinds she didn’t have to sit up and drink). At night when she was thirsty I’d be with her and teach her that she would have to sit up to drink her cuppy. She stopped waking up for it because it was really just a soothing technique. Now she just drinks a little water before bed and rarely wakes up for a drink. It was hard but I think getting rid of them was the best thing because I would be so tired that I would just give in and not being able to do that helped a lot.
She won’t notice the difference in the nipple or at least my son doesn’t. They are soft like a bottle nipple.
My second baby was like this he wouldnt eat alot but he loved his chocolate milk n white milk bottles. So when he was 3 I stopped doing milk in bottle and put juice r water in bottle n i would put milk in a big boy cup he lost interest in the bottle quickly afterwards. But hes now 7 and we all wake up thirsty at night so we have a water bottle by our bed
She will give it up when she is ready. Every child is different. You might want to give her a snack before she goes to sleep maybe fill her stomach. It might be her security. She will let it go when she is ready. Don’t rush her to grow up. It happens so fast.
Nice bath and a snack before bed
Do what you have to survive. I would start with sippys during the day absolutely no bottles and then slowly transition night time to bottle free. Also stop putting anything but water in her bottles at night. If she’s eating enough during the day she doesn’t need milk at night and it can rot her teeth. If she wants milk or juice she uses a big girl cup or she can have water. It’s hard and kinda mean but it worked with my kid. She’ll start to see the sippy as special and only want it. Hang in there and remember that getting through the day is most important. And let her cry it out. It will get bad but it will eventually stop
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I am in the EXACT same situation
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Try a soft nipple Sippy that’s how I transitioned my son he was super easy though 
I would say a healthy filling snack, brush teeth, take a big drink of water then bed. You need a new bedtime routine that does not involve a bottle, a cup, or milk. I would be packing the bottles up so they are out of sight completely.
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My youngest daughter did this also. I explained that she had to switch to water for night time bc the milk was bad for her teeth. She wasn’t happy about it. But I told her it was water or nothing. She took it and slowly weaned herself off. Eventually the bottle became a sippy of water.
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Her internal clock is “set” up in 2-3 hour intervals and she’s programmed to wake up because she has done it forever- just like we would wake up naturally when we had newborns for regular feedings—She’s simply/mostly depending on the bottle for comfort in the middle of the night and you’ve let her do it lol - my son is 14 months soon and he’s able to sleep 8:30-5:00 without waking but sometimes he wakes up just STARVING! He’s also 34 lbs and a very tall baby- so I don’t think much of it…any doctor will tell you she is not hungry in the middle of the night and babies should start being able to mostly go through the night without a feed starting around 7-8 months old. SOO my suggestion is give her something very filling like oatmeal & a 8 ounce bottle after that if she will eat it all. Make sure she’s good and full right before bed time. She might not be getting enough to eat during the day and she could also be just fine- only you know if she eats until full…try that and keep at it. If that doesn’t work then who knows - it’s prob just for comfort. I don’t do “cry it out” at any expense and I’ve never fully understood that. If she wants comfort you will have to find a way to comfort her without giving her a bottle. Motherhood is confusing sometimes 
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My daughter who has severe autism had a real hard time transitioning from a bottle to sippy cup and this sippy cup was the gateway to change from a bottle to a sippy cup and then from there we move to a straw and we only put water in at bedtime or if she wakes up at night when she sleeps
Give snack and milk before bed and then for middle of night put water in the bottle.
That’s what got my son and daughter to stop waking cause they realized they wouldn’t get more milk.
My son has a sippy cup of water he brings to bed with him Incase he wakes up thirsty he’s 3 now
I started by downsizing the bottle, from 8oz to 4 oz And then to premier 2 oz then switched from Milk to water… I found that it wasn’t so much the milk as it was the sucking motion as comfort. My youngest would not take a pacifier, but this method worked, eventually…lol
My almost 3 year old in July JUST got off the bottle a month ago. It took us moving in with my mom and losing all the bottles for her to stop. Gradually she forgot and stopped asking but let me tell you she was SO stubborn about it before. Now if she is thirsty I keep water nearby with a straw and she is good. Before I tried all kinds of sippy cups& it never worked . Just keep them out of site. If they wake up crying just comfort her and be supportive and dont get impatient until they fall back asleep. It may take an hour who knows
I literally just got my two year old off his bottle this past weekend I gave him a sippy if milk and told him it’s all gone that’s it. It was a rough week and he woke up serval times but he’s doing a lot better and sleeping all night. It will work you just have to stay strong and comfort every few minutes when she’s crying.
My almost 3 year old still has a bottle at bedtime and before naps. He will not have milk from a cup as he explains it is not the same!! I’m not super worried about this. I decided when he is 3 we will get rid of the bottle and explain that he is a big boy and big boys can’t have bottles. And I’m sure there will be a fight and a tantrum thrown but he will get used to it. He also does not sleep through the night most nights and even if he goes to sleep at 10 pm he is up at 6 am. He is just not a sleeper!! Also stopped taking maps for a while but now he is napping again which is great! But I’m not going to worry myself over having a bottle here and there he uses soppy cups and real glasses to drink every thing else. I think the bottle is his last thing to being a baby that he is holding onto and Just isn’t ready yet.
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My son is 2 and still gets a bottle at bedtime and when he wakes up. We just make sure to keep the bottle really clean and he’s never been allowed to sleep with a bottle in his mouth. He has his bottle, hands it to me and then goes to sleep. As long as his teeth are okay I’m okay with it. But the first sign of any teeth issues and the bottles get thrown away that day and tantrums or not he’ll deal with it. They only flip out 3 or 4 days generally and then they don’t care anymore. My 3rd participated in throwing hers away at 2 and she threw tantrums for a few days and then she was totally fine.
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My opinion won’t be popular but: She won’t go to college with it, this too shall pass let her give it up on her time.
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My son was the same omg he had to have his bottle 3 years old .nipple had holes in then give just give him cup .he 5 now still takes cuppy to bed …
My son is going to be 3 in may and still takes a baba to go to sleep. But we have limited due to doctors orders to 2 and a half cups a day. Now the sleeping I have no answers my son have behavioral insomnia and we co”sleep” (there ain’t much sleeping going on in my house).
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I tried a sippy that was soft and she was off the bottle the day she turned one. Yu have to find a new routine and if she really thirst she will drink it. And try giving her something to confront her
I rocked my daughter to sleep every night so try that
Try a sippy remove the bottle
Start cutting down the amount of milk you give her in the bottle and eventually switch to just water in it. I did this with my youngest daughter who was the same way when she was around 15 months old and she got to the point where she didn’t even want it anymore and would throw it out of her crib.
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All the pediatricians I have seen never recommend anything to help the children sleep. Melatonin or Benadryl none of it. They always say it’s healthy for them to sleep on their own. There is nothing wrong with your kid sleeping. It’s just trying to break the habit.
Try a sippy cup that is similar to a bottle and then transition. Try bedtime rituals. Or maybe even try chocolate milk.
We got our daughter off the bottle because we offered chocolate milk only in the sippy cup. Eventually it was easy to simply remove the bottle because she liked the cup. And she even drank the regular milk out of it.
Anything after 15 months becomes a habit and is harder to break my grandson Has been going to bed with a sippy cup since 11 months