I'm terrifed

The girls are still on one bottle a day. I gave myself the deadline of 15 months to get them off all bottles, but that is next week and I just don't see it happening. They drink milk out of sippies just fine, but the bottle before bed is an integral part of our bedtime routine and really calms them down. Plus its nice to know that they go to bed with a full belly. Anyone else or am I the only one who doesn't want to give it up? They'd probably do fine after a couple of days (just like every other transition), but I'm the one thats freaking out about it.

 

We're still nursing, but DS gets a bottle (still!) from DH instead of nursing right before bed, so that each baby can get some one-on-one time with a parent. That's the only bottle he gets, the rest of the time we nurse & they get sippies of water. I asked the pedi about it at our 15 mo checkup, and she was totally laid back. Her attitude was pretty much that he'd outgrow it when he was ready, and there's no harm continuing for now. So based on that, I'd say not to worry about keeping that bottle for now... It's not like they'll be having a bedtime bottle when they're 16!

 

I had a hard time letting go of "full belly" at bedtime. I thought for sure it bite me in the backside, but it didn't. You can still GIVE milk, just do it from a sippy and then you can offer a piece of cheese or something if you are really worried. It all blends together for me, so that means it wasn't a traumatic transition.

Just GO for it! I do have to tell you, the older they get the more attached they become to things, so probably better to let go of it now and then be done - it'll hurt less when they don't have the language for it!!!

 

QUOTE(~* dfaut *~ @ Jun 1 2008, 01:22 PM) [snapback]803755[/snapback]
I had a hard time letting go of "full belly" at bedtime. I thought for sure it bite me in the backside, but it didn't. You can still GIVE milk, just do it from a sippy and then you can offer a piece of cheese or something if you are really worried. It all blends together for me, so that means it wasn't a traumatic transition.

Just GO for it! I do have to tell you, the older they get the more attached they become to things, so probably better to let go of it now and then be done - it'll hurt less when they don't have the language for it!!!


Ditto Diane, I totally agree with her. Make sure you brush teeth after any bedtime milk too. I ended up giving mine a sippy of milk at bedtime for about 2-3 days after we got rid of the bottle, then stopped it. They didn't need it, they were fine and slept fine. They do get a drink of water right before bed, after brushing teeth.

They get way more stubborn as time goes on, I got rid of bottles at 12 months and I really, really wish I'd done the paci at 15 months.

 

I switched to a sippy of milk instead of a bottle around 13 months. They mostly still sat there and drank it. We kept it up until I don't know, 24 months maybe? By then, they were much less interested in it, and I kept having to say "drink your milk" so I figured they just didn't want it anymore. If they don't eat any dinner, then sometimes I offer a cup of milk or a snack of some sort.

 

I don't really recall when the boys dropped the last bedtime bottle. 24 months? There was no struggle really. They'd been using sippy cups all day, and around their 2nd birthday we were like, ok take a sippy cup instead of a bottle, and that was that.

 

Leighann, it's usually the things that I stress about that most that they completely surprise me with! Taking away that last bottle was one of them! Good luck!

 

I was very worried when we dropped the bedtime bottle. But we replaced it with a sippy of milk and they did just fine, no wake ups at all. We still give a sippy of milk and a small snack before bedtime for all 3 kids, it's part of our bedtime routine.

 

I was paranoid because they had fantastic sleeping habits. I replaced the bottle with a sippy of milk and a yogurt and it went more smoothly than I ever could have imagined. We eventually stopped with the milk but they still get a bedtime snack as part of the routine. I agree, the things I worry the most about seem to be the things that go the easiest but it hasn't stopped me from worrying (I like to think it is my worrying that makes it work and I don't want to jinx anything).

 

I don't know, perhaps i'm deluding myself because we're still on ALL bottles and our girls are only a couple of weeks apart, but I'm not sure you need to give it up. When i asked my pedi at our 12 month check up because i was really concerned that they were still taking so much (formula at the time), she said that it was not a problem; i should keep offering them the sippy and hold off on bottles til after meals, but not to worry. And although you wouldn't know it, they were six weeks early and I think that developmentally that still counts at this age. (again, perhaps i'm deluding myself, i admit it!)

That said, i stress about the bottle thing every day. I periodically offer them sippies of milk and they are absolutely not interested. And i see the point that things get more difficult the longer they have the habit, but I figure if you're taking care of their teeth and it makes all three of you comfortable, then why stress about it? You could try it and see how it goes, then re-assess. I know that i get myself really crazy when i try to control things and think that if they don't work NOW they will never work. And usually a few weeks go by and they're doing something I could never imagine them doing.

But again, who knows, maybe we will be having a battle later than sooner; but I also know that I have to be ready to do some things (like CIO) and if i try before I am then the deleterious effects of that just make everything more difficult. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

My philosophy always was if it's helping them sleep then keep doing it. My ultimate quest was always about getting enough sleep. If they slept, then I could sleep and that's what mattered most to me! My girls used bottles for comfort objects long after they needed them. I realized it was the bottle, not the content that they cared about, so I would put water in the bottles. They were happy. I later switched the bottles of water to sippy cups of water when they began chewing chunks out of the nipples. Besides, if one of the bottles of water got dropped and forgotten, it wasn't all nasty a few days later when it was discovered. (that happened once with the milk, and I was going to make sure I never had that happen again!). They used the sippy cups of water on and off until they more or less lost interest, but to this day they still like to have a sport bottle of water on their night stands when they go to bed.

 

I was freaked, too, about doing it. But, we just put ice cold water in their sippy cups and they took the transition like champs. Everything is the exact same except we drink water instead of milk. And, to help me feel okay with the "full-tummy" thought, I gave them a little snack of yogurt, cheese, etc about 45 minutes before bed with a little bit of milk. Then it was bath, jammies, books, water, bedtime. It went off so smoothly and I AGONIZED about it for months before it happened!

 

If you aren't ready don't sweat it. I don't think we gave up that bedtime bottle until closer til 18mos. I too was worried about it but found out I had nothing to worry. I was the only one who seemed to care about it. We actually gave up the bedtime bottle by accident when away for a weekend. We just replaced the bottles with sippies(Nuby at first) and never looked back. My guys still get a sippy of milk most nights before bed. Sometimes they drink it and sometimes they don't so we save whats left til the next morning.

Do it when it feels right for you all.

 

I was so worried about this too as it was such a part of their routine. but I managed to drop the nursing session without a problem and replace with a bottle. And then the bottle got replaced with a snack/sippy without really any fuss. Just give it a shot!

 

That was my biggest fear as well ... but ya know what? mine didn't even care ... at 13 months we were down to all sippies except bottle before bed ... We decided to switch to a sippy one weekend, with the full intention of going back the next night if it didn't work out ... well, they probably drank like half the sippy, and went to bed, and all was fine ... and the next night, the same thing ... and it went fine. You could always try one night, and if it's a disaster, wait a little longer ... but don't stress about it!

 

QUOTE
My philosophy always was if it's helping them sleep then keep doing it. My ultimate quest was always about getting enough sleep.
but how do you know if it is helping? I certainly thought it was but was proven wrong when the transition went smoothly.

QUOTE
You could always try one night, and if it's a disaster, wait a little longer ... but don't stress about it!
I agree!

 

What we did is switch the bottle for a sippy at bedtime. I was stressed about it too, but they were fine. Eventually they stopped drinking most of the sippy so at that time we just stopped offering it.

 

Thank you all for your responses!!!! I think we are going to make the switch this weekend. If its going to mess up sleep, I'd rather do it when I don't have to be at work the next day. Or better yet, maybe I'll have DH do it on Friday night when I'm at my book club meeting... hmmm

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who was worried about this. The transition to a morning sippy went just fine so I'm sure this will be ok. And like someone said I doubt they'll need a night time bottle when they leave for college!!!

 

Good luck! Be Strong!! You can do this!!! :hug99: