Bottle Problems

It's completely up to you when she stops drinking from a bottle. My daughter drank from a bottle until she was 3 and then we had an agreement that she would give it up at her third birthday, and she did. Her teeth are perfectly healthy.

Why does she need a sippy cup? Sippy cups are a relatively new invention.. our parents didn't have them.

I say, go cold turkey with the bottle (she shouldn't have it at 21 months anyway) and give her a cup :)

jessica

IMHO, the problem here is that she is drinking beverages in her bed and while going to sleep. She should not be having a bottle -or- a sippy cup. This not a good idea for many reasons. Unless she is drinking water and only water, it's bad for her health. For one, her teeth are sitting in a pool of milk or juice. A bottle at naptime or bedtime is an easy way to "unconsciously" be consuming more calories than she needs. Sucking on a bottle while lying down has also been linked to ear problems. Even if she is drinking water, this is too much water just before bed--you may run into all kinds of problem with her once you start potty training--how is she supposed to stay dry at night if she is drinking a bottle while she drifts off. If nothing else, isn't it a royal mess to have beverages leaking all over the crib.

I would first break her of the habit of going to bed with the bottle. (I'm a big stickler on food and beverages are consumed while sitting at the table.) Offer her a bottle before naptime and bedtime, but get her in the habit of drinking it somewhere more suitable--the kitchen table or her high chair. Once that habit is established for a few weeks, then you can take the bottle away for good. There are many ways to go about that--cold turkey, the bottle fairy, giving them away to another baby you know.

It's great that she is drinking out of a regular cup. Sippy cups are convenient, but they are hardly necessary. And eventually, they have to transition out of those, too. Save yourself the hassle. Good luck.

I agree: take it away. Make them disappear. I dreaded it both times with my 2 oldest boys, but it always ended up being less of a deal than I thought it would be.
When the choice is a sippy cup or nothing, chances are the sippy cup will start looking mighty good.

dont stress so much about getting her on the sippy - you could start another attachment that you will be confused about how to get rid of later :P

try do not ask do not refuse with the bottle. dont make it convenient, dont offer anything in the bottle except water. no juice, no milk. if she wants that, she has to have the normal cup. if shes drinking from a cup just fine - you are doing a great job there! so skip the sippy! :D

like i said, if you only offer water, not only are you going to save on her teeth, but she might decide shes just not interested anymore. :D any milk or juice in bottle at nap time can seep into her mouth and basically rot teeth ... so remember that with your little guy too. i have heard only formula in bottles (if thats what you use - or breastmilk) anything else in a cup. once formula or breastmilik is not needed or served anymore, the bottle can have water only.

good luck! try www.askdrsears.com to see if theres more ...

Take it away cold turkey.I had to do this with my daughter at 2.5 years old. Sucked for a few days then she got over it.Her teeth are a mess right now at age7 and I do wonder if having a bottle and sippee for long contributed to her dental problems.

I had to tell my little girl that somebody else needed the bottles you know like another baby and that she was a big girl and didnt need them anymore..it took me 3 days to get her off the bottle..and also did it when we were potty training and she was potty trained in 3 weeks..hope this helps a little.

start with the nap time. right before she goes to bed, give her a drink. But don't give her a bottle. Its going to take a few days before she learns to sooth herself with out the bottle, maybe give her a stuffed animal or something else little to take the place of the bottle. Once she has soothed herself with out the bottle at nap times then take it away at night.

With my oldest I did it cold turkey... yes it got over quicker but for the week it was horrible during the days because he wasn't getting any good sleep durning nap times or at night. When I did it this way with the rest it was better on them because atleast they slept good at night while adjusting w/o the bottle at nap time and vice versa.. when not sleeping good at night while adjusting they slept good at nap time.

Good luck.. it could be rough for a little bit, but it doesn't last forever. Hopefully its not a big deal for them taking it away and it goes easier than expected.

We do not give my daughter anything before she goes to sleep... always an option to do that.