Desperately Trying to Break "Cup to Bed with Me" Habit in 19-Mo-old.

We had the same problem, going from bottle at bed to sippy cup of milk at bed too. I was worried about his teeth, especially since I am not the best at remembering to have him brush :(

My son and I are not good at fast transitions and trying to just have no cup at all did not work for us.

What I did was, I gradually put more water than milk into the cup until it was all water one night. For weeks after that, he would still suck down a lot of the water before he went to sleep, but by now he mostly ignores it and doesn't drink more than a sip or two before he goes to sleep. (He still is pretty adamant about having the cup there though.)

When he was sick with the flu we were giving him pedialyte or liquilytes in the sippy cup, even at bedtime to keep his fluid levels up and prevent dehydration, so he got hooked on the "juice" for bedtime by the time that week was over. Again, I just slowly transitioned him to water by putting more and more water, and less and less pedialyte in there. Worked like a charm.

luck to you-
-mom of a two year old

I have two ideas, they may not be good but oh well.
1. put water in the sippy cup (rather than milk)
2. put water in the sippy cup and fill it halfway. Put it in the freezer until it's frozen. Tell him when it melts, he can drink it (by then he'd be asleep)--perhaps this will teach him he doesn't need to have something to drink in bed with him and he may forget to request it after a while.

I like trying subliminal tricks like that with my children. After a while, it's all I can do. Parenting is exhausting.

Why not just gradually dilute it with water until it is all water? My kids like having a cup of water so they can wake up at night & get a drink.
Brekka

We send our son to bed with a sippy cup of water. If he won't take water right away, you can transition him with watering down the milk until it is only water. We have a glass of water by our bed, why can't the kids have water too? That is my philosophy anyway.

Have you tried water instead of milk? Or even put less in the cup every night, so after a while you're giving an empty cup. Maybe he'll get bored with it and realize that he can't get anything out of it and wean himself from it. These are just suggestions from an inexperienced SAHM of a 12 mos old. Good luck, I'd love to hear what happens next and hope you find something that works for you and your son!

Taking something comforting to bed isn't so much of a "habit" as it is a real comfort.

Try this: Let him know early in the evening that tonight his cup-at-bedtime will have to have water not milk. Tell him the milk is 'all gone' and show him an empty milk container so that he knows there isn't any milk left for bedtime.

Water at bedtime will give him the comfort of the cup he is looking for, but he won't be as attached to drinking water after several nights. Even if he is, he will grow out of the cup some day.

He may cry at bedtime when he misses the milk, so you can comfort him about it by saying, "I wish we had a new carton of milk too! I wish we had 50 cartons of milk!" This will let him know that you too would want him to have milk. It is an important part of this process that you acknowledge how much he would prefer to have milk.

I have known dozens of kids who have gone to bed with a sippy cup of water at night to replace their bottle of milk. Eventually they set it on the night stand all by themselves before they lie down.

Read: How to talk to kids so they'll Listen and Listen so they'll talk. This easy to read book gives us some very key phrases that help when weaning kids from all kinds of things that make sense when they are small but don't as they grow older.

we sent our son to bed with a bottle and he ended up with baby bottle tooth decay, which was horrible. When we got his teeth fixed, he still wanted something to go to be with to drink. Quite honestly, I have a cup of water on my headboard for when I wake up with a dry mouth, so we gave him a water bottle. It didn't affect his potty training for night time at all, so he had it for quite a while. Then when we had our younger son and they shared a room, we had to stop the water bottle for our oldest, because the little one couldn't have water in bed, he would pee the bed. So, we explained that our oldest could get up and go get a drink in the bathroom. I bought those teeny paper cups and told him he could have one cup for each trip and he had to make sure he at least tried to go pee after his drink each time. That seemed to work.

Fill the cup with water. If his sippy has in fact become a security-thing for him, the battle of removing it altogether may be too great. Additionally, water won't be as bad on his teeth as milk. Best of luck.

keep it water and the cup is ok

I completely understand how you feel. I have four kids - three in grade and middle school now and one preschooler. My last two children were just like your 19-month-old. I was just happy they would go to bed so I didn't want to pick a battle about the bottle/sippy cup. What I ended up doing is putting water in the sippy cup so it wouldn't bother their teeth. I told them ahead of time that first they could have milk, then after brushing they would have water in their bedtime sippy cup.
If he fights you on this, then you can take the sippy cup away. If he's unhappy with that, give it back to him with the water in it and I bet he'll take it. One last thing, this too, shall pass. With my children, it eventually wore off with age. Best wishes to you and your upcoming baby!

C.,

We had this issue with my daughter up until the age of about 2 yrs. I told her that the doctor said no more milk at bedtime because it is bad for her teeth. This may have worked because she knew her docotor well and was fond of him. I think we also offered her a sippy cup of water as a replacement.

H.

Could you make the transition step by step? Let him know that he can have water in his sippy and let him take it to bed. That alone may reduce the interest. My body type seems to need a lot of water and I take a glass on my nightstand each eventing. My daughter is 4 and I let her take a sippy of water too. She doesn't drink much but with as busy as she is during the day if she needs to get caught up on something to drink at night to remain hydrated I am okay with that.

Water instead of milk! Although this turns into a habbit in itself. I have a 2 and a 3yr old that will not part w/ their water at night and then pee thru often. Just a FYI warning for the future if you continue w/ the sippy cup at night. :)

Hi I also have a 19 month old son and he takes a bottle to bed. This is my third son and all of them had this habbit. The thing that I did around a couple of months ago though was switch to water. I don't worry about his teeth decaying. I need to switch to a sippy cup soon myself so that his teeth don't become bucky. He usually sips a little as he is going to sleep and if he wakes up he will sip a little more. There is alway some left in the morning. Both my husband and I have a glass of water on our night stands and now so do my 10 and 5 year old. I certainly don't feel bad knowing that they drink during the night. My two older ones never wet the bed with the extra water either. I hope this helps. Or at least takes away any guilt.

Have you tried just putting water in the cup? My 17 month old is the same way, she must have her "baby" and a sippy cup of water for naptime and bedtime.
If he insists on milk, you could always slowly dilute it with water, a little more each night, until it's all just water.

My son loves to take a cup to bed with him too, he is 22 months, and I too am worried about having milk in a cup at bed or juice. So now he just gets water. That is the best compromise we have come up with to save the tantrums and yet not have to worry about hurting his teeth.

We had to switch to water, cold turkey. We give our 15-month-old milk before we brush his teeth and then only water after. It's worked really well for us.

Always learning, isnt' that a fact!
I am a part time Stay at home mom (was stay at home full time till about last Setpember) with a part time job at a church near by. My boys are 5 and 3.5 now.
A suggestion I have would be to try having water in the cup at night to transition him out of using it. Without the taste he might look for in the cup he may get tired or bored of using it. This will allow you both to relax, hopefully, as it won't hurt his teeth like juice or milk, and he can have his security blanket (in this case cup).
Hope this helps, good luck, K.

Try giving him either an empty cup after you brush his teeth or if he won't go for that try water.

Why don't you try 2 cups...one with a little milk during book time, then brush teeth, and the next cup with water. He may not like it at first, but he'll get used to it, and then he can keep the cup with him all night. Maybe let him pick out a new sippy cup at the store for water only, then it will be "special" and he might not mind so much. Hope this helps!

I agree with all the responses. My son is 28 months and he still takes a sippy cup to bed. But we fill it only with water. Never milk. It doesn't hurt them to have water during sleep time (even adults sometimes need drinks at night).

I have a 20-mo-old son, so I'm trying to think of how I would get him to stop. Yes, milk is bad for their teeth at night. Maybe you could switch to water? Or would he throw a fit?
Maybe just give him a big cup of milk before he brushes his teeth, until he gets as much as he wants. Then brush his teeth and put him to bed with his blankie & teddy bear.
Those are my only ideas. Good luck!

I am going to go along with all the other responses here. We have an almost 5 year old daughter and our son just turned 2. They both take a 4oz sippy cup to bed with them and it is only filled about 1/3 full of water. Honestly most nights they never even drink from it it's just there in bed in case they get thirsty in the middle of the night. Good luck and I would not take his sippy cup away from him just change what you are putting in it for the safety of his teeth and your sanity.

~B.

start watering the milk down gradually til it's water

I send my kids to bed with a sippy cup containing water. Sometimes they down the whole thing by morning so I think they do get thirsty in the night.

How about just water in the cup?

SAHM of seven

I have heard of mothers watering the milk down so it doesn't taste good. If he doesn't like it maybe he won't be interested in taking it to bed. Or you might just put plain water in it. At least then you don't have to worry about milk on his teeth. Hope you find something that works!!

C.,

My girls never cared for anything but the cup. My little one often doesn't even drink it, just holds on to it as she falls asleep. The oldest, 3 , grew out of it on her own. hannah,(almost 2) is allowed only water in the sippy cup and I have switched to only allowing her to have the sippy at night, the rest of the time she has a big girl cup. I don't go for the making kids cry for ever like the books say. This works well for us and every body gets what they want. Except that I always have to get up in the middle of the night to change a diaper.

My daughter just turned 2 a few weeks ago and she still brings her sippy cup (water only) to bed. She is my "Linus" kid-blankie in one hand and sippy cup in the other every where she goes! She takes a few sips after we shut the door and then she goes to sleep.

Here are a few things I would do. First, does he drink water? Maybe changing to water at bedtime might help. If the sippy is truly the "lovie", then what is in the cup shouldn't matter. As I am sure you are aware, sending children to bed with things like juice and milk (which both contain types of sugar) can lead to what is called "baby bottle decay" (but does not just apply to bottles) and can decay your child's teeth. If he really likes milk before bed, can you do it before brushing teeth and change your routine a bit? Do the story and milk first, and then brush teeth. Then, empty out the cup and let him go to bed with it emptied if he feels as though he truly needs the sippy. Although it is difficult to reason with a 19 month old, you may just need to put your foot down and switch to water because, although he may be quite unhappy at first, your son's health comes above his bedtime comfort, right?

Hope that helps!

Many of us have been in this situation. I suggest that you have another sippy cup with water in it ready when you put him down. That way he can still have a cup but it won't harm his teeth as it has water in it. If you can't make the switch then only give him water while reading. It may upset him at first not having the milk... but at least he has the comfort of the cup... and maybe eventually he won't want it at all if he knows he is only going to get water.

C. H

For a milder approach, try giving him water in his sippy-cup only. Don't give in to other drink requests. Eventually you might try giving him a sippy-cup that's barely filled.

In all honesty though, sometimes a night or two of "tough love" are best in these situations--which means you may need to just take it away (but explain why, tell him it's not good for his teeth and that it can cause cavities, explain what cavities are and what can happen if they get bad enough). It should only take a few nights before he is okay with it. Other options are to redirect his attention with a nightlight show (they have various products available), or nature sounds CD's, or similar... if his mind is on something other than his sippy cup, he should be better able to cope with not having it.

Is it the drink he wants, or the cup? If he'll be satisfied with an empty cup, then there's no problem. Otherwise, transition to plain water, and the tiniest bit you can get away with.

Some kids are more insistent on routine than others, and if that's the case you may just have to accommodate him. Most are comfortable with consistent RULES, though, and if you point out (helplessly ;)) that the rule is "Nothing but water after brushing teeth", he should be able to go with that.

If he doesn't believe you, because he's been getting away with it so far, it may help to link the rule with a specific circumstance, i.e. "Big boys and girls only have water..." or "I just got a call from the tooth fairy, and she says No more...", whatever you think will influence him, based on his personality.

Have a 'daytime' sippy cup and a 'nighttime' sippy cup. The nighttime one only has water in it, and the daytime one is for any other drinks. Put a big 'D' on the one for days, and a big 'N' on the one for nights. Tell your child that he only gets water in the nighttime sippy cup. You might get a few days worth of arguments, but then you won't have to worry about the issue of milk on his teeth all night. Good luck and be strong!

As frustrating as it may be. I think that if you take the milk out of the refrigerator and put an empty one in. Then, show him the empty milk container at bed time.Now comes the hard part, put him to bed without the cup and stick to your guns. One or two nights of struggle will be worth a lifetime of good teeth. Good luck and congrads on the new addition.

Hey C.,
What about filling up his cup with water? This will not only be better for his teeth, but it also might make him lose interest in the cup if he's not getting his "yummy milk."

Hope that helps!!
Good luck! ;)

Edited to add: I am a new user and didn't see all the responses below mine that gave the same advice. Ha ha ha! Sorry for repeating!

We have a very similar situation at our house! My daughter now drinks her milk while we read books on the floor, then we brush her teeth and get a sippy cup with "fresh cold ice water." That way she has the best of both worlds, she still get's her milk and she is still able to have her cup with her when she goes to bed.

Is it really the cup that is the issue for you or the milk? My kids (5,4, and 2) all take a cup to bed with them, but with water. Perhaps you could try that. It actually helps mine sleep better so there is no getting mom up at night with "I'm thirsty." Good luck!

Both my children (ages 4 and 2 1/2) both have to have their cups with them when they go to bed. We started doing that when they were little - but have them filled with water - not milk. It works really well and as they have gotten older takes away the whole "I need a drink" excuse when it's bedtime! They both just have it with them by or in their bed (it's in a sippy cup)and it has seemed to work really well.

C., what about giving him like half the water when he goes to bed, then like you can do with a blankie, is slowly cut it down, ? do the same with the water, slowly lessen how much you put in the cup, this might work, get them used to smaller amounts. and hopefully he dont notice, ahahha but sometimes they do, and they know it, hahahah kids can be pretty smart at times, enjoy life, and dont worry about the small stuff like a sippy cup, our job as parents is to give them what they need, and each kid is different, give them their needs without giving them the lead in the family, sounds like you are doing a great job, keep up the good work, D. s

Hi C.,

Hane you tried putting water in the cup? That might be an okay middleground for you. With my kids, I just tolkd them that after we brush teeth, we can't have anything else to eat or drink except water because other things put sugarbugs on our teeth and that's bad for them. They seem to understand. i try not to get into the whole cavity/dentist discussion so they don't have a fear of the dentist. If you have a local dentist who is good with kids, maybe s/he could explain on a quick visit why water is a better choice. Good luck!