Help with Getting Daughter off the Bottle at Age 3. - Leander,TX

My two-year old LOVES his "ba-ba" too. And, I wish I had weened him off of it when he was young enough to not have cared. Regardless, he only drinks out of it before nap and bedtime. I asked my pediatrician if there would be any problems with his teeth and such, and he said it was fine as long as my son didn't sleep with a bottle of milk in his mouth as it can cause tooth decay. He thought there was nothing to worry about especially since my son drinks out of a cup, straw, sippy, etc the rest of the time. And, it's not like my son is going to be drinking out of a bottle in elementary school...hopefully :-). Besides, it makes all of our lives more peaceful and happy by giving our son his 'ba-ba' to calm him down before bed.

My daughter is 3 and still has a bottle at times and I don't think there's anything wrong with it...not like she's taking it to high school with her or anything. Don't think it's right to take it away if she identifies it as a security, she'll give it up when she's ready.

I fully agree with Kathryn. If it is a need, then respect it - it's only at nap time and bed times. Brush her teeth more - maybe that can be the compromise for you and her. But her crying is for a reason - she is simply not ready.

All the most reputable studies show that letting kids cry-it-out is not good for them at all - this is old paradigm parenting and it is shown to cause kids various problems down the road. Just because kids are not ready when we are, doesn't mean we force them to deal - that is just wrong. She will let go of this when she is ready - are you ready to let go of your rushing? Once you do, then it allows her to work out her ability to let go of her ba-ba in her own time; and it teaches her to respect her self and her needs. If you do not respect this, how can she learn to?

Ally

We used water in the bottle. She took the bottle took a few sips and dropped it. I think she liked it in her crib. So i gave her one for a few days but one day I just stopped and she was fine. My daughter was 3 yrs old also and using it for nap time and night time. I tried the cold turkey no bottle method and she screamed as if I were setting her feet on fire. Me personally, if there are other methods to try that may just take a little more time, I try them. I don't like the whole cry it out bold method. It is always a last resort. It may actually backfire on you also. If you try that and it isn't going over very well so you give her a bottle, then she won. That's how she'll see it. There is no turning back once you try The Cry It Out method. Good luck! NB

You need to let her cry otherwise.She is going to cry about everything she cant have in life. My granddaughter is 3 yrs old and as been off the bottle since she was one years old. its not going to hurt her to cry. Her teeth will rot if she continues to want a bottle at night. its not good. get her a doll or stuff animal to subsitute

Hi - We had a the same problem!! We fixed it by putting just warm & slightly salted water in the bottle. My grandma told me this is a old way of breaking kids of the bottle. My daughter took 2 nights. This way she broke her self of the habit of needing a bottle. The water didnt taste good so she did it all by her self!! We feel like she learned life lessons of quiting habits, mommy and daddy didnt do it for her. This was a HUGE victory I feel for my daughter. Hope this helps :)

Pack them up and "Mail" them to a baby you know (get them out of the house!). Explain that the new baby needs them and she's a big girl who doesn't need them anymore. Then give her a little card or certificate for her generosity! :) Trust me - cold turkey is best and explaining where they went in a way that teaches a lesson about recycling and giving to others in need. :)