She's 21 months now, and we've been talking about getting her off the bottle for months. So, at the risk of losing sleep and sanity, I reduced her bottle at naps and bedtime by an ounce every other night, until we were down to 4. Then, she got the flu and because she would vomit the milk up, we just stopped giving her any. My husband got her a pacifier.
Anyway, so she's over the flu now, but every night for the past 3 nights she wakes up at about midnight and is WIDE awake until around 3:00. DH can't bear to hear her unhappy, so he goes and gets her, and puts her in bed with us.
Well, tomorrow he has a big meeting and MUST get some sleep. So he nagged me into giving her a bottle AND the pacifier.
Have we totally trashed ourselves? Do I have to start again by reducing ounces? Or tomorrow, do I just put her to bed with no paci and no bottle?
I'd love to hear how other folks dealt with the removal of bottles and pacifiers. I TRULY thought I had washed my last bottle!! Ugh.
Only my oldest used a pacifier and THAT was a lot harder to get rid of. I just stopped giving it to him and he eventually forgot about it. I wish I had good advice.
A friend told me to not take away the pacifier, but instead poke a hole in it. Then she won't be able to create the suction and just won't want it.
I just dread tonight.
Quoting Bmama1:
My kids were ok with me taking away bottles. They were excited to start using a sippy cup.
Only my oldest used a pacifier and THAT was a lot harder to get rid of. I just stopped giving it to him and he eventually forgot about it. I wish I had good advice.
I stopped breastfeeding my daughter on her first brithday. Sometime during that first year the child should be introduced to solid food-cereal-and then on to solid food after breast/bottle feeding is done. At 21 months the kid doesn't need more bottle feeding unless it's juice so buck up and get her diet back on track with solid food. Ask your pediatrician for recommendations. As for the waking up in the middle of the night-your husband has created this problem by positively reinforcing her by getting her out of bed when she cries. She will be fine if you just leave her in bed. STOP going in there or you'll always have trouble with her sleeping through the night. It doesn't make you bad parents to let her get back to sleep on her own; in fact, you're doing her a favor to allow her to go back to sleep without your intervention.
The bottle isn't about nutrition at this point, but rather breaking a habit and taking away something that is comfort to her.
And doing it with as little drama as possible.
Quoting EarlGrayHot:I stopped breastfeeding my daughter on her first brithday. Sometime during that first year the child should be introduced to solid food-cereal-and then on to solid food after breast/bottle feeding is done. At 21 months the kid doesn't need more bottle feeding unless it's juice so buck up and get her diet back on track with solid food. Ask your pediatrician for recommendations. As for the waking up in the middle of the night-your husband has created this problem by positively reinforcing her by getting her out of bed when she cries. She will be fine if you just leave her in bed. STOP going in there or you'll always have trouble with her sleeping through the night. It doesn't make you bad parents to let her get back to sleep on her own; in fact, you're doing her a favor to allow her to go back to sleep without your intervention.
Quoting ATL958:
LOL, thanks.
A friend told me to not take away the pacifier, but instead poke a hole in it. Then she won't be able to create the suction and just won't want it.
I just dread tonight.
Quoting Bmama1:
My kids were ok with me taking away bottles. They were excited to start using a sippy cup.
Only my oldest used a pacifier and THAT was a lot harder to get rid of. I just stopped giving it to him and he eventually forgot about it. I wish I had good advice.
She's playing in the tub now, and we'll go from there to reading and bed. No bottle and no paci.
I'm hoping for a quiet night.
Quoting calsmom62:
I nursed all but one till they were 3, but we didn't give bottles after around 8 mnths, just sippy cups, and the same with pacis, they just disappeared. With one we did the bye bye pacifier you are a big kid send off ceremony, he was around 14 mos, And had found one in the bottom of the toybox and started to regress.
Quoting ATL958:
Thanks for sharing. Yes, it's the regression that I'm worried about.
She's playing in the tub now, and we'll go from there to reading and bed. No bottle and no paci.
I'm hoping for a quiet night.
Quoting calsmom62:
I nursed all but one till they were 3, but we didn't give bottles after around 8 mnths, just sippy cups, and the same with pacis, they just disappeared. With one we did the bye bye pacifier you are a big kid send off ceremony, he was around 14 mos, And had found one in the bottom of the toybox and started to regress.
Memorial Day
- ATL958
on Feb. 18, 2013 at 1:39 AM