Debbie,

This reply is probably way overdue, but I thought I would chuck in my 2 cents worth!

Olivia has just turned 2, and I realised I had been putting off weaning her off the bottle, becasue of the comfort factor. The same as you, the cuddly snuggly bedtime bottle is such a nice part of her little routine!

But I started to realise that she was eating less, and my MIL (who is a dietician) esxplained to me that too much calcium via cows milk in toddlers can lead to a depletion of iron uptake, so I realised I had to "bite the bullet" and start encouraging Olivia to drink her fill of milk from a cup rather than the "habit" of a bottle.

I was scared it may lead to her being unsettled and not drop off to sleep as well.

But her birthday was on Tuesday and we had a big "ceremony" about putting all her bottles in the bin, & she thought it was great fun.

Now she has a cup of milk with brekkie, one with lunch and one with stories before bed. Interestingly she only drinks about 80ml of it, and then asks to put the cup in the sink, telling me she is "finished please", LOL!

And her appetite for normal food has increased again, which I am happy about.

So, we waited till she was 2, she was happy to put them in the bin, and it hasn't affected her routines or sleeping at all, so I am glad we waited.