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i'm thinking about getting my 16 month old off of the bottle cold turkey style... :redface:
has anyone had any experience in doing this?
I've told DH we're going to do it together as a team on the next long weekend.
She's an addict! lol. Even now she is having 3 full bottles a day.
I'd like for her to be off of it before baby #2 comes.
Any advice?
no advise really - Aiden is 20months, and still on 3 bottles a day, and i am in no rush to take them off him, its part of our routine, and, my theory is that this close to #2 being born, there is no way am I upsetting his routine.
If you are dead set on it, then, depending on the times of the day in which your DD has her bottles, perhaps just switching them to being milk in sippy cups? If its before bed thou, then, you need to just grit your teeth abit, and be prepared for a few nights of unsettledness. When Aiden was about 8months old, he was very relient on falling asleep on a bottle, and i had to break him out of it, as he wasnt sleeping over night, or self settling or anything, so, i started by comforting him to sleep, which ever way worked, without taking him out of him room really. Started on his day sleeps, and when he would fall asleep on his own, in his cot without a bottle for his day sleeps, then, worked on his night sleep. Just lots of patience, and calm really, and postive re-enforcement to him (eg.. "your doing a good job"), regardless of if he could understand what i was saying.
Now he has a bottle before bed, for both his day nap, and his night sleep, but, calls me to come and get his bottle before he rolls over and goes to sleep. sometimes just tosses his bottle on the floor and goes to sleep anyway.
Sippy cups are a good idea, as are the cups with straws. Not the crazy $15 ones , but the simple ones from Safeway/Coles that are about $3 (clear cups with removable flat lids). Then when you're ready you can remove the lids and Kailie can use them as normal cups.
If you're going to go cold turkey then you mustn't revert back to using the bottles...bit like tt, you can't go back to nappies once they're in undies! You'll probably find she'll kick up a stink for a day or so but just remove all evidence of bottles and she should soon enjoy the straw cups/sippy cups.
Just saw the date of your post. Have you tried yet?
i started weaning DS off the bottle at 10 months old. I took him down to 3 bottles at 10 months, breakfast lunch and before bed. Then a month later I dropped the breakfast bottle, then a few weeks later I dropped the lunch bottle so he was just having one before bed. At 13 months i stopped giving him a bottle before bed and he wasn't worried about it at all.
The dummy however, is a completley different story, he is almost three and still has the dummy. i guess each kid has strong attatchments to different things.
GL with weaning off the bottle, try not to put too much importance on it, the more you try and take it away the more he might want it. just go in easy and see how bub reacts
Hey chocolate catty, nope haven't tried it yet :(
haha, i'm a sucker!
but i know what you mean about once they're gone thats it, no going back (just like TT).
I'm waiting for the next long weekend as i want support from DH.
I figure if we can get through 3 days together, after that it shouldn't be as bad?
oh i hope so anyway!!
good luck i am also wondering how i will drop the before bed bottle. i'd love it gonebefore this baby is born (just bc it is one more step in the bed routine)... but he loves it and it is the only one he has... think i may try doing to before his bath and then slowly get rid of it...
let us know how you go! i think it is a grear idea to do it on a long weekend.
hey preagainpan
just thought i'd fill you in, DH had today off, so we've offically started cold turkeY!
She has gone the whole day without a bottle, but i timed it well, when nap time came we had to go for a drive, so she fell asleep in the car (easy!) Tonight for bed we read some stories and then had cuddles until she fell asleep, and i have to say not even a tear!!! :)
She just had a tiny sook, but that was it, we rocked in the chair and she eventually drifted off!
Not sure how i'll go tonight though - she normally wakes up to have a bottle... but yeah! I'll let you know in a couple of days k!
Wish me luck!!
Just thought i'd let you all know that kaili is now bottle free
thanks for your posts and words of wisdom! lol
It was pretty easy to be honest... i think i did it at the right age.
Not even a tear... crazy!! i know!!
Now when we go to bed we read a couple of books, then we rock in the rocking chair and she drifts off. takes about 10 - 15 minuteS? not bad at all
the only annoying one is if she wakes up in the middle of the night, i now have to get up and nurse her back to sleep, whereas before she would just slurp on a bottle and doze off by herself. but i'm hoping over time she'll realise there's no need to get up during the night and sleep through.
she slept through last night, so touch wood she's beginning to realise
thanks again ladies