How do you wean a baby off the bottle

[Sabine]

This might sound strange being asked by a mother of five: But how do you wean a toddler off the bottle?
I breastfed all my babies well into their second year and once I decided I had enough it wasn't really a big issue.
Karla, my youngest who is 15 months old now, has had bottles since she was six months and in some ways it is great not having a baby hanging off me all night (Been there! Done that!)
At this stage though she is so hooked on the bottle that she goes through sometimes 3x5oz per night. You can imagine the state of the nappy the next morning and often I have to wash the bed sheets too.
I fiend it very hard to withhold the bottle as I fear long screaming sessions and no sleep. I started diluting the milk with water to put her off but she drinks just as much. Does anyone have experience with bottlefeeding out there? I'd love some views on that?

 

[nermal71]

Our youngest was the one who I had the roughest time with (the older 2 just got rid of it at about 14m/o). My youngest fought and fought us. We switched to the small 4oz bottles with straight water hoping to get rid of it that way (he was 2y/o). Finally it took about a week of screaming at night. Someone had suggested a sippy cup at night, but that left a mess and the more I thought about it I felt we were going to exchange one bad habit for another. All I can suggest is try and be patient. Give something to drink before they go to bed and then it's night night time with no bottle/cup.

 

[Boz]

That's how I was. I didn't want to give up my bottle. So my mom and dad convinced me to send my bottle to grandma as a present to remember me when I was little (or something like that). So I wrapped it and sent it. Then that night I decided I didn't like that idea! But I couldn't get my bottle back because it was "gone". Not sure how long it took me to get over it.

Good luck!

 

[hartleybun]

remember this stage well! with both kids i i brought sippy cups with their favourite characters on and 'accidently' broke the teats on their bottles. i did have both of them into a bedtime routine of bath, last drink, quiet play short story then bed. if they woke in the night they got water.

the youngest was easier as she wanted to copy her brother, she also loved 'forever friends' so was quite happy with her new cup.

be firm! you can do it! i was own for much of the early years as my husband worked unsocial hours. for my sanity it had to be my way cos i was the parent and in charge. 16 years later im still taking this line tho both kids are taller than me:rollseyes

 

[DeniseJP]

OK... when Benn was a baby and my last baby... he bit me so he was weaned off the breast at a year and one week.

The bottle was tougher so I figured I would make it be HIS choice. Easter was coming up so I asked Benn if he wanted the Easter Bunny to leave him a candy basket. Benn was all about the candy (and he had turned two) so I told him that in order to work the Easter Bunny magic, he would have to leave his bottle in a nest we created from a towel (he had no idea there were multiple bottles and I tossed those prior to the big move).

The night before Easter, Benn left his bottle in the nest and he woke up to find it gone and the candy basket there. We had a few questions about "where's my bobble?" and I pointed at the candy and said the Easter Bunny made it into a candy basket. It is changed into the candy."

He was OK with it until my visiting nephew left his bottle of formula on the floor. I secretly watched Benn take a swig of it, made a face and voila, he was weaned.

He laughs at how creative I was (he will be 18 in December). Sometimes weaning is as hard for Mom as it is baby. He no longer wants to go to rabbit shows, though... LOL!

Denise

 

[Sabine]

I figure it should be easier weaning them off the bottle then the breast because after all you are only withholding a "thing" rather than yourself. I am determined to only give her one bottle preferably before bedtime and let her go to sleep without sucking. it's bad timing her grandparents are coming to visit next week. i can't really have her screaming for a prolonged time when they are around. but she can't go on having three bottles throughout the night

 

[hartleybun]

Sabine wrote:

her grandparents are coming to visit next week. i can't really have her screaming for a prolonged time when they are around.

:devilohi would! and then wait for the inevitable 'in our day' or else 'when our children were that age..':nasty:

 

[Sabine]

I am trying to persist with no milk before sun rise at the moment. It worked for last night

 

[fuzz16]

umm when my daughter turned 7 months i started a sippy cup. then now shes a year and MAYBE has a bottle a day, mainly at night. but even then i give her a sippy with water in it.

i think it was really easy for me, but my daughter has never giving me any trouble with giving things up.