[aidanbmom21]

My 20 month old will not go to bed without a bottle and he wakes frquently to get a sip from his bottle.I literally mean a sip he sucks for like 2 seconds then puts it down. I tried to take it away but he screamed for 1 hour straight so I got it and he took his little sip which isn't even a ounce then he went to sleep. He can drink out of a cup or a straw but for some reason he won't give up the bottle for bed time. He won't even take a binky.

[tickle]

You are going to have to exercise tough love mom. I hope there is only water in the bottle and not juice, bad for gums, all that sugar. Good luck with this cause its hard to say no isn't it. I hope you don't have the problem of sleeping arrangements soon, too, that can be a deal breaker :(

[phil828]

Tickle is right on!! Just water!! Milk,juice etc rot growing gums and baby teeth. I know from experience. Fill him/her up before bed. Then good luck no more during night. Its going to be tough for a few nights. Maybe a pacifier and deal with that down the road. Best of luck!!

[tickle]

I was going to suggest a pacifier too, phil828, but don't they say that malforms the bone structure in the mouth that is already forming for their teeth. I know we used to do that but there are so many reasons we can't now ! And they all sound really scary.

[artlady]

As the other answer said make sure you are only giving him water.

During the day encourage him when he uses his sippy cup telling him what a big boy he is.Point out to him when you can that a bottle is for babies.Don't lay a guilt trip on him but let him know throughout the day that he is a big boy,stress that by pointing out the bottle thing.

Create a night time routine and encourage him to take a best friend to bed.Maybe a new stuffed animal that he can pick out.

During the bedtime routine encourage his big boy habits.Let him choose his own pjs,let him help with teeth brushing.

There must be a type of cup that he could have in the bed that will not spill but take care of his need for a drink.He is possibly not truly thirsty but needs the comfort to go back to sleep

Encourage him to turn to his new friend for comfort.His big boy friend.

Nothing is going to change overnight and 3am is not the time to try to change ingrained behavior.

When children are learning a new task they often have interrupted sleep cycles as the brain is so anxious to keep learning.They may even practice their new skill in a half sleep state.If he is in this mode he may be waking up more and I would try to encourage him to replace his comfort bottle with the new friend.

Just remember some things are not worth sweating about.Hes not going to have it in kindergarten so I say try to encourage but if you push too much he may just rely on the comfort more.

[jalnia]

As a mother of six, it is time to put the bottle away. 20 months is way too old to be still needing a bottle. You did not say what was in the bottle. If it is not water then I would suggest filling the bottle with water for the first couple of nights. Maybe your child will decide on his own it is not necessary. If not I would remove the bottle completely, and like the first response, practice some tough love. Maybe you could replace the bottle with a new stuffed animal or soft blanket. If the replacement works you may just be creating a new problem. But hey it is much better to have a two year old carrying around a prized possession than to be sucking a bottle and damaging their emotional and dental health.

[JudyKayTee]

This is from January 2009 and the person who asked the question has not been back.