17 Month Old - Still Gets Bed Time Bottle

Dear M.,

You don't need to rush at taking away her bottle. It is helping her AND you to get some needed sleep.

When you are ready, I suggest adding water to her milk. I started at 1/4 bottle and increased until they were getting only water. Then, they will give it up themselves.

Good Luck! Don't worry. You are a Good M..

S L

M.,
My son is also 17 months and he still gets a bottle at nap time and bed time! Don't worry about it, they are only babies for a little while! Each child is different in what they need, and mom knows best! If you are worried about it, try switching to giving her a sippy cup with the milk before bed. Good luck!
J. :)

As a once dental assistant in a pediatric office, I've found that children who still have the bottle after age 9 months tend to have not so healthy teeth and may have teeth like a thumb sucker would. Try a sippy cup instead, it's that time =)
Do you feed her solid foods to get her tummy full before she goes to bed?It may just be a route she is use to but it can gradually be broken. I see no problem rocking her, but try to rock her with a lullaby?

My son, who is now 5, did this for a very long time. We just tried to make sure he drank some water or brushed his teeth afterwards. The milk can stay in their mouths and cause tooth decay. You may try to ween her off by offering her a glass of milk or a bowl of sugarless cereal before she gets ready for bed. Also, changing the bedtime routine by adding something in lieu of the bottle (i.e. singing, reading) may make it easier. Don't worry, she won't still need it when she starts school - ha ha!

Our firstborn had a bath-bottle-brush-book-bed routine until he was at least 3. It worked really well for him and he was a fabulous sleeper. So maybe start gently transitioning with the brushing just after the bottle. When we decided it was time to end, we substituted a sippy cup for the bottle, then it slowly disappeared, as these things do. Don't worry...enjoy feeling rested.

My kids were 1 (12 months) when we stopped the bottle. Sippy cups with milk seem appropriate. You can still rock her with the sippy if you feel the desire to do that...otherwise she should be able to self-soothe at 17 months to fall asleep.

Best of luck!

Hi M. -
Every child's needs are different. My son just turned 3 in November and we still give him approx. 2 bottles per day in addition to his regular meals. Currently, we have him on organic rice milk. The bottles are great because they encourage him to consume more liquid which is vital to his growth. He is very tall for his age and never gets sick. Also, he is advanced in language skills and coordination. I really beleive that this is greatly supported by the large amount of healthy liquid that he receives. For awhile, after breast milk, we tried soy milk. Then we switched to organic rice milk.

If other people are trying to pressure you into taking the bottle away, for whatever reason, listen to your motherly instinct instead. We push kids into growing up so fast, but to what end?

Good luck to you...L.

I wouldn't worry about it. The bottle is fine. My daughter was the same way and at about 27 months we switched to a sippy cup with milk at bedtime that she drank while we read to her in a rocking chair. My daughter is 4 now and I don't rock her anymore, but she still has a little milk at bedtime while I read to her. I've always made sure that her teeth are brushed after the milk and before she lies down. No tummy, tooth, bedwetting, thumb-sucking problems.

Hi M.,

I have a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old and we went through the waking up early because they were hungry phase. We just started giving them each a bowl of cereal, with milk or dry before bed(we called it cheerio fest). That satisfied them and for us sleep was never an issue after that.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

J.

i had a hard time with my son and the bottle. we changed the bottle out for a sippy cup and now he is two and we give him milk with dinner and after dinner and water for bedtime. good luck.

Well, my 3 yr old still gets "milkies" in a sippy cup at night, and I assume he will just outgrow it at some point. I thought about trying to wean him off of it, but really, why? I'm pretty sure he will outgrow it before he graduates high school, after all, and it is one of the only ways we can get him to consume some supplements he needs. I think you are fine. It won't work forever, so why not go with it while it does?

The only thing is that you may want to adjust your routine to brush her teeth after the bottle and before sleep, which is not too hard to do.

Good luck!

I think this is a wonderful bonding moment and I think you should start brushing her teeth after her last bottle of milk. I did this all three of my kids until they were over two. If she is not falling asleep with it and you have helped her devolop good sleeping happits then keep up the bonding, they grow out of the need for an extra cuddle way too fast anyway. The one question I would like to ask the other moms who said to switch to a sippy cup of milk...what is the difference of the Nuby sippy cup and the bottle? If you keep the same bedtime routine but replace bottle with cup then still brush teeth and put baby to bed awake to fall asleep on their own, what is the differnce? I think that closeness of parent and child is so very important and in some countries they encourage the bottle/breast until the age of two. When your child is a little over replace the bottle with the cup butdo not change the routine until your "baby" no longer fits in your lap. I have an 8.5 year old daughter who sits with me each night but now she reads me a story. Gob bless you and your little miracles.

I too have a 17 month old who gets a bed time bottle. I also have an 8 year old who got a bedtime bottle until she turned 2. I think that every child is different and if she still needs it or enjoys it for now it's okay! My ped. showed no concern with my first or with me still giving Ella one at bedtime now, it's a non-issue. Your her mom, you know what's best and I bet the world won't end by her getting 6 oz of milk before bedtime!!

We gave our son a bottle of milk before bed until he was a little past 2 with no adverse effects. If you and your daughter enjoy the routine of rocking and a bottle before keep doing it. The only thing you may want to be careful about is her teeth. Just add brushing her teeth after the bottle. If you are already putting her down awake then it shouldn't be too difficult, it just may take a few days. If you haven't started brushing her teeth yet then you may want to introduce it during the day if she is like most kids and gets excited about new things. When you do decide to wean her off the bottle it may be a little difficult, but it's not like she is falling asleep with it or waking in the night to use it. Don't feel pressured to make her grow up any faster than you feel comfortable!

Will she drink water? If you could get her to switch to water it would be better for her teeth :) My daughter goes to bed with a "sippy" cup every night. I think it is more my comfort measure and routine than her own!! I have tried giving her water instead of milk, but it is an on again off again thing for us. Good luck!!

A lot of people will tell you you should have stopped the bottles at 1...We didn't with our kids. Both my daughter (now 4 1/2) and my middle son (now 3) still took a bottle of milk before bed until they were over 2 yrs old. You'll know when it's the right time for you. All kids are different. Some find it comforting, others don't. We loved the extra snuggle time it gave us with the kids at night. My youngest (15 mo) stopped taking a bottle before bed just earlier this month. The reason we stopped his is because he got a stomach bug and couldn't keep milk down. When he got better and we tried to restart the bottle he didn't want it. Don't let anyone make you feel bad. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing. When it's time to stop, you'll know.

Hi M., I have 2 1/2 year old twins that took two bottles of milk a day, an 8 ounce in the morning and an 8 ounce before bed until they were 2!! Like you, we never let them take it to bed and they always went to bed awake. They used to just drink it within 10 minutes or so and then gave the bottle to us empty. My two were preemies and they did not take milk from a cup (not sure why), but I wanted them to have it for brain growth, etc. They never asked for the bottle, but the reason they continued to get it was because I insisted they have the milk and didn't care how they got it. I used to be feel kind of funny that they took the bottle for so long, but then the more I talked with other moms, they reassured me that there was nothing wrong with it. My twins still don't drink milk from a cup that great so I have to find other ways of supplementing the calcium. Don't worry about it, she'll give it up in time, and besides, 17 months is still young. Good luck to you!!

She doesn't need the nutrition anymore with a bottle. She should be getting that during that day. Yes, you do need to stop the bottle. First, milk especially can cause decay. Unless you get her up and brush her teeth after her bottle then that is a huge factor. Also, keeping her dependent on a bottle is unfair to her. She is old enough to not need one and the closer she gets to 2 she will not give it up easily! You are doing great not putting her to bed asleep and letting herself get to sleep. Good for you too not giving in. Just maybe a sippy cup and snack before bed and then brush her teeth. Starting a new bedtime routine takes a few days and lot's of patience on your part but she will be happy with it and it will help her teeth and her dependency tons. Both of my kids at 3 1/2 and 6 get a bowl of cheerios or something lighter before bedtime and before teeth brushing as they eat dinner early and want something before bed. Just save yourself now, getting her to depend on this stuff for too long will cause you a lot of stress down the road later.

That bottle is a sleep prop whether you put feed it to her before or put her to bed with it. She's too old for a bottle. In reality, is her still being on a bottle for her or for you? Are you dreading that you're baby is not going to be your baby anymore once she's off the bottle? I know with my youngest (she just turned 2), everytime she completes a milestone, I get a little sad since she's my last baby. But I also rejoice that she's advancing as she should. It's time to break her of that bottle. The longer you let it go, the toughter it will be to break her later. Sorry I couldn't tell you what you wanted to hear.

Hi M.,
My son is 2 and half years old now but we gave him a bottle while we read books to him until he was 19 months old. Then to make the transition easier, we let him drink it out of a sippy cup while we read books until eventually he just had his milk with his dinner and that was the end of that. We still read him books before he goes to bed and have always had that as part of his routine. I guess what I am saying is let her have the bottle but do something along with it which you will keep doing after you stop giving her the bottle. Soon it will become more about that activity and the routine and closeness of that then the bottle anymore. Good luck.

It sounds like she is hungry, not needing the comfort
(though snuggles are always great!). My 26m son wakes everynight around 1 for his milk cup. We tried the water, and he was ok with it, but I could hear his belly growling. We have tried all the tricks of a good protien snack before bed, etc and nothing changed. I think he just needs the extra cals while he grows. Your daughter may need the same. Check with Dr. to make sure her cals and blood sugar are ok. When they get older they will understand that they have to wait until morning for more. My 4y daughter did the same. Now she looks forward to her Ovaltine in the morning.

As long as you can handle the lack of sleep, enjoy your time with your daughter... they grow too fast. Good job putting her back down awake!

I dont think it's bad at all to give her milk before bed especially if she wakes up at night if she doesn't get it. It's nice to have your comfort or something to calm you down before bed. If your worried about it try giving her a sippie cup with warm whole milk in it instead! I know people who still do that for there 3yr olds! Dont stress!

T. B.
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I wouldn't worry too much. They get to a point where they can make it through the night w/out eating - she is probably there although she might not like it! One thing we did since we had the same issue is that I started putting the milk in a sippy cup to 'wean' her of the bottle. We used the Avent bottles -they make sippy cups too. One night I put the sippy cup bottom on the top w/ the nipple then did that for a few nights. Then I switched it totally - it worked great. You might even be able to go straight to a sippy cup. I wish you luck!

My name is L., I'm a mother of 3, a 10yr. old, an 8yr. old, and a 4yr. old. I'd just like to share a few possibilities with you... First of all, I'm a daughter of a dentist, and all three of my children were off the bottle between 6-9 months old. The reason for that is because baby bottle tooth decay. So in place of the bottle, try a sippy cup or a regular drinking cup and set it beside the childs bed to reassure that their security is just an arms length away. It works! Sometimes that's all it is when they need the bottle at bedtime. They say tooth decay can be painful for the children and be a risk for future problems if they become dependent on the bottle. Just wanted to share a little info...

Well any bottle past 12 mos is quite hard habit to break and not too good for their teeth. My son had bottles at night till 19 mos which I am not proud of at all. The fact that she is not sleeping with it is good and that she is awak when you lay her down but its still a hard habit to break. My daughter we broke at 12mos and the transition was so much easier than with my son! Its totally you choice but I feel bottles past 12 mos is too long.

I don't think it is a problem at all. She is only 17 months old she is not going to bed with it and she is learning to put herself to sleep so I wouldn't worry at all that she has the bottle this one yime a day. Just brush her teeth afterward so the sugar doesn't eat at the enamal.

She won't take it to college with her so just enjoy your extra snuggle time, it will be gone before you know it! My twins were a tad over two when they finally gave up their bottle at bed time. Like you, it was the only one they had all day, it was just a comfort and a little bit of something in their belly to get them through the night. They are now very healthy and wonderful almost 4 year olds so it didn't harm them in anyway :)

Hi M.,
I say don't sweat it! I have 4 kids (so far) and I just broke the 2 oldest from going to bed with their milk, like last week, they are 7yrs and 5yrs but now they do have a water bottle I let them keep just in case they get thirsty. But my 2 youngest are 3 yrs and 2yrs and they still both get a sippy cup of milk in bed with them and they lay in bed, down the milk then go to sleep so it isn't like they're sleeping with it in their mouths either, just more of a comfort thing. To me it isn't worth the battle of trying to break them of it right now. It makes them happy and helps them sleep and it isn't hurting anyone so let it go. Good luck to you.

C. C.

well, I have a 2 1/2 year old and she still goes to bed with a bottle. I've switched it to water so it doesn't hurt her teeth, with the sugars and other things in milk. so you can try that. Izzy wasn't happy about it at first but we didn't let her go to bed anymore. Now it's there pretty much for comfort, she'll sleep with a bottle, but she'll drink when she's thirsty. Hope I helped!

Hi, M.!, i'm going to tell you what my mother told me about the baby bottle when i asked her the same: don't worry about it, i've never seen anyone in college still drinking from one"

don't let anyone make you feel inadequate about your choice/decision to still give your child a bottle. this issue carries a huge cultural dilemma that only exists in the US. kids using a bottle in europe and spanish/hispanic cultures is not discussed/it is a non-issue. your child will eventually stop needing it. all kids are different, they have emotional needs that militant "at this age he will take away "X" from them" stance does not address. it's not a bottle. it's comfort. it's security. it's soothing, calming and it signals the "time for bed" mode. whether you or babygirl are ready to stop it it is up to you. there is no shame in a baby taking a bottle before bed at 17 months, and don't let anyone make you feel as though it is. children are children. not adults in small clothing. i think many times parents tend to forget that.
good luck. don't sweat it. my youngest is 12, my oldest 19 and i have a son almost 18. they are well adjusted,fine people and listen: none of them takes the bottle any more! ;)

I don't see anything wrong with it myself. I have only one thing to say, though... would she be satisfied with something other than milk or juice? I ask because it will play havoc with her teeth. My now 4 1/2 yr. old had a lot of cavities (with 2 pulled) and the dentist says it was because of the one bottle before bed each night without washing her teeth before sleep. Don't wanna be the downer, but I'd hate for your little one to go through what our daughter has....

L.

My two and a half year old is in the same boat-- the other mom is right- she wont take it to college with her and will give it up when she is ready. As far as waking up at night- we give our daughter a snack before bed-- high in protein and that seemed to stop the waking up at night hungry.

Those mothers who say don't worry about it are absolutely right. One of my daughters nursed before bed until she turned four--I know this will elicit gasps of horror from many American mothers, but, globally speaking, this is a very normal age at which to wean and it was right for us. Did she get a cavity or two? Yep. Was it from the nursing? Who knows? I know kids who didn't nurse or take a bottle past a year who have more cavities than her. Everything I've read suggests that cavities have most to do with genetics--thin enamel and deeply grooved teeth. Both of my children weaned without any trauma, tears, or tantrums. The first weaned herself at two, and I made a deal with the second that she would stop on her fourth birthday and she did, no arguing, no hesitation. They are both incredibly confident, secure children who trust that their needs will be met if they communicate them clearly.

Consider also--if adults get hungry, genuinely hungry, we get ourselves a snack, whenever that might be. I think it is more important to respond to children's natural cycles of hunger rather than regulate them for convenience. As adults, it is easier for them to eat when hungry, which keeps us from overeating or consuming calories when we don't need them.

my 20 month old son still gets a bedtime bottle & personally i see nothing wrong with it. everyone says it will rott their teeth blah blah ,but his are perfect even his dentest says so, so dont worry your doing nothing wrong...

Hi M.
My ped. was not at all in a hurry for me to stop breast milk or formula bottles at the age of 12 m with my daughter. She said I could keep using a bottle with formula or breast milk until 18 months. She suggested when I switched to whole cow's milk I should also transfer to a sippy cup . But my daughter did not hold out until 18 months and kind of weaned herself at around 14 months. So now we are on regular cups and sippy cups for all liquids.

I really don't see anything wrong with this bedtime routine. Savor it while you can! I would make one suggestion, though. Please brush her teeth after the bottle! The milk contains sugars that when mixed with the saliva produced during sleep cause tooth decay. It's really important. Other than that, enjoy these years!

My 18 month old has a sippy cup with milk in it before bed. Then we take him up to his room for the bedtime ritual. He does get a bottle with water in it in bed but I don't think he even needs that anymore (most times the bottle is mostly full in the morning). I'm thinking of switching out the bottle for a sippy cup before ditching it altogether.

I'm a little more strict with this than I was with my oldest son. But my oldest son ended up having awful dental problems as a result of going to be with milk in his mouth and other things (he didn't have fluoride drops either) so I'm anxious to avoid such problems with this one.

My friend has an 18 month old. She took her for the 18 month checkup and the pediatrician told her no more bottles, use sippy cups only. So, I guess the answer is, you can give her milk before bedtime, but switch to a sippy cup. Babies R Us has sippy cups that have the shape and feel of a bottle. Some kids object to sippy cups because they don't feel like a bottle in their hands. Also, you don't want the part the child drinks out of to be hard plastic. Look for the ones that have the soft plastic tops. Hard plastic, if the child falls with it in the mouth, can chip teeth.

I know when my middle daughter turned 18 months, her pediatrician was adamit about us getting her off the bottle and onto a sippy cup. She really liked the bottle, and had previously resisted the transition. If I were you, I would try to get her to take her milk in the sippy cup before bed. Our pediatrician suggested watering down the milk in her bottle and giving her the whole milk in the sippy cup so she would want the sippy cup instead. Good luck!

Get rid of it. I have heard from several moms on this website to add a little water to it. She won't like water down milk and will get rid of it on her own. I had problems with my 3 year old. She didn't get rid of it til she was 2 and my 18 month old was completely over it on her own at 12 months. Good luck