I've created a bottle monster at 1-year?!?

[JayLeigh]

A little background: DS always REFUSED bottles and paci. We tried and tried, different nipples, bottles, times of day, different people, when I was gone, I even tried to DF him with one, and he woke up angry! So at a year old, in attempt to start weaning (and also because I noticed him stealing his cousin's bottle) I tried again, and SUCCESS. All of a sudden he loves his bottle. The real reason was to wean him off breast milk and onto cow milk, which, of course, at first he hated, and now loooooves.

And now at 14 months he is successfully weaned, but I have created a monster. DH and I have to hide his bottle from him, because out of sight out of mind. But it is our fail-safe when he gets cranky. I don't mind giving him liquids, but he sucks down anything that is in it. The reason that I keep it around is because he wont drink milk our of ANYTHING else. Even if I get him to take a sip out of his sippy, he just spits the milk out or lets it dribble down his chin like it was poison! I have tried his sippy and an open cup. The bottle definitely soothes him.

The other problem: He is drinking too much liquid!! Because of his demand for bottle we put water in it, which he sucks down. He gets about 18 ounces of cow milk per day. I only give him about 4 or 5 ounces before bed, but no matter what he wakes up in the AM with total diaper overflow, soaked PJs every morning...

[alohahellokitty]

Sorry I can't offer much help on weaning the bottle. But you could try the avent soft spout sippy cups. Lo's can still curl their tongue around the spout like a bottle. But its not a bottle and its very easy to then wean them onto a regular sippy after that. I did that with my lo #1.

Also try overnight diapers. I use huggies overnights and they work wonders!! LO #1 drinks 10oz of milk before bed and never leaks. Good luck!

[~*Nicole*~]

It's probably the amount of fluid he is taking in all day contributing to the soak through at night, not just what he has right before bed. So trying to gradually cut back might help. And def. use overnight diapers if you can get them. they did help us a lot.

What is the rest of his food intake looking like? Does he get snacks through the day? Maybe if he gets filled on solids he will take in less liquid, therefore spending less time sucking on a bottle and having less liquid to expel later.

Do you think he "understands" some of what you are saying? Can you try to teach him that bottles are only for his bedroom (or only while he is in pajamas.....or only in whatever room you do your morning and nighttime routines?) Then just offer him a sippy cup or open cup w/ meals and other times he might be thirsty. He'll probably resist pretty strongly for awhile, but as most things it should become routine and understood about the limitations. It would be like moms who limit paci use to just the crib/sleep times.

That might make it harder to wean later though.....but I am not sure.

[sleepyhummel]

I remember in one of Tracy's books she said if they didn't get enough sucking time as an infant that this would happen.  Is it that horrible to keep him on a bottle until he is ready?  There is no rule written in stone that all kids once they turn one have to be off bottles... right?

[JayLeigh]

He gets lots of snacks during the day, he eats very well. I just think the bottle has become a soother at this point, since he was exclusively BF till weaned at 14 months. However, thank you ladies. As a first time mom, I didn't even know they made overnight diapers!! DUH. I got them and they have worked like a charm, no over flow diapers since!

We have to work on cutting back bottles during the day, he just prefers them to sippy. We got the Nuby brand, it was the only sippy we could get him to use. He is a picky little thing. I think what we need to do is only offer before nap and bed. Love the "bottle is only for bedroom" idea.

[~*Nicole*~]

Glad the overnight diapers helped!

Cutting back will happen gradually I'm sure. Hope it doesn't stress you out and just sort of goes smoothly.