Unfortunatley the only way to stop with the bottle really is cold turkey. At that age she isn't waking because she NEEDS to be awake to drink or eat, it's habit. And the only way to break it is just to stop all at once.

During the day you can switch to a sippy cup, a straw one is the best for teeth and at that age she should be able to use one. And if she refuses it in the start just don't give in. Once you cave the battle is lost and needs to be started all over again!

Good luck :)

Cold turkey I agree. And watch what sippy cup you use. Some are like nipples and can do the same thing to teeth.

Probably time to do some sleep training too. :( Sorry I can not imagine having to do all you are doing alone. But it does get better.

I thought we would never get done with the sippy @ 5am and I thought my child would still be using his sippy until he was 21. He got over it in about a day. You might be pleasantly suprised.

Those are very valid concerns. She's using the bottle to soothe herself to sleep therefore she needs something else that's safer on her teeth to do so.

Have you tried a pacifier? It will give her the soothing sucking she's accostustomed to for getting to sleep.

When switching to another form of soothing it's always tricky but remember the positives and facts behind it:

1) sugars in milk cause tooth decay therefore she should never have a bottle before bed or to get to sleep every (if she is going to have milk before bed, you need to brush her teeth, something she should already have started when her teeth came in).

2) sucking on a bottle in a laying positions can cause inner ear infections

3) pacifiers are shaped to better form to her teeth and still provide the sucking that she wants

4) no night feedings prove better sleep and sleeping through the night because their tummies aren't used to the fullness and once it gets empty their not waking up because their hungry. JBetter alternative would be just one snack before bed i.e. dry cereal like cheerios with a sippy cup or bottle of milk in her high chair before bed. And if you choose no breakfast right when she wakes up (maybe 20 mins, 1/2 hr later or so again just so she's not waking early in the a.m. because she's used to having a full tummy and her hunger is waking her up).

5) weaning is a time that she needs more comfort from you and the quicker you provide the comfort (ie. rocking her while she's sucking on a pacifier or snuggling a teddy) while she learns to soothe herself with the new object is key. Just leaviner her in the crib with a bottle or new soothing object will make it harder on you and her to get used to a better soothing behavior.

Again your concerns and reasons for them are very valid and serious. The sooner you can get her to form a new soothing routine the better.


Good luck

Thanks for your input. Funny thing..is this morning (before I saw the replies) I decided to go cold turkey. I really appreciate the feedback and will keep everyone posted. .

Doctor confirmed that her teeth are not decaying.. LOL (nervous nelly aka me)

Xoxo

Thank you for this question. I am wondering the same thing with my 15 month old. My daughter is down to one bottle each evening before going to bed. She drinks a full 8ounces and I am concerned that if I don't give her this, she may not get enough liquids. If I gave her bottles all day, she would definitely drink more an she does with her sippy in a day. Will she get enough liquids if she doesn't get these extra ounces?
Thanks for any advice!