Best way to break a 10 month old of overnight bottle habit?

Question

my daughter just turned 10 months old. she still takes a bottle at night. i have tried everything under the sun and am at a loss. i have tried feeding her more during the day. i have tried letting her just cry it out at night while i hold her. nothing works. she screams until she makes herself choke until she gets her bottle. someone please help. i dont want this to keep on going and wind up with a 3 year old who still takes a bottle at night. please dont criticize me, i know this situation is not normal or ideal. i am simply asking for help/suggestions. thanks!

Answer 1

make sure shes getting enough to eat so u know shes not hungry.... and strart out giving her water in her bottle! sson, she'll reject it all together! if she rejects the water the 1st time, let her cry it out.... go in at 5,7, and 10 min. increments to tell her u love her, then leave. its the only way to break them. it will be hard, but a 3 year old bottle drinker is worse! goiod luck! read about the ferber method.

Answer 2

Honestly I dont think there is anything wrong with that.  Shes only 10 months its not like shes ten years old.  You might want to wait until shes a year. But if you want some suggestions, try using a pacifier.  That helps.  Some babies are soothe by the sucking and go quick to bed like my son.  PS..I used a bottle overnight up until I was like 5 or something and I stopped on my own.  My mom didnt push me and I said that I wanted to be a big girl and she gave me a glass of milk instead.  That was that.  

Answer 3

I was just going through the same thing with my almost 11 month old.  SHe was still wanting her bottle up to 4 times at night and would cry til I gave it to her.  4 nights ago, she randomly just didnt wake up for her bottle until 6 in the morning.  Since then, she has slept 4 nights, ,all the way through the night without waking up crying.  Maybe she just is outgrowing it...i dunno.  

Maybe the same thing will happen with your little girl. Good luck!

Answer 4

How many ounces does she get during night time feedings??  Try cutting down on the amount each time...eventually she won't need it.  It may jut be a security thing...and if that is the case...the best thing to do is ween her off by cutting back.

Also try a pacifier if she likes them.  When she wakes up for a feeding, give her a pacifier instead

Answer 5

First of all, where in the world did you get any inforamtion on breaking a 10 month old off of the bottle? There are tons, & tons of information, from WIC, Doctors, Midwives, other moms, and the internet that say thatt you should at least let her have bottle until 12 months! For heaven sakes, she is only 10 months! I broke bothe my boys right at 12-13 months, and believe me, it was no cakewalk! But for heaven's sake, let that poor baby have her bottle for a couple months!!!

Answer 6

Ingbch is right.  If you are feeding her enough during the day, she is growing at a healthy rate and your pediatrician doesn't think she has other nutritional issues then you may just need a pair of ear plugs.

Put water only in her bottle and I don't think it will be long until she is no longer finds the night feeding comforting.  

This situation is in no way abnormal.  Humans of all ages and sizes have trouble sleeping and use crutches.

Good luck.  

Answer 7

Do you mean you give her a bottle before she goes to sleep or you let her sleep with one and drink it through the night?  I don't think its abnormal if its the first one.  The night time bottle was the last bottle I broke my son of because I knew it would hold him over through the night and it was our bonding time together:)  What I did was never give him milk in a bottle only formula so that way when he switched over he knew milk was for a sippy cup.  At about 9 months I took away the breakfast bottle, than about a week and a half later the dinner one, then again a week later the lunch one.  Finally at about 10 1/2 months I took away the night bottle.  It seemed to work.  We never had any problems and it was almost too easy for us.  He did have a pacifier to sleep with though until he was 13 months old.  This might have helped too.  Good Luck!

Answer 8

Can you give her one later in the evening before you go to bed? Like 10 or 11pm?

She just may not be able to go that long without getting hungry yet. I had one child who needed to eat at night until 18 months old. I nursed so I didn't have to really get up.

I wouldn't criticize you.

Another thing you can try is just giving a bottle of water. Maybe it will satisfy her in the night and you wouldn't have to get up. Just put it next to her after shes asleep.

Answer 9

Both answers are great, both should be used.  Start switching bottles out for cups if she takes bottles during the day.  If she has more than one bottle a day, gradually take one bottle away every four days, eventually you will be down to your last bottle (the bedtime bottle).  The bedtime bottle works the same way, except you need to lower the ounces she drinks each day, maybe an ounce a day.

Another note, try to implement a new bedtime routine.  Read her favorite book while she is in bed every night to calm her down and put her to sleep.

Good luck, you are doing a great job!