Henry was breast-fed until he was 5 months old, when he weaned himself. But, he's always been supplemented with bottles. He had at least one bottle per day since he was just a couple of days old. He was jaundiced, so they made me feed him bottles early on, and then it was easier to give him a bottle at night so that other people could help with the late night feedings. 
I went back to work when Henry was 3 months old, so he had bottles during the day at that time. 
I went back to work when Henry was 3 months old, so he had bottles during the day at that time. At one year old, Henry started drinking whole milk from his bottles. He would even sign "milk" or say "baba" when he wanted one. 
Eventually, he was down to 3 bottles per day - early morning, before nap, and before bedtime. Henry's pediatrician said that he should be off of bottles by 18 months. 
When I took him to his 18-month appointment, I had to tell Dr. H that he was still drinking 2-3 bottles per day. She told me that I should try to stop the bottles A.S.A.P. .jpg)
So, I decided that I would have him off of bottles by his 2nd birthday. I never really tried too hard. I liked the time that I spent holding Henry and feeding him his bottle. It was a nice bonding time. I would sit in the rocker in his bedroom with the lights down low. I would kiss his face and stroke his hair as he drank his bottle. By Henry's 2-year pediatrician appointment, I told the doctor that he was down to JUST ONE bottle per day, before bedtime...and we would switch to 2%. She groaned and covered her face with her hands.
Eventually, he was down to 3 bottles per day - early morning, before nap, and before bedtime. Henry's pediatrician said that he should be off of bottles by 18 months. When I took him to his 18-month appointment, I had to tell Dr. H that he was still drinking 2-3 bottles per day. She told me that I should try to stop the bottles A.S.A.P. So, I decided that I would have him off of bottles by his 2nd birthday. I never really tried too hard. I liked the time that I spent holding Henry and feeding him his bottle. It was a nice bonding time. I would sit in the rocker in his bedroom with the lights down low. I would kiss his face and stroke his hair as he drank his bottle. By Henry's 2-year pediatrician appointment, I told the doctor that he was down to JUST ONE bottle per day, before bedtime...and we would switch to 2%. She groaned and covered her face with her hands. 
So, I told Jeff that I would have Henry off of bottles in 2 weeks, by Halloween. Halloween came and went, and Henry was still drinking his nightly baba. I decided I would work on it over Winter Break during my 2 weeks off. The first week of Winter Break rolled around, and I decided to go with Plan A: we would just stop the bottles - cold turkey. When we put Henry into his crib that night without a bottle, he panicked. "How 'bout baba? HOW 'BOUT BABA? BABA!!" So, we gave him a bottle.I decided I would have to implement Plan B. Dr. H had suggested watering down his bottle, starting with 7 oz. of milk and 1 oz. of water for a couple of days, then 6 oz. of milk and 2 oz. of water for a couple of days, etc. until the bottle was unappealing and he wouldn't want it. So, plan B began just before Christmas. We were down to 3 oz. of milk and 5 oz. of water, and Henry was still happily drinking his baba at night. Then I decided to go back to Plan A. About a week ago, I put Henry down in his crib without a bottle. He asked for the bottle, and I told him, "No baba tonight. Go to sleep. I love you." Then I walked out and closed the door. He whined for a few seconds and then stopped. That was it. And he hasn't had a bottle in a week. I think the bottle was so watery that he didn't mind giving it up too much.
I cleared all of the bottles out of the cupboard, and put them out in the garage with the recycling. 
I will throw them away, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't a bottle emergency first. I am glad that we're done with bottles, but I will miss my nightly snuggle time. I've tried to trade it for reading books in the rocker before bed, but it's not quite the same.
I will throw them away, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't a bottle emergency first. I am glad that we're done with bottles, but I will miss my nightly snuggle time. I've tried to trade it for reading books in the rocker before bed, but it's not quite the same. My baby is now a big boy with NO MORE babas!
2 comments:
Hey - it's progress! Great job Henry!
Is it really that big of a deal that they are on the bottle after 18 months!?!?
Holly - Our pediatrician gave us several reasons for giving up the bottle by 18 months, but I've talked to many moms who haven't followed this rule.
These are the "medical" reasons:
*Children using bottles are more likely to develop tooth decay.
*Children who drink from a bottle may have improper dental development.
*Children who depend on bottle feedings may not consume enough solid foods to meet their nutrient needs.
*Children who are not weaned from the bottle may not develop appropriate feeding skills
I tried to brush Henry's teeth after his nighttime bottle, but I didn't do it every time. I hated to feed him his bottle in the dim, quiet room and then go into the brightly lit bathroom to use his electric toothbrush! I think it will now be easier to establish a nightly toothbrushing routine before bed.
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