Need suggestions for a new bedtime/naptime routine

RebeccaK · #1 (**permalink**) 08-10-2005, 11:20 AM

Once again, I turn to you ladies for advice!

A bottle has been part of Simon's naptime and bedtime routine for the last 12 mos. Now, we're trying to get rid of the bottle (slowly) and are looking for ideas for a good "to bed" routine. Right now, we go in to his room, turn on his lullaby CD, change his diaper, put him in his sleepsack, and then sit in the rocker until he's done with the bottle. What other kinds of things can I put in the routine to help his understand that it's sleeping time - instead of the bottle? I imagine it'll be a long process - he's awfully attached to that bottle, and I'm not exactly in a huge hurry for him to be rid of it all together. I just know that he's getting too much milk throughout the day and it's time to decrease that so he will increase the solid intake.

Thanks in advance!

Rebecca, mom to Simon (12.5 mos)

Rachel · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2005, 03:29 PM

Rebecca, is he using a sippy cup yet? You can offer the sippy cup instead of the bottle... We did that for about a week and then I just stopped offering it. Ryan didn't even miss it! We have always read books as part of our routine. I do bath, lotions, pajamas, read books, turn on music and white noise machine and lights out. Soon as I'm done with that last book, I turn out the light and sway him to a state of drowsiness, and then place him in his crib. Works beautifully! And reading is such a special part of our day... he loves when I read to him.

Kristen02 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-10-2005, 08:45 PM

I took both of my kids off the bottle, cold turkey. My daughter cried herself to sleep some nights and then was over it. She was still allowed the bottle during the day though, so she was probably confused. (I took her off the bottle cold turkey at 16 months or so.) With my son, we did the same routine with bath and jammies except did some rocking and rubbing his back in his room, minus the bottle. He didn't ever cry, and I was amazed that he didn't. You just never know how a child will react, until you try. Once he stopped getting a bottle at night, he stopped expecting it during the day, too.

Just try to be as natural and casual as you can about it, acting like this is how it's always done. With my daughter, I was a nervous wreck about her crying and wondering what was going on, and I think she picked up on that, too. If you don't act like it's any big deal, hopefully Simon will pick up on that and make a smooth transition.

I hope all goes well, and keep us posted!

Carmela's Mom · #4 (**permalink**) 08-24-2005, 09:28 AM

Ditto Kristen. By 11 months, Carmela was on three bottles...so one by one I took them away. The first two weeks I took away one...then 12 months took away another and at 13 months took away the nighttime one. I really thought it was going to be so hard, but we kept the routine exactly the same and she was perfectly fine. I was sad to see it go actually, but she was fine!