I sympathize with Lea and her husband. Any parent has a hard time watching their child cry whether they are sick, hurt or simply want for something. My best advice with the bottle issue; throw them away - and everything related to them too. Don't just hide them in your house where they are easily accessible and will allow you to give in. You cannot give what you do not have - simple. Will it be a simple transition; probably not but if it is explained to her that she is a big girl and big girls do not use bottles or sippy cups. It would certainly not be tolerated at any pre-school should you decide to send her. It is promoting bad habits. I have three children (13, 10 & 7) and all have had their moments of wanting to sleep with us - but not every night and certainly the waking every 2 or so hours for something to drink is not normal bedtime behavior. A regular bedtime routine should be established by now; bath, small snack, bathroom needs, reading books (play some music in the background) kiss her goodnight and be on your way. All parents are tired but I was exhausted just watching how often you both wake during the night to pass her a bottle. If you don't establish little boundaries now it will only get worse as she grows older. You want to keep them grounded not have them spoiled and accustomed to getting their own way all the time. Unfortunately they do not come with a book of instructions so you are left to figure it out for yourself - not always easy. Saying no doesn't make you a bad parent - but kids need to know and understand that there are limitations. I commend you and your husband for coming forward about this and for accepting the ideas and possibly the critisizing from outsiders like myself.

Giving into your child because they are crying and it hurts you even when you know it is wrong is setting them up for a life time of difficulties. Children need structure and discipline because they are not capable of knowing what is best for them. If they did they wouldn't need us. Leah is making it worse by giving in to her. She will grow up to be a stong confident person being parented by a mother who will do what is right for her. You would be helping her not hurting her by taking away that bottle. Think of her not you. When she is 16 would you allow her to go to a party where you know there would be lots of alcohol and drug use going on simply because she would throw a fit and maybe not like you for a while just to get her way. And if you allowed her to go and something bad happened would you forgive yourself? Do what is best for your daughter. Be a mother.It starts early dont set yourself up for a lifetime of problems for you and her. A loving parent has to be strong and know what is right and wrong. Your loving arms are better for her than 6 bottles in the middle of the night. You can do it!!! She will tug at your heart strings many times in life. You know best think of the big picture you will do what is right. It is your most challenging job and your most important piece of work!!

I agree. I am a Mom of two boys and also a preschool teacher for 3 year olds. No child likes boundaries, but all children need them. In my opinion, this issue with the bottle is just the underlying issue that Sophie is running the house. We need to be the parents, choose our battles, and fight those that we have chosen. It is obvious that they both love their daughter, but you have to stand your ground today, decide what you are going to do as a couple, and if she throws a fit...so be it. You and your spouse have to be united and she will eventually back down and understand that she is not the boss. Unfortunatly, if you do not fight this battle today, you will every day from now until the issues become much worse than a just a bottle.

So I am a proud mother of two beautiful little girls. One is 31/2 and the other is 8 months. Being a first time mom with my 3 year old I found it hard to get her off the bottle, especially with my mother pressuring me to get her off it. I found for ME to getting her to let go was to ween her off by going from a soft nipple to a gradual hard nipple, which obviously would be a sippy cup. She took the sippy cup to bed, butI never put anything more than half a cup of water in it. It's hard to listen to everyone around you yell and snap saying it's not healthy and blah blah blah. It's impossible to get a child off of a bottle in 24 hrs, but it will work it you keep at it and resist to the child's crying. Keep up the great work Leah, cuz you are an awesome mom and a wikked actress!!

Hi, there! I just saw the show, and your struggle to get Sophia off the bottle. I am a mother and have a degree and experience in this area. It appeared from what was on the show that there was a key element missing in your attempts to help Sophia sleep without the bottle. Since Sophia is 3 1/2 years old, she is old enough and bright enough to realize what is going on...it was even talked about on the show. Since she has this awareness, it is imperative that you sit with her and prepare her for being a "big girl" which means, among other things, that she does not "need" the bottle anymore. If she buys into the idea of becoming a "big girl", you will have much more success. There are several ways to do this, but I would suggest that you buy some picture pooks and stories about what it means to be a "big girl". There are books like this on every topic...potty training, eating healthy foods, sleeping in her own room, and yes, ditching the bottle. When she has bought into the idea that she is not a "baby" (and make it clear that only babies drink from bottles), she will want to be a "big girl" (be sure to show her all the privileges big girls have that babies don't). When she is ready, have a ceremony where she can participate in getting rid of the bottle. You can do this by putting the bottles in a basket hooked to balloons and having it float away, putting them in a special box, or simply having her throw the bottles in the garbage and taking it out to the trash can. Once this is done, go to the store and pick out a special "big girl" cup that she can keep by the bed to get a drink of she is thirsty. Be sure to make a huge deal out of this so she can feel proud of the decision that "she" (wink, wink) is making. And be sure that all friends and family members tell her what a "big girl" choice she is making, and that everyone is proud of her being a "big girl" now. You two will have to do the work to help her understand that she does not need the bottle, and encourage her to be a "big girl", but once she buys in to the idea, I'm sure that she will suprise you by making the choice to ditch the bottle.

Good luck!

HAS ANYONE TRIED TO MAKE YOU QUIT SMOKING AGAINST YOUR WILL.
Takin a cig from your mouth, words of encouragement blah blah

It's cruel to stop overnight-try this and change as she adapts:

Perhaps cereal and milk before bed.
Little by little, reduce the amount of water in each baba.
Eventually when wants a baba carry into the kitchen and sit her on the counter and give her baba before going back to bed; then sit on the toilet because she doesn't want to make wawa in mommy's bed.

Next take her to store and let her pick out a special kid's cup with her name on it no one can use it. Let her pick out new sheets and let her make her bed. Gradually take her in her room and lie down with her as long as necessary.l

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty-you're a funny and warm mom-again why push and rush your baby while trying to help her make a big change in her life. Enjoy! your fan, kq

PS I put a tv with cartoons in the room.

As a mother of 4 teens I can tell you we had many sleepless nights, but a few of those sleepless nights were to take care of bad habits, sleeping in our bed and bottles/pacifiers. When the bottles are done so are the diapers. Link this all together, new panties, new cup and new blanket/comforter for her bed. Make it fun and reward her with a cousin or friend sleepover when she is successful, to share in the celebration.
Best of luck!

This worked very well for me....I let a bottle get good and stinky like one found under the couch. Let the baby smell it and see how dirty it is, then have the baby throw it away in trash. After a while the bottles will have to be thrown out and don't buy anymore. Just say," All gone we had to toss them." The baby will remember and not fuss.. Worked with my three children.
usmarcy.

Hello Leah.. I have a daughter that is 2 1/2 yrs old.. She is and was the princess of the devil.. I'm just joking but she has THE WORST tantrums I have ever seen... When she turned 2, I told her that she has to be a big girl and she has to drink from a big girl cup.. By big girl cup, I mean its a big girl cup that has the same philosophy as a bottle with advantages.. Only thing is that you have to introduce it as a big girl cup..
One night I was putting my daughter to sleep and I asked her if she was a baby.. She said "No.. I'm Anastacia" I asked her is she was a big girl?? She said "Yes" So I told her that mommy or daddy or grandma don't drink bottles to go to sleep... I told her that she can have a 'big Girl Cup' which means she is a bigger little girl.. She went for it the first night.. so While she was sleeping.. I took all the bottles and nipples and put them in the garage.. the next day when she asked for a bottle for her nap.. I told her that there are no more babies here.. only a big girl and the rest of us.. I basically made her feel like she was independent.. But she did all the work.. Now she goes to sleep and doesn't wake up till the morning..
If your daughter doesn't take it the transition well.. Tell her you have a present for her when she wakes up in the morning.. The simplest things make her world better.. Tell her someone is coming over and they don't want to be by a crying baby.. only good girls.. That worked for me and like i said... My daughter is a close relative to the reject in hell..

Hello Leah and family..
I have a daughter that is 2 1/2 yrs old.. She was and still is the princess of the devil.. I'm just joking but she has THE WORST tantrums I have ever seen... When she turned 2, I told her that she has to be a big girl and she has to drink from a big girl cup.. By big girl cup, I mean its a big girl cup that has the same philosophy as a bottle with advantages.. Only thing is that you have to introduce it as a big girl cup.. I found these 'big girl cups at alot of local stores.. The brand Nuby makes a good size one..
One night I was putting my daughter to sleep and I asked her if she was a baby.. She said "No.. I'm Anastacia" I asked her is she was a big girl?? She said "Yes" So I told her that mommy or daddy or grandma don't drink bottles to go to sleep... I told her that she can have a 'big Girl Cup' which means she is a bigger little girl.. She went for it the first night.. so While she was sleeping.. I took all the bottles and nipples and put them in the garage.. the next day when she asked for a bottle for her nap.. I told her that there are no more babies here.. only a big girl and the rest of us.. I basically made her feel like she was independent.. But she did all the work.. Now she goes to sleep and doesn't wake up till the morning..
If your daughter doesn't take it the transition well.. Tell her you have a present for her when she wakes up in the morning.. The simplest things make her world better.. Tell her someone is coming over and they don't want to be by a crying baby.. only good girls.. That worked for me and like i said... My daughter is a close relative to the reject in hell.. so good luck.. and let me know how it turns out..

I would just put something in the bottle that you know she doesnt like and put her milk and water in a cup.

Hi i'm a mother of 4 children and when i get ready to take the bottle away for a week i would tell them that they were BIG BOYS AND BIG GIRL.And u try doing the same it will give her the idea to become a BIG GIRL.Then take her to the store and pick out a BIG GIRL sippy cup for every thing she drinks will be in the cup. After she will not want a bottle any longer.A little advice on the diapers .Get a potty and put it in the bathroom and everytime she has a drink of water wait 15-30 put her on the potty.She will get to know when she has to go.All this thing that i'm telling u it tooks time but it works. THAK YOU FOR THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR STORY. JANET BROOM

--- Edited by janetbroom at 2008-08-14 17:18:41 ---

My heart goes out to Leah. I too had bottle problems. My son got to the point he would not eat. He only wanted that bottle. Diaper changes were a major difficulty. I took him to the doctor only to find out he was on the verg of pernicious anemia. I went home and let him watch me throw away all of his bottles but one. After several days, I took the last bottle when he asked for it and burned the nipple with a match. Handed the bottle to my son who proceeded to throw it on the floor. I told him if he didn't want it to throw it in the trash. From then on I only gave him a cup drink from. He is 42 now and I don't recall having a sippy cup for him. His health got better.

Leah, Leah, Leah,

You are letting a 3 yr old run you! You are the parent who makes the decisons for HER GOOD. You will have a couple miserable nights. Just go cold turkey. NO BOTTLES. She will throw a fit, and eventually fall asleep. Her tantrum behavior is a control issue, and its working for her. She needs to go to bed earlier than you so you and dad have ADULT evening time, and she should be potty trained by now. My daughter was potty trained at 2. Boys can take longer. All of this will make life easier for you! Being woken up every couple of hours is very bad for you...your sleep cycle is distrupted, and you will be extremely fatigued.

Leave her with a family member and you and your adorable husband go away by yourselves for a week...she will be fine, and you will recoup so much for yourselves!!!!

Crystal

Leah,

I am 16 years old and I am helping my mother raise my sister's child. We have been raising her for 4 years. Brooklyn (my sister's child) is now 4 years old. We went through the whole bottle thing with her. She didn't want to give up the bottle. She had the bottle every day for 2 years and at night we would give her a lot of bottles. Just like you are going through. When she was 1, we went out and bought some tippy cups. And during the day, we would make her drink out of those. but if you want to take baby steps to that point, you could give your child one less bottle every day during the day. so if you give her 6 bottles a day, you should drop a bottle and replace it with a tippy cup. so give her 5 bottles and 1 tippy cup a day and so on and so forth. At night, instead of giving her 6 bottles, like the day time advice, youi should drop a bottle and replace it with a tippy cup. Try this every 2 nights. Also, what i did to make Brooklyn go to sleep faster (which made her sleep longer), I would rub her back and sing a slow tune. You could try that if you want to. Brooklyn is now off the bottle and she is off the tippy cups also. I hope you are successful with all the advice you have recieved.

Sincerely,

Holly

Go out and buy her favorite character (Dora?) sippy cups enough for whatever amount of times she use to drink her bottles ex, 5 bottles a day. Well get the amount you need and make it fun for her to do by having her put the milk in those sippy cups. And tell her that these are her new drinking cups and that she can be the one to make her own drinks, and if she uses these cups all the time she can get either a small toy at the end of the week, or earn some coins or dollars that she can get her own toy at the end of the week.