Leah Remini may have been tough as nails on The King of Queens, but when it comes to her nearly 4-year-old daughter Sofia, she's a total pushover. "I'm very consistent; I give in," says Leah. "My daughter runs the house." Although Leah is conflicted about taking a stance that leaves her daughter in hysterics, she'd like to try getting Sofia off the bottle. "The problem I'm having with bottle-feeding is basically that Sofia drinks six or more bottles a night," she explains, a situation that leaves her and her husband Angelo exhausted from handing over new bottles and changing diapers at all hours. Leah also recognizes there are potential health issues. "We're hearing that it's not good for her," she admits. "In talking to our pediatrician, they almost fell off their chair when we said she's still on the bottle. So I'm thinking maybe it's not right."

As Leah and her husband Angelo decide to wean their daughter, they let Rachael's cameras inside their home and offer 24-hour access to their lives. It's an unflinching look at a parenting struggle that leaves Leah feeling guilty, her daughter in tears, and her husband challenged to do the right thing as they try and withhold bottles.

Rachael introduces Leah to Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician who assures her that weaning a child off the bottle is a common struggle - albeit one that most parents conquer by age 1 and 2 years old. In Sofia's case, Dr. Ari explains that Sofia uses the habit of sucking on a bottle to fall back to sleep when she awakes during the night, and has become dependent on this soothing ritual. But bottle-feeders at her age can run into health problems, Dr. Ari explains, such as getting too much calcium while being deprived of other nutrients and facing an increased risk of ear infections.

Get more toddler behavior tips -- read an excerpt from Dr. Ari's book Toddler 411. And, Dr. Ari tackled your questions on the message board.

After her meeting with Dr. Ari, Leah and her husband Angelo decide to try and wean their daughter. They get some pointers from one of Rachael's viewers who is a mother of three. "You're not going to like a lot of things I'm going to say," Stacey Lewis tells Leah. "Children need consistency and they need structure. This is going to be tough work but we're going to get it done."

For their first night with no bottles, Stacey suggests some tough love and says if Sofia has a tantrum they can offer her water in a bottle with no nipple. They decide to give it a try, but only last a few hours when Sofia has a fit. "We're definite pushovers and at the end of the day you have to follow your heart," Leah says. "Sofia was crying again for a bottle of milk and then I started crying I think because I felt so bad," Leah says, and they give her the bottle. "It just doesn't feel right for me to have a screaming baby and to say no to a bottle."

Stacey consoles her and says they won't break the habit in one night, but is confident it will work. "Sofia's a bright young lady," she says. "She's smart and she knows what's going on ... it's time, when you're willing to endure. You're not killing her."

Got ideas for Leah? Send in your parenting tips and suggestions for weaning a toddler on our message board.

Related Links

In the Motherhood

Leah Remini.com