How do I get my partner to realize that getting my sixteen month old daughter to

1. 60

   fundamentallifeposted 14 years ago

   How do I get my partner to realize that getting my sixteen month old daughter to go to sleep...
   
   without a bottle is better for the baby, as well as us, in the long term? She only goes to sleep when she has had a bottle, but our daughter needs to learn to go to sleep by herself. Thanks.

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2. 77

   Polly Cposted 14 years ago

   A lot of babies of this age still fall asleep with bottles - my oldest child always did, it can be quite hard to stop them if they are tired. Perhaps the only way you can get round it is if you give her the milk before she is really tired, so that it doesn't knock her out.  But rest assured, children go through phases and they rarely last forever. Milk is a kind of sedative to babies, so naturally helps them to sleep at bedtime. When they get older, though, it doesn't have the same effect, and then they learn to fall asleep alone, after relaxing with a story or two.  And when you take her off the bottle and give her a cup, I doubt she will fall asleep with her millk as the sucking motion isn't the same.
   
   I had the opposite problem with my second child - I could never ever get him to drink from a bottle and even with a cup it can be a slow and arduous process - they all come with their little ways.  I often wished my son would take a bottle just to knock him out, because he just stayed awake longer instead and I lost half my evening. Be thankful you have some peace and quiet - it might not last!

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3. 61

   sir_tallestposted 14 years ago

   Try telling her in words and show her books and documentaries that support you theory

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4. 72

   JillKostowposted 14 years ago

   You just have to be persistant with your partner.  Explain the benefits of her learning to sleep on her own.  Also mention the risk of baby bottle mouth.  I am sure your partner would not want to see your daughter have rotted teeth just because it was easier to get her to sleep.  None of my children had a bottle to fall asleep, also they never carried a bottle around with them all day.  They had a bottle at meal time and also just for a drink when they were a couple months older.  I also didn't have a hard time taking the bottle away at twelve months because they did not form that deep attachment to the bottle.  Hope this helps.

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5. 68

   MayGposted 14 years ago

   Sometimes what is best is not always what works!  My son was so hard to get to sleep at night I would spend hours rocking him in my arms, even though everyone said I needed to teach him to sleep on his own.  Your partner might just be exhausted, and if that's the only way she can get your daughter to sleep than I can understand why she does it!  Does your daughter fall asleep with the bottle in her mouth?  You could gradually separate the bottle-giving from bed, for example start giving her her bottle on the couch  just before she falls asleep and then put her into bed, so she stops associating the two together.   Then you could start to increase the time between the two, until you can even squeeze in a tooth-brushing!  It's tough, I broke a lot of rules just for the sake of getting my kids to sleep peacefully at night, and you know what, I'd probably do the same all over again.

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