Advice on Breaking the Bottle and Potty-training

You have to tough it out, one week of sleepless nights and then its over!!! any you will be glad you did it, i would go in his room and rock him vut dont feed him! He dosent need to be having milk in the middle of the night! Wouldnt you like it if you were fed warm food in the middle of the night! Its just a habbit that you have to break! Dont give in, its so hard b/c he knows you will! Be strong, it might take a couple nights of him and YOU crying, but it will be over after that. Good luck.

I have two sons, either neither used a bottle, but we did have the problem with the older one waking at about that age and wanting to nurse back to sleep. What we did was to have a sippy cup of water that my husband would give him. He decided very quickly that it wasn't worth it to wake up just to get water. You don't mention what's in the bottle, but if it's formula or milk or juice, I would just start diluting until it is just water. He may just need the bottle for self comforting and I can't see a problem with it if it's just water.

As far as the potty training, my oldest was likely like your daughters and it was very easy and he was dry at nite by 2 (but still wanted a diaper for a couple months for #2, and that problem was solved by just running out of diapers). So, here I thought son #2 would be ready at age 2, but he wasn't and I decided it wasn't worth a battle and I just waited till he was ready and he was much closer to 3, but he was dry at nite after that point, as well. So, I don't think it's specifically a girl vs. boy thing - each kid is just different. My younger one also nursed much longer and change in general has always been much more difficult for him.

Be well,
M. B

You know, as far as the bottle thing, at 2.5 he is old enough to reason with to a degree. So either, I would create a bottle fairy that comes and leaves him a present, or take him to the toy store to pick out a new toy, but he has to leave his bottles. When my daughter was 2 and we needed to get rid of the binki, we let her build a bear, and leave her pacifier with the people there. That seemed like a good idea, because we were trying to give her something else to sleep with. It was much easier than I thought honelstly, she knew they were no where to be found, and that was logical to her. As far as the potty training, I would get rid of the bottle first, and then in a few months try potty training. Over the summer is a great time, because they wear less clothes in general. I do hear boys are harder to train, but the little boy I babysit was done at 28 months..I only hope my son will do just as well!! Having 2 girls (also 7&4) and now having my first boy (almost 1) I do wonder if I baby him alittle more..it could be a third child thing too though, maybe we have relaxed a little and realized that they will grow up sooner than we want! Sorry for the long post, I see myself in your shoes soon, and hope that all will go well for both of us!! These boys sure do seem to have our hearts!! ~A.~

Hi. Boys aren't necessarily harder to potty train than girls. It depends on the personality of the child. Both my son and daughter were potty trained at 2 1/2 years old. The trick with boys is to start them out sitting down. They shouldn't stand to go potty until they are much older. To break from the bottle, start adding water to the milk to dilute it until it's all water. Then he won't want it any more in the middle of the night. Good luck.

I ran a daycare for 16 yrs and have 2 boys. Boys take a little longer to train than girls. My experience is to have targets to shoot at in the potty. Also increase their fluids throughout the day, and set your timer for every 30 to 40 min. What time is it (very excitedly) yes !! its time to go pee pee on the potty" hurray lets go!!! Remember it is a game. Whether he performs or not, praise praise praise. Good job, you are such a big boy. You should be very close to done after a week.
Regarding the bottles, you need to be strong and the bottles are gone. They will stop crying, you can ck on them and tell them it is time to go to bed, do not keep going back the amt of time for crying will stop.
L. T

My son was 16 months with a bottle and all I did was put milk or water in a sippy cup and put him to bed with it. I admitt that it was a rough couple of nap times and nights, but he finally gave it up and he continues with the sippy cup, but is starting to wean himself off of it. he will drink as much as he wants and then he falls asleep. I take it and put it in the kitchen and he doesn't ask for it any more. He sleeps wonderfully throught the night. As for the potty training, my son is currently 19 1/2 months and has had one "potty strike" so far, but is still not quite getting the concept either. I hope this helped you. Good Luck, M. H.

I don't know what you could do to break him of a bottle. I am trying to break my son from laying down with a sippy cup. He keeps getting ear infections so I need to break it. As for potty-training. My son's ped. said he was to young to potty train right now. I had asked at his last visit because he knows when he wets or messes his diaper. She said not to push them this early. She said that I can introduce the potty chair. If he wants to sit on it then put him on it. She told me Do Not force him at this age. My son is 16 months old too by the way. She told me boys don't normally potty train til 2 1/2 years. I hope this helps. Good Luck.

I have been doing daycare for 24 years -- and the best way I have found to break a baby from the bottle-- is to put unsweetened grapefruit juice in the bottle and milk or juice in the cup -- a couple of sucks on the bottle a few times and they will no longer want the bottle - because it is sour.
As far as sleeping through the night - it only takes 3 very hard nights to accomplish that. He must learn to soothe himself back to sleep without your help. I just helped one of my moms through this - and after the third night her 21 month old now sleeps through the night without waking. You let him cry it out - waiting outside the door-- going in only a couple of times to explain to him that he's ok - do NOT pick him up for any reason - rub his back and asure him he's ok and its time to sleep and then quickly walk out and close the door.
Potty training is difficult with most boys... I would not even start until he begins sleeping through the night and he is totally off the bottle. IF he is still waking for a bottle during the night - he is not yet mature enough to potty train.
Staying home with the kids is wonderful - I have been home with mine since the oldest was born 24 years ago - I have 3 boys - the youngest is 14. Believe me they need you at home just as much as teenagers as they do as babies. Any empty house afterschool is just asking for trouble sometimes...
Good Luck ......
E.

Hi F.,

What worked for my daughter (now 3 years old) was transitioning to the Nuby sippy cups from the bottle. It's kind of a "tweener" between a bottle and sippy cup and you can get them very cheap at Walmart. They have a flexible nipple like the bottles. Try them, it might work!

As far as potty training a boy, I can't help you there! I've got a newborn baby boy now and I'll have to learn it for myself when he gets older. My daughter was super easy, though.

Good Luck!
A.

I can really relate with you. My oldest son (9years now) was easy to get off the bottle but potty training was a nightmare he was three before we got it down during the day. My second son (4yrs now) Wouldn't put down the bottle 1 week before his 4th birthday I took it away and told him no more. It was very hard the first few nights now he is fine. As far as potty training he still wears a size 5 daiper. I thought my oldest was tough but doesn't compare to my hardheaded 4 year old. I watch a 2 year old little girl and she is fully potty trained in a week and a half. My almost 2 year old daughter is more excited about the potty chair than her brother. SHe even wears HIS underware over her diaper. We have tried everything from cereal to forcing him to wear underware and it wont work.It has came to the point where it has kept him out of preschool. I guess some things you just have to wait until they tell you they are ready.

I hope it works alot better for you and your son.

Good Luck
J.

My son was on the bottle that long too and waking up several times wanting more. We decided to put water in his bottle for a while and then we transitioned to a cup after a couple months of water. He wasn't waking up wanting more water either. Now he sleeps with a cup of water beside his bed so he can get a drink if he needs it. Hope this helps.