Eating and Sleeping Question

Updated on September 24, 2009
S.H. asks from Long Beach, CA
6 answers

Hi, I am wondering what the best way is to transition my baby from a bottle to sippy cup only. I have her on a bottle in the morning and sippy cups the rest of the day. My biggest concern is that she gets a good amount of calories from that first bottle in the morning. If she only does sippy cups, I am concerned that she will loose a chunk of those calories. If we remove the bottle completely, do you think she will make up for the calories in other areas? She is on the lower side for weight, so I am trying to maximize her calories. I do notice that her first meal of the day is adequate, but not great. Sometimes she won't eat much at all.

My other question is regarding her nap schedule. I put her down between 930 and 10 in the morning for her first nap. She naps for a couple of hours and then I wake her for lunch because she normally could keep sleeping. When I try and put her down in the afternoon time, she plays or cries, but doesn't normally sleep. I'd say about 2-3 times a week, she will fall asleep. By 630 in the evening, she is exhausted. Any suggestions?

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E.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Nuby makes a sippy that has a silicone spout, soft like a nipple. Try giving her milk from a sippy that is transitional like that one, rather than a hard spout one.
I just took my son off his bottle (he was already reduced to 2 a day for a while before we took it away completely) and he doesn't drink nearly as much milk now but he's slowly getting used to it. So be patient. My son only takes a few sips here and there from the cup. It could well take several weeks or even months. In the meantime, he's getting his calcium and protein from other dairy sources so I'm not too concerned about his reduced milk consumption.
It sounds like it's time to consolidate your baby's naps. This also may take some time and require some patience. Darken the room, spend plenty of time winding her down prior to nap and good luck! (I consolidated naps at about 12 months and took him off bottle at 18 months, FYI)

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

I think you got some good suggestions for the sippy cup problem. I breastfed both of my boys until they were ready for the sippy. As for the nap, when both my boys were around 1, they started taking 1 nap from 1-3. This way, they don't miss lunch or have to be woken up. It sounds like your daughter isn't getting a long enough nap since she's tired in the early evening. I would try giving her a later nap and see how she does. Good luck!

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A.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old and I found that when they are young, their nap schedules change about every 2-3 months...just when you are getting into the groove!!! So, just take your daughter's lead and let her nap when she gets tired. Maybe she only needs 1 nap now, or maybe her second nap can be later in the day. When my 1 year old was still 6 months old, he would take 3 naps a day and the third one was from 6 PM to 7 PM. If she only needs a second nap every other day, then just take her lead. No use trying to put her down if she is not tired. My 1 year old only takes one nap a day now, from about 11 AM to 1 PM. then he is up until 10 PM!!! I tried to put him down earlier, but it simply does not work. he won't fall asleep until close to 10 no matter what time I put him to bed, so i just put him to bed close to 10 and he falls asleep quickly.

If you don't want to transition to a sippy cup, try a cup with a lid and a straw. That is what I used for my son when he was 12 months old. Because he has an older brother, he quickly grew tired of the straw and wanted a regular cup. Now, at 19 months, he has been drinking very well out of a regular cup (with no straw and no sippie cup!) for a couple of months. He drinks a lot this way, too, so it is great.
good luck to you!

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R.F.

answers from Knoxville on

Without knowing how old she is, it is hard to offer pertinent suggestions.

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

When we were at the point you are with the sippy cup I just stopped giving the bottle to my daughter one day, she didn't hesitate to drink from the sippy and she has definitly made up the calorie difference, sometimes with food, sometimes she has two sippies of milk before she eats anything in the morning. I think you should just try it for a couple of days and see how it goes.

You didn't say how old your daughter is, but it sounds like maybe she's ready to try one nap a day. Give her a snack before she lays down and try to do it a little later (mine only makes it till about 11:30 most days. Then let her sleep to her hearts content and see how she does in the evening. Don't worry about lunch, give it to her when she wakes. I know if I wake my daughter before she's done it usually spells trouble later in the day because she doesn't want a second nap, when she does take one it is usually way too late in the day (like 5).

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B.H.

answers from Sacramento on

You don't mention what time she gets up in the morning. You also don't mention her age. Maybe she is ready for one nap a day? Try moving her 9:30 nap to later in the morning/early afternoon. At 6:30 when she is exhausted do you put her to bed for the night? If you move her morning nap to a later time you should move her bed time as well.

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