Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bottle
I've read the literature, but seriously folks, how do WE break the "baba"? We are down to one in the morning and one at night...and a few secret cheats here and there. I can't physically resist him when he has tears in his eyes and says, "mama baba" while PULLING me to the milk. You should see the look he gives me when I try to put the milk in a cup or sippy cup. It's pure betrayal. The hardest part is that I LOVE giving him his bottle. Judah pats me gently and looks at me romantically. It's truly great, the stuff-you-live-for stuff. I fear that it's just going to get tougher and tougher, but I'm just as addicted as he is. Just one more time. Just a little more. Please.
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15 comments:
No easy solution to this one, when they are so darn cute you can't resist. the only way around it is all bottles must leave the premises. Around midnight or so of the first night you will want to head to the trash can and retrieve one or to the store to buy JUST one! But resist the temptation.
As cute as they are they know exactly how to push the buttons....
I really can't help you on this one. We're probably supposed to be done with bottles too, but since the pediatrician wanted Amilia to stay on a couple of bottles of formula for another month after the last visit, I've totally taken advantage of it...We're down to one at night, and I tear up thinking about the fact that we only have a few more scoops of formula left...Where did those baby months go!?!?!?
Ok, conservative friend/drill sargeant talking. We just stopped the bub. Cold turkey. And went to sippy's with Nick. Same with his Binky (pacifier).
And can I TELL YOU, the romance has only just begun. It get's even better if you can believe it. Nicholas is still under the notion that he's going to marry me when he's "fifteen and one hundred". I think that means 115 years old??
Those moments are going to grow more and more strong and frequent, especially when he can speak. The things Nick says to me melt me more than words I've ever heard. Ever!
So, my advice is to just stop it all together. Before you know it he won't be in limbo and he'll know that it's just the sippy's. Kid's gotta drink at some point, right? And you can still hold him the way you would with a bub. We did and it was comforting to him. Although Nick didn't put up much of a fuss over losing it anyway.
Good luck! :) And start house hunting for me! ;)
Seriously, I may ask some location advice from you. It's hard to not know the in's and out's of towns! The possibility is VERY slim. But it's worth looking into!
Since I breast fed all 4 kids, bottles were not an issue with us. But comfort and trust is the most important issue. I truly think any baby will give it up when they are ready-no one goes to pre-school with one-if they did, they would choose to stop the next day-guaranteed. Go with what you feel is right-with loves and hugs is best. I believe Kids are constantly changing. Nurturing is more important than social pressure-which is no standard at all. And good luck. Love Nana
Remember, no baby ever went to college still attached to his baba. Decide if it's really such a big thing or if for now, it's ok. (Just a little devil's advoate for you, we're slow weaners around here, with cavity free kids (6 of them))
We had a difficult time with this as well...well I should say, I had a difficult time with this as well. I switched Simret to the BornFree (soft nipple) training cups. One night I gave it to her with her soy milk in it before bed (just like I did the bottle) she took it and didn't think twice about it. I now use this sippy cup only for her soy milk (before nap and bed) she thinks it is special and her bottle. She asks for it and gives me hugs and pats my back after I give it to her. When she is feeling tired and wants me to know...she asks for it (she calls it "na-na-na"?). Then I use a hard nippled/spouted sippy cup for the rest of the day. I found that she still thinks her milk "na-na-na" is special that way? Just a suggestion?
jill
Oh my goodness, this is probably terrible advice but I say let him keep it. That sounds like a wonderful time together. My husband is a dentist and he only has a problem with babies who keep their bottles in bed with them at night and pacifiers past a certain age.
What does your pediatrician say?
I recommend the Baba Fairy. Decorate a paper bag with Judah, have him put his Baba's in it for the Baba Fairy, and hang it on a tree outside. Tell him that the Baba Fairy will take them to the babies and bring him treats (his fave candy). Then when he is sleeping at night, trash the Baba's and put the treat in the bag. Let him get excited to go and get the bag from the tree the next morning. If you accidentally leave a bottle in the house that he later finds, just put it out for the Baba Fairy again. This worked wonders for Eva with the Binky Fairy (her pacifiers). There was a little sadness but she was VERY excited about the fairy bringing her chocolate and gold fish crackers. Good luck! I know what you mean about the heartbreak. You can still snuggle with sippy cups. ;)
We had the bottle for 3 years, mostly before bed after 2. Like you, I loved the chance to hold her. Rest assured she didn't start school with it or need crazy dental work. Wouldn't trade those moments now for the world. We lost our beautiful daughter at 23 three years ago.
I had a bottle until I was what... 8? And look how I turned out. You're right, you better stop that right now.
Why exactly do you need to give up the bottles? If you really must, just do 1 at a time. Daytime first. Cut the amount of milk in it by a 1/2 ounce for 3 or 4 days. Then anonther 1/2 ounce, etc. The theory is that eventually he'll decide a 1 ounce bottle isn't worth his time.
However, T is 4 and, although he's long since been off bottles, he still gets a cup of milk each night while sitting on my lap, having his night-night story. It's part of his routine that we both cherish. :)
Good luck.
Jerrie
I breast fed you until you were 18 months old. And Nicole went to pre-school while still on the bottle. When I picked her up from school I brought her bottle. In the car she laid down to hide, so she couldn't be seen. A mother told her that she could not believe she was still on the bottle. This was not said in my presence. Some mothers are unbelievable. A special type of person makes a kid feel uncomfortable when the child is away from their parents. Nicole told me about it, years later. Don't you want to go through this? Whatever you decide will be wonderful. This is not a race.
To make everything clear, Nicole was 3 when she stopped the bottle. I let her continue on it longer than most Mom's. Breast feeding had to be abruptly stopped when I went into the hospital for a month. She became very attached to her bottle. I've been trying to make this up to her all her life. Ask her sisters. Are you O.K. Nicole?
Nicole says she's fine. Thank goodness. Now I can finally stop worrying about the damage I did. I hope everyone realizes I was just having fun posting. Danielle, you and Tommy are such good parents. Judah will be fine no matter what you decide. And Lori, I love you! You have been a wonderful friend to my daughter.
I turned out GREAT! But, I know it was hard for everyone to get me to give it up. That was a special circumstance though and a lot of mother guilt. I DID get over it eventually. It hurts ME to see him want it so badly (maybe I'm remembering how I felt :)) I can't imagine how hard it is for you. :(
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