‘This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.’
How
do I wean my 2-year-old off the bottle?
First, you need to understand why
bottle weaning off is important?
It is said that you should wean the bottle off after 1 year. Even I regret I wasn't aware of it and
couldn't pay much attention to it when my little one was 1 plus. But it’s ok! No one is
a perfect parent. We all learn with time and experiences. I am glad that I could wean it off before she is 3 years old. I hope this blog will help other moms.
What're the side effects of bottle feeding?
1. Tooth decay: Tooth decay in baby teeth sets the stage for problems with permanent teeth like additional cavities and improper placement.
2. Delayed speech: when babies are sucking the bottle nipple, they’re
not putting their energy into chewing their food. That delays the process of
speech development.
3. Loss of appetite: Babies find comfort in sucking the nipple and
want to use it for every purpose. Then they don’t want to eat anything, because
they like to have it from the bottle whether it’s milk, juices, and water,
etc. It decreases their loss of appetite.
4. Addiction to sucking the bottle nipple: Babies get addicted to what
they find comfort in.
Here
are a few steps on how I weaned off my toddler’s bottle (based on my personal
experience)
:
*First, you need to understand that
it’s not a one-night Job neither for the baby nor you.
*Second, follow the wake-up and
sleeping routine.
*Third, keep their favorite soft toy
with them always.
Step 1: Make up your mind
Yes! Being a parent, now we know that
the bottle is affecting the child’s dental health. First, a mother should show the
willingness to wean it off. Please remember, you’re a responsible mother. No one else can
do it for you. No one understands your child and their habit better than you.
Neither you should expect nor you should blame your husband, in-laws, family, and friends
for the same. Yes! You should ask for a little help like if they can help you
with household work etc. as you’ll get busy to make the routine for your little
one.
2) Transition from bottle to cup (invest
in attractive cup/mugs/Tumblr/sipper/straw) First day time :
Day1: Give the bottle (It’s
the first day) Introduce at least a cup/mugs/Tumblr/sipper/straw depending on
their age and comfort. You can pretend like this is mummy’s glass of water and
this is the baby’s glass of water. While you make them sleep in,
Day
2: Give proper solid
foods three times a day
Don’t give the bottle during the
daytime. Hide it completely and don’t even use the word “Bottle” in front of
your kid. Keep an attractive cup/mugs/Tumblr/sipper filled with water or
milkshake in front of them. Let them drink it by themselves.
Day
3: How to make your little one
sleep at noon without the bottle?
I tried keeping
cups/mugs/Tumblr/sippers everywhere she used to go, like in the kitchen, in the
hall, and in every room. The primary motive was to make her forget about the
bottle. I made her sleep without the bottle at noon. The best you can do is
always make her stomach full and physically active.
Day
4: What to do if the baby
wakes up at night?
I made sure that I would make her
sleep without the bottle and it doesn't matter if she asks for the bottle in
the night feed. You’ll not believe but it took me 45 minutes to make her sleep
and pretend like yes your extra bottle is coming. “Your papa, Dadu, is
bringing the bottle and they’ll be here soon. You sleep now. It’s time to
sleep. Everyone has slept, but not you. What is it that is waking up my baby?”
This used to be my conversation with her every night for the first 4 days. It’s
still the same.
If they wake up in the middle of the
night, and then refuse to drink water, and cry for a bottle, give them water in
the bottle but don’t make them cry much. Remember, it’ll take a little time to
wean it off. Relax!
Day
5: Remember 2 things:
Kids don't wake up at night for milk.
It’s a myth and our wrong perception. They wake up only because of two reasons:
1. Comfort
2. Thirst
Note: Keep the sipper/water glass
always nearby. If they wake up at night, first check on AC and the environment.
They MIGHT BE FEELING COLD/HOT DEPENDING on the weather. Second, take him/her
in your arms and do a little walk and then they’ll fall asleep slowly. You can
sing their favorite songs or chant “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” etc. depending on
what you used to make your baby sleep.
Day
6: Stay Consistent
I hope you’re getting things more
clearly now. Repeat all the above steps. Hide the bottle completely and offer
cup/mugs/Tumblr/sipper every time.
Day
7: It’s not a 7-day process.
It took me 10 days to wean it off. Once I started, so many doubts and
strategies appeared automatically. Like, in my case, she used to sleep in her
father’s arms more easily than compared to me, but I asked my husband to sleep
in a separate room for a few days until I wean the bottle off.
Second, One day when she slept in his arms
quickly, we made a habit that I’ll follow all bedtime rituals during and before
sleeping like “Brushing Teeth, washing feet, hands, and face, etc., Om
Chanting, saying Gayatri Mantra, Reading a book, and acting like its time to
sleep. Mumma and the soft toy want to sleep now. This bedtime ritual takes
around 30-45mins and then I chant Hanuman Chalisa and she is almost 70% sleepy
by now. Don’t forget, the light should be dim and the environment should be
soothing.
After that, I call her father and he makes her
sleep, which takes him around 15 minutes. This way I could follow a 10-day
challenges to wean off the bottle. It all depends on the team efforts put in by
you and your husband.
Now I can sleep peacefully
3) Direct Communication: Infants mostly understand more by their
mother’s expression. But once they enter the stage of being a toddler, they can
understand your words properly. They can understand what you're trying to
communicate with them. This made it a little easy for me too.
4) Don’t give up: No matter how much effort I put in to keep her mind
diverted, she always asked for the bottle before sleeping. We fixed it in her
mind that sleeping means a bottle, whether it’s an afternoon nap or sleeping time
at night. Slowly, she started forgetting about the bottle.
It’s my personal advice to all the
mothers who’re in this process. Kindly don’t stress yourself much. Just keep on
putting in your best efforts. And take care of your health.
I tried strategies:
1. I ordered an extra pair of the nipple
and cut down the nipple into two pieces and gave it to her to play with. I gave
her so many times in a day like during her bath time, too. First, her reaction
was like Mumma. Ye tut Gaya..how. I replied, yes! It's broken. Oh, no! then I made her
understand like you’re a grown-up girl now. You need to drink like Mumma and
other big kids drink from the glass.
2. Thank God! My family is always
supportive. They also tried to convey the same message that used to get
recorded in her mind.
3. I made her bottle dirty by using
Turmeric powder, clay, etc. Then I asked her to throw it in the dustbin as the
bottle is dirty. You’re not supposed to use this bottle anymore now.
4. The last strategy is that I told her
that monkeys need the bottle more than you. Monkey has a small baby. Monkey has
taken your bottle. He’ll come back tomorrow. That tomorrow never came. Hahaha!
Blog 1: Vision Board for Expecting Mothers
Let’s discuss what problem are you facing with your little one now? What strategies and tricks worked out for you during the bottle weaning process. Kindly share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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