LET’S START – THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC
In many households with a small child, sleep is a big issue. Do you know how to start weaning your baby off the bottle at night?
Has your child turned one, and you’re thinking about stopping nighttime bottle feeding? Are you worried about cavities or bite problems?
Here’s a list of tips I’ve created based on my experience as a psychologist and breastfeeding advocate:
Gradually transition your child to other cups
It is harder to drink from a cup or a straw cup “while half-asleep,” and that’s the goal—to make nighttime drinking a bit more difficult and conscious than drinking from a bottle.
Practice drinking from a cup during the day. Later, start offering milk in a cup at night too. When your child wakes up for a drink, they will have to sit up and manage the cup. Many children adjust after a few days, reducing nighttime awakenings. Eventually, they stop drinking while lying down, gaining better control over the amount they consume.
Reduce the nipple flow rate
When milk flows more slowly, your baby will realize sooner that they are full.
This helps them learn to satisfy their hunger mainly through solid meals during the day. If your child has no medical conditions like premature birth, breathing, or circulation issues, switching to a nipple with the smallest possible flow can help with weaning.
Offer the right number of solid meals
A child who eats too few solids or struggles with chewing will compensate by drinking more milk. After 12 months, aim for 3–4 solid meals and 1–2 snacks per day.
Gradually reduce the amount of milk in the bottle
Many children drink as much as the parent gives them at night. They won’t notice if 250 ml becomes 230 ml, and after two weeks, it’s half the original amount. Just do this gradually.
Dilute the formula slowly
If your child is over a year old and has a well-balanced diet, you can start diluting the formula very slowly. Sudden replacement with water may cause resistance, so do it step by step—e.g., reducing a quarter of a scoop every few nights.
Enhance bedtime rituals
If the bottle has always been part of bedtime, introduce a new comfort item before removing it completely. Maybe add a stuffed animal to the crib? Or adjust the bedtime routine?
Make the bedroom 100% dark
Sleeping in a room that isn’t fully dark reduces satiety hormone levels, making us feel hungrier—a direct path to asking for another bottle!
1 Comment
Giselle
Thank you so much for your help and explanation. Finally, I know exactly how to go through this process of giving up the bottle because I’m exhausted during the night and I feel like my baby does not need to drink so much kill during the night Any more but she does it because of the habit.