Bottles at Nap

[5 Little Monkeys]

Thanks playfelt, that is exactly what I meant. You are so right....it ends up being about the parent and not the child.

You have a good point....it can be done with a sippy cup as well! If I run into this issue with a parent again I will remember to tell them that a sippy cup while cuddling would be an easier transition for the child. The problem with either is that sometimes the child becomes so dependent on it that they have a hard time falling asleep without drinking something and that makes naps at daycare incredibly tough on the child! (and the dcp! lol)

[Crayola kiddies]

Thanks playfelt, that is exactly what I meant. You are so right....it ends up being about the parent and not the child.

You have a good point....it can be done with a sippy cup as well! If I run into this issue with a parent again I will remember to tell them that a sippy cup while cuddling would be an easier transition for the child. The problem with either is that sometimes the child becomes so dependent on it that they have a hard time falling asleep without drinking something and that makes naps at daycare incredibly tough on the child! (and the dcp! lol)

Absolutely right monkeys ..... It also creates a problem for some children who wake due to a soiled diaper ... So they really can't sleep through the night and if they can't go back to sleep with out the bottle it just becomes a vicious cycle. It's a lot of broken sleep for both the parents and the children. Children need to learn to be able go to sleep on their own.... It's a very important skill.
It's also a problem when they are potty training as they will be a long time in the night time diaper as long as they are drinking right before they go to sleep. Really if a child can drink from a cup there's no need for a bottle

[JennJubie]

Seems like a no brainer to me. The 2 yr old doesn't need it ... The parents need it cause they don't want to have confrontation at bed time ... They just want to kid to shut up and go to sleep.

This is a massive pet peeve of mine. I am extremely irritated with the practise of giving in to a child to make life easy NOW. If you put in the work with children, do the hard thing FIRST, then they will learn what is right.

[playfelt]

If child absolutely must have a bottle in bed and parent refuses to switch to a soother instead - would rather a 2-3 year old with a soother than a bottle if I have to choose then there is no reason after a full meal that the bottle can't be filled with just water - it is about sucking not nourishment. That also helps to break the habit as in the child has to really want it to actually use it and end up weaning themselves off.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I agree playfelt. I'm not a huge fan of soothers when the child is awake but I have no issue with soothers for nap time. I would rather have this than a bottle or thumb sucking. I feel that a soother is the easiest to wean off but that has just been my experience.