I didn't have a picture of her with her bottle...so I thought I'd get some use out of this one.
It suits her perfectly.
Um. Like, all the time.
Yes, she knew how to drink from a cup... but she never did. Yes, she could maneuver a sippy cup by herself just fine... but she never did.
Nope. Instead, I just filled up her bottle whenever she tugged on my sweatpants and handed it to me, asking, "Can I have a juicy baba? Or some milk? Please?"
So many times I thought, Okay, I really need to get this kid off the bottle. But the idea of weaning, of listening to the whining and trying to ignore the temper tantrums, of being woken up all night long because she wants a bottle and isn't getting it... all of that sounded horrible. I did that with Gracie when she was nearly two and it was awful.
Weaning a kid off something just. plain. sucks.
But a week and a half ago, we moved into our new house and ... we didn't give Annelie a bottle. At snack time, I just handed her a cup of watered-down juice and she drank it. At bedtime we brushed her teeth, she had a sip of water, and went off to her very own room.
And that was that. She never even asked for it. Not once.
All this time, I've been putting it off, I've been getting weird looks from the other moms at the playground. One even said to me "She's almost 3 and she's still drinking from a bottle? That's crazy!" (but then when she told me that she gives her almost 3 year old a cup of coffee - he likes it with lots of milk and sugar, she said - I thought No lady, you're crazy!).
I feel bad that I've indulged her so long... maybe I am a little crazy. I know the pediatrician would have given me a very disapproving look and a "You really need to get her off the bottle" talking to. But I just never felt the moment was right for me. After a long, exhausting day with kids, handing her a bottle, which always comforted her - and kept her quiet while she was drinking it - was just easier.
But was I holding her back developmentally? Probably. Being a mom is hard. Things are never easy, huh?
xoxo,
It's amazing how a big change can make things that once seemed sooooooo hard, so very simple! Yipee for Annelie and don't feel bad about doing what you thought was best for your kiddo (and your sanity) at the time! They're only little for so long. Somehow my "baby" turned 8 last month...
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time getting my son off the bottle. I wonder how it will go with baby girl. I really want to break her of the binkie before her 1st birthday next month.
ReplyDelete:( I know how you feel - I feel bad too cos Thomas (who just turned 4) still likes to have a bottle of milk at night! He doesn't use the bottle during the day but at night he likes to drink his milk from a bottle - helps him relax I guess. And I KNOW it is bad for him but like you, just haven't found the perfect time to go through the drama of taking it off him (and believe me, it will be a drama)! So I have decided that he and Daniel (who doesn't really care for milk all that much) will give their bottles to Santa this year in exchange for a sack of toys :) At first Thomas told me he wouldn't cos he has plenty of toys! Then he agreed with the stipulation that we would then go out and buy another one...lol. We will see what happens at Christmas...They didn't keep their dummies/pacifiers for long so I suppose that's one good thing...
ReplyDeleteCathy, that is sort of what I did with Gracie when she was nearly two. I wrapped up two sippy cups with fancy paper and HUGE bows and in order to get her new presents, she had to throw her bottles in the trash.
ReplyDeleteIt worked for the most part... but she found it really hard to get through the day and night without her bottle. I guess they're ready when they're ready, ya know?
But boy am I glad I'm not the only one!!