If you are at the place where you would like to end bedtime bottle feedings but are worried about how to do it, read here how we ended bedtime bottles gently with no tears.
Once our little one turned 1 year old and started consistently eating baby food and table food, we felt confident to end bottle feedings. It was actually very easy to end all bottle feedings cold turkey – except the bedtime bottle. I simply stopped giving her a bottle throughout the day. She had her 1 bottle right before bed. She had become so used to that bedtime bottle routine that when we didn’t offer the bottle, she was very upset. We knew that if she became upset at bedtime it would take that much longer to get her to sleep. And she’s never been a good sleeper.
How we did it
So after researching and trial and error we came up with the one way that worked with no crying. We gradually diluted the amount of formula in the bottle. For the 6-ounce bottle she normally got, we only put in 2 scoops of formula instead of 3. Over several weeks, we gradually used less and less formula until one night, she didn’t finish her bottle. (I think we got down to 1 scoop of formula for 6 ounces before she didn’t want the bottle.) This happened several times and then she began refusing the bottle all together. After 2 nights of refusing the bottle, we no longer offered her the bottle.
My husband and I were both shocked that it was that easy.
An important note –
We did try to just offer her less formula each night. Instead of a 6 oz. bottle, we offered 5 oz. and then 4 oz. but this ended in tears as she wasn’t sleepy enough by the time she finished the smaller amount.
We were only able to wean her off by diluting the formula but never decreasing the amount of water.
Hopefully this technique will work for you! I know how hard it is when your little one is upset about change but you’ve got this, mama!
If you need other tips to help you wean your little one off bottle, read this article here.
Did you use another method to wean your little one off the nighttime bottle? I’d love to hear in the comments.
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