Kicking the Habit

I dreaded it. I spent 3 months worrying and about the moment I would have to do it. How would he react? Would it throw off his temperament and completely wreak havoc on his sleep schedule that we had spent so much time getting just right? Would we have to start over? These thoughts kept me up all night. For months.

What is this terrible thing? Taking away his bottle.

We had done a bad thing and gotten into the habit of giving him his bottle in his crib and letting him put himself to sleep. I know, go ahead and throw some terrible parent points this way. So with this awesome little routine, you can see how I would be dreading messing a bad thing, right?

So we phased out the bottle. Cups during the day but still bottles at night, just not in the crib. We would sit up with him and give him his bottle at night with the light on so that he had to figure out putting himself down without a bottle with him. It only took a few nights and it wasn't as brutal as the original sleep training. Sweet. Now for the big one, no bottles AT ALL.

I was cautious and trying my very best to appear non-chalant as I handed him a sippy cup full of milk (that's right, no more magic powder!) with his dinner. He gulped it down (predictably). So there he is, full belly and sleepy. I conduct the rest of the bed time routine. Bath, lotion, PJs, book. Then I hold my breath as I put him down. He cries AT me, of course. I walk out and hunker down, expecting a very long night. So imagine my surprise when before I can finish loading the dishwasher, there is sweet sweet silence. Huh? That wasn't supposed to happen. But I'll take it!

So surely this couldn't happen 2 nights in a row, right? That was a total fluke! Same scene the next night. Put him down and five minutes later...silence! It wasn't a fluke! IT WASN'T A FLUKE!!!!

What does a mother do at this point you ask? Pack up every bottle and put in the cabinet I can only reach with a step stool, because I'm not pulling out those puppies for quite some time.

Now where's my wine?