Comments on: Does Your “Big Kid” Need A Bottle? http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle Tips and advice on solving your child's sleep problems! Wed, 16 May 2012 23:34:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Kitty http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/#comment-4163 Kitty Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:54:48 +0000 http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/?p=71#comment-4163 Human beings are meant to nurse for a number of years and to sleep with their mother, so that need to suckle and be close to their mother does not "magically" end at one year old. Katherine Dettwyler, who has studied the natural age of weaning, says that humans do not normally wean before 2 1/2 years with the average age being around 4.2 years. I think it would make perfect sense if a child did not give up their pacifier until they were 4 - like I did. I think our society, thanks to all of the Male baby experts and being out of touch with nature, has some very unrealistic expectations for our children. We should stop asking why are they not doing what we think they should be doing and ask ourselves what is our problem with expecting them to grow up too fast? Human beings are meant to nurse for a number of years and to sleep with their mother, so that need to suckle and be close to their mother does not “magically” end at one year old. Katherine Dettwyler, who has studied the natural age of weaning, says that humans do not normally wean before 2 1/2 years with the average age being around 4.2 years. I think it would make perfect sense if a child did not give up their pacifier until they were 4 – like I did.

I think our society, thanks to all of the Male baby experts and being out of touch with nature, has some very unrealistic expectations for our children. We should stop asking why are they not doing what we think they should be doing and ask ourselves what is our problem with expecting them to grow up too fast?

]]> By: Ivy http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/#comment-3595 Ivy Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:29:24 +0000 http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/?p=71#comment-3595 I have a 2 year old who for the last few weeks have been waking up around 2.30-3.00 in the morning. She stays awake for around 1-2 hours talking/playing in her cot. She is content to just lie there. However, I feel that she is not getting enough sleep as she is awake for so long. She goes to sleep on her own with her dolly and blanket. She gets a cuddle before she is put into her cot. Normally she has a little cry but settles very quickly (within 10-15 minutes). Also, she still has a pacifier and milk out of a bottle. She goes to crech 2 days a week where she does not have her pacifier unless really upset. I am working on taking the pacifier away but not with much success. I have a 2 year old who for the last few weeks have been waking up around 2.30-3.00 in the morning. She stays awake for around 1-2 hours talking/playing in her cot. She is content to just lie there. However, I feel that she is not getting enough sleep as she is awake for so long. She goes to sleep on her own with her dolly and blanket. She gets a cuddle before she is put into her cot. Normally she has a little cry but settles very quickly (within 10-15 minutes). Also, she still has a pacifier and milk out of a bottle. She goes to crech 2 days a week where she does not have her pacifier unless really upset. I am working on taking the pacifier away but not with much success.

]]> By: rachel http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/#comment-3377 rachel Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:34:41 +0000 http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/?p=71#comment-3377 I have a 2 and a half year old, for about a year she stayed with her father at night while I worked third shift, he has always allowed her to sleep with him in bed. How do I break this habit? Also I am working on potty training her, she seems to be doing good, when I am home all day I leave her diaper off and she will say I hve to go potty and she will go straight to the toilet, then there are times that she will go hide and go right on the floor, poop or pee. How do I stop this? I do reward her when sh does go where she is suppossed to. Also I took the bottle away when she was 1, she acted like she didn't want it anymore, now she drinks from a sippy cup, off and on throughout the day, at night she feels she has to have it every other hour or she throws a fit, she takes it to bed with her and has to have it whenever she just lays down. How do I break this habit of taking the cup to bed with her and then the waking in the middle of the night every other hour or so? Oh and when she does want the cup she will drink sometimes all of it or just a few drinks and then give it back. I have a 2 and a half year old, for about a year she stayed with her father at night while I worked third shift, he has always allowed her to sleep with him in bed. How do I break this habit? Also I am working on potty training her, she seems to be doing good, when I am home all day I leave her diaper off and she will say I hve to go potty and she will go straight to the toilet, then there are times that she will go hide and go right on the floor, poop or pee. How do I stop this? I do reward her when sh does go where she is suppossed to. Also I took the bottle away when she was 1, she acted like she didn’t want it anymore, now she drinks from a sippy cup, off and on throughout the day, at night she feels she has to have it every other hour or she throws a fit, she takes it to bed with her and has to have it whenever she just lays down. How do I break this habit of taking the cup to bed with her and then the waking in the middle of the night every other hour or so? Oh and when she does want the cup she will drink sometimes all of it or just a few drinks and then give it back.

]]> By: Jenny http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/#comment-3142 Jenny Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:01:11 +0000 http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/?p=71#comment-3142 I have a 3 1/2 month old who will not go to sleep without being swaddled and nursed to sleep (and this process usually takes al almost 2 hrs of nursing to get him to go down). Even still he will grunt and grown and try to escape the swaddle as he sleeps and he never sleeps more than 4 hrs at a time. AS for naps - if I am lucky he does 2 1/2 hr naps before 1 pm and then anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours in the afternoon. He is constantly overtired. How can I get him to sleep unswaddled and un-nursed?? I have a 3 1/2 month old who will not go to sleep without being swaddled and nursed to sleep (and this process usually takes al almost 2 hrs of nursing to get him to go down). Even still he will grunt and grown and try to escape the swaddle as he sleeps and he never sleeps more than 4 hrs at a time. AS for naps – if I am lucky he does 2 1/2 hr naps before 1 pm and then anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours in the afternoon. He is constantly overtired. How can I get him to sleep unswaddled and un-nursed??

]]> By: Amy Solik http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/does-your-big-kid-need-a-bottle/#comment-3141 Amy Solik Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:20:08 +0000 http://www.sleepsense.net/blog/?p=71#comment-3141 Dana, Could you please address the use of a pacifier for sleep. My 11 week old is stuck on it (my fault for starting her on one). I'm not sure if I need to go ahead and take it away or let her keep it. It is driving me crazy putting it back in every few minutes until she falls asleep. She is so dependent on it though! Help! Dana,
Could you please address the use of a pacifier for sleep. My 11 week old is stuck on it (my fault for starting her on one). I’m not sure if I need to go ahead and take it away or let her keep it. It is driving me crazy putting it back in every few minutes until she falls asleep. She is so dependent on it though! Help!

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