No Bottles!

Thomas did not ask for a bottle all afternoon and evening on Sunday night. I kept expecting him to, but even on the overnight flight he didn't want the bottle I made up for him. Monday morning and still no bottle. And so forth, all through the cruise. One night that I can't remember right now, I made one up, thinking he'd want it, but it just fermented. That bottle stayed on the ship. Too stinky for me to clean with my limited space. So, it was not until we returned to Bellingham and tucked Thomas in for the night that he finally remembered that he wanted a bottle. Well, although I so wanted to give in and let him have the one comfort, I reminded him that we don't have bottles anymore, remember? You're a big boy now and don't have bottles. He didn't fuss, didn't throw a fit, and that was it. He's asked several more times at various points throughout the week, but each time I'd offer him the same explanation and a few times he chose to suck on a warm bottle of water just for the principal of it I guess.

I remember getting a dress down from my pediatrician at his January appointment about how horrible it was that Thomas was still taking a bottle. I left the office feeling like a horrible mother for allowing my son to drink his milk this way. How dare I jeopardize his life by such a heinous act! The solution was to immediately stop giving him the bottle and let him cry it out. It might only take a few days, but eventually he'll get the point.

Hmmmmm... I didn't buy it. I am the mother and I make the decisions, regardless of what his doctor may think. Thomas is such a trim little thing anyway that I didn't want to take away a big source of nutrition from him, when I still consider him a baby. And another thing...he's still my baby, and I don't think that taking a bottle from him now leads to trauma down the road. How many kindergarteners do you see out there carrying their bottle around? I trust his teeth have made it through a few extra months of milk breath. And amazingly, he did it on his OWN. I didn't force him, I didn't let him cry it out, I didn't make an issue, and he did it when it was right for him. Now, I may keep him from eating himself to death with gumballs and chocolate M & M's because I'm the mother, but some things are better left alone. And I just learned a huge lesson from my more than capable son. I can't wait to learn more!