my child has suddenly developed a fixation with her bottle she never had before

[lakitah]

My 8 month old child was recently taken from me by her dad and his parents.
Before she went, she would eat 5 times a day. After eating her night time bottle, I would rock her and love on her and when I lay her  down she would drift to sleep no problem. Now, one month after they took her I got her back and I have concerns with change in her behavior. Now, she doesnt ever let her bottle go and sucks it constantly. She has to have her bottle to sleep, and when she falls asleep and I try to gently take it from her she immediately wakes up crying until I give it back. Her father admitted to me that to make her more "independent", his mother would lay my baby down with a bottle about 9pm and close the door and let her cry by herself until she went to sleep. Im afraid they have caused her emotional trauma and I dont know what I can do to fix this. Im very concerned and need advice. Do I need to take her to a specialist or can i help her on my own, or is this normal and do i need to chill out?

[D99G03]

She is definitly soothing herself with the sucking.  I agree wit the doc.  It's going to be tough ... but my guess is that she is just fine.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your daughter is reacting to the stress of the recent developments. The behavior is not something you would see in the average situation, but it can be regarded as a normal reaction to the very difficult situation she has had to endure. As she settles back into your care, she will gradually resume the sort of pattern you had earlier established. Be sure to adhere to the routine every night. She has 'learned' a routine that helped her feel secure in the home of her father, and now she will re-learn the routine that you had already established. Your approach to not have her fall asleep with a bottle is the correct way to do it.