I hate to criticize, because everyone's different, but having read the article about this she seems like she's having trouble setting any boundaries for her. She goes into much further detail in UsWeekly.

That is almost abuse - she needs to give her child what she needs and by just caving and revolving around her baby she isn't.

I understand change is hard on children, but from early on parents need to show them how to cope with it and how to make healthy good decisions... kids aren't always going to make good choices, so parents need to actually be the ones in charge. She's only drinking from bottles that mom gives her, and would eat food if it was given to her.

I knew a woman with a (normal, fully functional) 5 year old who was still in diapers and breastfeeding - it is ultimately the parent who is keeping their child the baby.

I think that she rather than her daughter is the one who is most unwilling to change. Kids are resilient, I'm sure in time she could have that child off of bottles and eating food. But the mother appears to be the one who is the most hard headed and set in her ways. It seems she won't even entertain the thought of making a change. For her to go from pediatrician to pediatrician to hear what she wants to hear makes me believe that she is the problem, not the daughter. And the father just seems to go along with it. It almost seems like if he had a differing opinion, he'd be afraid to mention it.

I may be mistaken, but I believe that she is a Scientologist, and also wonder if perhaps her beliefs are playing into this at all.

Oh wow. Sorry but I think it's a bit ridiculous. I understand that each parent raises their child differently but in this situation what's going to happen when her daughter starts preschool and is still in diapers and drinking out of a bottle? I'm sure that the teachers will not change a diaper and neither will they warm a bottle up for her!!

I also hate to criticise another parent because all children are different and develop at different speeds and that's fine. It does sound like slow progress, though, if her daughter is not mentally disabled - I don't know her situation. My worry would be the six bottles a night, because I think NOT giving her drinks all night would be a better way of helping her sleep through, which would probably make her happier all round - babies suffer from sleep deprivation too. And as the mother says, she is exhausted from the through-the-night care which means everyone's unhappy. Poor them, I hope they get some help.

Wow! I know it's not right to judge others, but this seems like a truly dysfunctional family arrangement. Is the girl is handicapped in some way?
It's not always easy to institute change (I personally found weaning more difficult for me than for the kids) but something's got to give here.
Isn't a big part (if not the biggest part )of parenting slowly but surely teaching your child become a fully evolved and independently functioning adult?

Strangely, the bottle drinking at this age to weirds me out, whereas I would not find extended nursing odd. My quirk, I guess.

Super Nanny could have this solved in one night... They should give her a ring.

My little sister was out of diapers but she was still taking the bottle at that age. She was really underweight and we tried everything to get her eating real food but she refused. The pediatrician told my mother to cave because the only way we would get real food into her was to force it down so when we refused to give the bottle she would lose 2-3 pounds before the doctor and my mother caved.

This caused major problems. Like I said she was underweight to begin with and losing weight was not an option the doctor put up with. We tried punishment, rewards, cooking her favorite foods, happy meals anything but she would not don't get me started on all the types of sippy cups and big girl cups we bought as an attempt to get her to switch to something else because the bottle after two years begins to rot children's teeth. Her teeth got so bad the front one had to be pulled but she was stubborn.

Honestly as hard as we tried I would like to say we were successful but she stopped using it when she wanted to stop. She woke up one day and threw it away and that was that. I would defend Leah remini if she was trying but it seems like she is bothered by it but not willing to make a change which is a big problem.

Saw her on Rachel Ray and I kinda felt bad for her. I totally agree with this being an issue about the parent(s), I'm always surprised how my own kids "get over" something that has been causing so much anxiety on my end. Being a parent is not an easy job and I really believe that everyone ultimately has to find their own way. In this situation though, I'm not getting why common sense hasn't kicked in.
6 or more bottles a night, that's a lot of water, even for an adult, what about a sippy cup, ear plugs for the parents and honestly the world will not end if they just go cold turkey but anyway you slice it, it's not going to be easy.

I have read that Scientologists don't believe in disciplining their kids.

i thought this was already posted on here but the comments are all different. hummm. oh well, unless there is a physical or mental development issue this child is too old to be on the bottle, using a binky and in diapers. the family is scientologist, and they deny developmental issues, so it may be that lisa hasn't faced the music.

Discipline, please!!!!

Ok, the bottle thing is totally ridiculous. My daughter was completely off the bottle by age 20 months. And the last 6 months of that was only right before bed and only water. She was fully potty trained night and day by age 3. It was rough, but we did it. It takes a lot of work and dedication. Now, my son is special needs so everything takes longer! But Leah's daughter looks to be perfectly fine and she hasn't mentioned any health problems or developmental delays, has she?? Not being out of diapers at almost 4 isn't the most terrible thing...kids mature at a different pace, and with some kids it DOES take a little longer. I was out of diapers at age 2, but wet the bed sometimes at night til I was almost 8. Lots of kids have that problem and there is nothing wrong except their bladders aren't growing at the same pace that they are. I wonder if she is trying to potty train her at all?? Even during the day?? I feel for her but she has essentially created a terrible situation. If Sofia truly has no medical problems then what is the problem??? Its the parents basically. And, hey...I am all for co sleeping if it works for you and doesn't destroy your marriage, but I think this little girl needs boundaries and discipline.

Wow. I don't really know what else to add to the situation other than to say I agree with most all of the above.

I read this article in US weekly also... and I was horrified. I know being a parent has many challenges and it takes time to figure out what works with each individual child, but it sounded like Leah and her husband are doormats for their daughter. I think they will need to get some serious help to get out of this situation, because it sounded like the lady Rachael Ray sent to them was not really doing it.

I don't have kids of my own but I have worked as a babysitter/nanny for the better part of a decade and have worked with a whole range of children (babies, toddlers, children, special needs kids, teens). All of the kids have been different in terms of needs, but this child takes the cake. Yes kids do mature and develop at a different rate (my brother and I developed on completely different schedules) but what is bothersome about this situation is the complete lack of understanding one's role. Her daughter clearly has the upper hand here. She gives in every time. Now my father gave in sometimes with me on the inconsequential stuff so that I would learn how to stick up for myself and be independent, but this goes beyond everything. What is she going to do when her daughter becomes an unruly teenager? She has no right to complain about the situation if she isn't willing to do something about it. Not to mention that, as her pediatrician told her, there is the child's health to be considered.
It might have a lot to do with her involvement in Scientology. They believe in letting children be and don't discipline them. Of course it's a cult so at the end of the day, everyone is under someone's thumb anyway.

Thanks for the link Partyof6. It sounds like I was right about the "doormat" comment... of course it took Grandma to wean her off the bottles. There is nothing wrong with that child, I just think the parents need some parenting help.

I am not sure if i am buying the update. Sounds like she may be backpedaling here and realizes the backlash she is getting for letting this child rule the roost!

I now what you mean JJ. Unless the parents change their attitude this type of stuff is going to continue in their household. Maybe not the bottle thing, but other stuff. They are giving the child the upper hand. For example in the article, she was saying she has to give her a popsicle for breakfast every day, nothing else will fly!

OMG, This is crazy. I know parenting is hard but you have to go through the tough times to get to the good. She need to take the bottle away at 1yrs of 2 the latest . And walking up at night.0000000H No. is this child even eating solid food . If she eat a 3 real meals she would not walk up in the night a 3 1/2 almost 4yrs old.

Yikes! I don't normally post on this part of pop as I don't have kids and don't know very much about them..but this seems ridiculous. My mom always told me and my sister that we were potty trained as soon as we learned to walk....and my sister was taking the bottle till she was 2 and this in my family's eyes was RIDICULOUS enough..one day my mom just got fed up and refused to give it to her again..after much crying and whining...she got bored and started eating other food! *lol*

But then again..to each his own...what do I know???

That is insane. I think he just doesn't know any better and I think she is NUTS. Someone should tell her that loving her daughter also means making important health decisions for her and teaching her things like self control and discipline. Loving your child doesn't mean give them what they want so they shut up.

My bigger issue is on the potty training end of things-- I know that children will do it when they're ready, but this little one seems to be on her mother's clock. She is going to have serious issues when she gets older. Pretty soon, she'll be having problems with tooth alignment due to the bottles, and will be made fun of by other kids for the diapers, since there's no medical reason. Many kids also can't go to school until they are toileting independently. I don't know enough about Scientology to comment on that, though.

By the time she needs to start school she'll be off of it and hopefully potty trained. Some parents are just more lazy then others in those departments.

Does it have to do with being a scientologist? don't they feed their babies weird corn syrup concoctions instead of milk?

I can't really talk too much my son has no desire to exit diapers. We have spent may a free day trying to potty train. He likes to tell my husband that he doesn't want to because "mommy will change my diaper." He will be three at the end of May.

I think Scientology might have something to do with it.

My child is language/learning disabled and HE was off he bottle at 14 months -- and that's even after having brain surgery at 12 months.

Potty training can be hard for some but the 6-8 bottles all night isn't helping the matter.

@amber_castaldo: my son was the same way. Then one day, he just went into the bathroom and went all on his own. Stinker. He was potty trained in a day. But it was done on his terms.

Thats disgusting. Is the kid going to be crapping in a diaper and drinking a bottle when shes twenty? Im sure its the bottles that are also making her fat, Im sure they arent filled with water. Child services needs to intervene its abuse.

Thats disgusting. Is the kid going to be crapping in a diaper and drinking a bottle when shes twenty? Im sure its the bottles that are also making her fat, Im sure they arent filled with water. Child services needs to intervene its abuse.

Amber_castaldo, don't feel bad. I've been told boys potty train later. I have two of them, and I think there's something about turning three- both of them were potty trained within a week and a half after their third birthdays. They just weren't getting it until then, but once they hit that milestone, they potty trained pretty quickly and easily.

6-8 bottles a night !
I would be exhausted ...........

Children need structure and discipline provided by the PARENTS. That's called why it's called PARENTING. These people have completely abdicated from their parental responsibilities. This is ridiculous. There is no excuse for this.

Kids need direction, and if you don't show them the way they will not learn. My son was potty trained by 18 months and eating solids as well. Absolutely no excuse for it.

While I do not think that being potty trained by 18 months is the norm, I certainly do not think that wearing diapers and having 6-8 bottles at night for a four year old is acceptable either.
Children are not pre-programmed, they come into the world totally dependent upon the parent, and must be disciplined, guided and taught. Children must be taught that they have to respect boundaries or they will be punished. There MUST be a healthy balance between, at the same time. I do not think you have to start out punishing your children to be potty trained, but they do need to be given proper guidance and boundaries. I do think you have to start using discipline when children try to test those boundaries...and I think that is the case here. As for eating habits, those are totally learned. Whatever you give your child, unless they have a natural aversion to it or are allergic, they will tend to eat it, especially at younger ages. If she is giving her child a bottle, she will only want the bottle. Why is any child being given 6-8 bottles a night...give that child FOOD during the day and allow her to sleep at night.
I don't feel sorry for her, I feel like she needs some parenting classes.
When you decide to have children, you have to also decide that you are going to set boundaries, discipline, punish (if necessary), teach, and guide...if you cannot do those things, then maybe you should hold off being a parent until you can. I think that children who are given no boundaries have parents who are doing them a huge disservice.

Six bottles a night? Of what? The child is clearly having weight issues which cannot be helped by the six bottles. Any bottles at night will mean that the child is waking up having to pee--hence not being able to get her out of diapers, and the child waking up all night. This is a four year old girl. Even in a world where children are being toilet-trained late, four is pretty darned late for a girl. And it is not good for a four year old child to be waking up six times a night--that constant disturbance of the sleep cycle is not healthy.

With only children, it can be harder to impose rules because you don't have the need to cope with other children which can force you to be strict about these things. No one wants to get up all night long to give several children bottles and diapers. But this is not healthy at all.

Whoa...this is scary. I can appreicate the fact that they are sharing and seem to have a really healthy outlook, but I think they are being a little too cavalier. I wonder if they were faced with an office job in the morning if their perspective might be a little different. My point is that perhaps their "celebrity" lifestyle makes it easier to deal with this than it would for some working class person.

I dunno what to say, but I pray this NEVER becomes an issue with my new baby.

Whoa...this is scary. I can appreicate the fact that they are sharing and seem to have a really healthy outlook, but I think they are being a little too cavalier. I wonder if they were faced with an office job in the morning if their perspective might be a little different. My point is that perhaps their "celebrity" lifestyle makes it easier to deal with this than it would for some working class person.

I dunno what to say, but I pray this NEVER becomes an issue with my new baby.

6 or more bottles a night??? This is totally abnormal for a healthy 4 year old. Obviously this little girl is STARVING. Is she not eating solid foods? This little girl is not getting any limitations or guidelines, it sounds like they just let her do whatever she wants because they don't want to hear her cry.

Well, if that's the way you want to raise your child, just wait until she hits her early teens and you have absolutely NO control over her because you never enforced anything as a child.

she's raised her child a scientologist from birth as her parents did with her. so presumably, she had a silent birth and did the thing where they take the baby away for a couple days at birth. in addition, scientologists believe that children don't need to be taught but are little adults who can already handle themselves and make their own decisions. most scientology children don't receive a "normal" education either, but are encouraged to study "tech" instead.

given what's typical in her community, this is not a surprising situation at all. i would never parent my child like that, but it's fairly