Getting rid of the bottle

onlyroz

I do think a 3-year-old is a bit old to be still drinking from a bottle. Isn't it meant to be bad for their teeth? If you want to stop then just provide the milk and if it's refused then they don't get any.

mrcow

onlyroz wrote: »

I do think a 3-year-old is a bit old to be still drinking from a bottle. Isn't it meant to be bad for their teeth?

I don't know, is it? There is nothing wrong with my 3 year old's teeth.

I would have thought there is a lot worse you can do to a child's teeth than let them have a bottle of milk though surely?

sooz

mrcow wrote: »

I don't know, is it? There is nothing wrong with my 3 year old's teeth.

I would have thought there is a lot worse you can do to a child's teeth than let them have a bottle of milk though surely?

I've seen parents pouring full sugar coke into a small child's bottle (maybe 1 1/2 years old) :eek:

It's not the milk that is the problem. It's the teat on the bottle. It depends really on how the child drinks it. If they have a quick bottle, then have their teeth brushed, I guess it's not so bad. If they take the bottle to bed, & suck a bit of milk all night, then it will eventually damage their teeth (as would eating or drinking small amounts of anything all night)

~daisy~_2

i read that you shouldnt give a child over one a bottle so i did that when i had my first and she had her last drink in a sippy cup and as i did it with her i just did the same with my second

i dont recall any great drama about it - maybe as they were tht bit younger and werent given an option ? maybe i was just lucky ?

SuperSaverSue_2

When my daughter was 3 I decided she was too old for her bottle, bought every cup available but she still wouldnt give up the bottle. So one day I cut a big hole in the teat and said 'oh no, look whats happened!' She got a little upset but I then put her bedtime milk in a princess cup and got a special princess straw just for her. Drastic action I know but she never asked for a bottle again!!

[Deleted User]

Our boy turned 2 this week and I've never had success in getting him to drink milk from a beaker, day or night. Milk apparently comes in a bottle and water in a cup or beaker. For the time being I've cut a slit across the teat allowing the milk to come out faster, so he can drain 7oz in under a 1 min, then he has his teeth cleaned straight after. One day he'll drop the bottle, but when his sister is having hers next to him, he wants one too and I can't blame him, same with their dummies. I'll probably do them both together if he doesn't do it voluntarily.

*Louise*

I just got rid of the bottles when my lot turned 1. (Youngest was maybe 14mths) none of them bothered after the first night.

The longer they have it, the harder it is to take it away.

OP - you obviously want to get rid of your son's bottle, I would advise just biting the bullet and going for it. Say it's broken or something if you have to, or use the Santa story that someone posted. After a day or two he will be just fine, honest.

NBirdy

My DD was approx 14 months when she stopped having the last thing at night bottle (daytime bottles went a few weeks before). We bought her one of the cow print sippy cups and that was just for milk - she still has one for a drink of milk in the morning. I don't remember her batting an eyelid about the swap.

She just turned 2 and her sister is 6 months - DD1 has never wanted a bottle or dummy again even though her baby sister has them, she thinks they are for babies. She does occasionally play at being a baby and likes to sit in the bouncy chair with one of her doll's 'magic bottles' lol, but definitely doesn't want one for real any more.

foreversomeday

I believe the reason they're harmful at night is when the child is allowed to fall asleep with the bottle, then they often fall asleep with them in their mouths. A bottle can dribble constantly which can cause tooth decay and may also be a choking hazard.

milliebear00001

Bottles are bad for teeth when they are carried through the day and used during the night (i.e. the child takes a bottle to bed). They are bad for teeth because they deposit a slow stream of liquid directly onto the teeth, and because the teat can sometimes make the teeth misshapen when used frequently.

In the instance of the OP where the child is having one bottle a day, of milk (not especially bad for teeth) and drunk quickly, there is little risk to teeth.

It's personal choice I guess. My daughter is 4 and still has a dummy at night! I have no problem with little children retaining their 'comfort' objects for as long as they need them.