Best bedtime drink for 12mth old?

Rikki

india wrote:

I gave my son milo before he went to bed very like ovaltine.

The only thing is he liked it a bit too much and he's know 4 1/2 and still wants a cup before he goes to bed.

My 11 year old still has a milk drink at bedtime. Its now chocolate milkshake but it just a routine he still likes to stick to.

Toothsmith

potogold wrote:

No, milk wont cause teeth to rot like that!

That child in the photo, was probably drinking litres of coke a day! Also tons of sugary sweets, etc.....

No - Milk won't cause decay like that photo, but neither will it need litres of coke.

The VERY WORST time to have any sugar on the teeth is just before bedtime.

Toothbrushing afterwards will not counter the damage caused by a drink with sugar in it (even very diluted cordial - if you're the size of a bacteria there is still a feast of sugar there).

In fact, brushing too soon after a sugar attack will DAMAGE teeth more. The surface layer which has been softened by the acid produced when bugs digest sugar will be damaged by the brushing.

This is the layer that would harden up again once the calcium and phosphate ions present in the saliva have a few hours to do their stuff.

At night, the salivary glands slow down, so the natural tooth cleaning and repairing process virtually stops.

Anything sugary going into the mouth in the last half hour - 45mins before bed will be on the teeth and doing damage all night.

That photo could easily be from a kid who just has a chocolate milkshake before bed - even if - and probably more likely if- he/she brushed his/her teeth straight afterwards.

If you need a bedtime drink at all, then unsullied milk or unsullied water are the ONLY safe option. Temperature is optional!

jellyhead

my eldest gave up milk completely at a young age, the 13 month old still loves it, all babies are different and perhaps it's your bedtime drinking family that makes you worried about the baby not wanting milky drinks at bedtime. we don't have drinks at bedtime so i didn't really worry when my eldest dropped the milk and had water instead.

i've seen a dietician with both of mine because they are lactose intolerant so there's no fromage frais or cheese or yoghurt in the diet. peas, baked beans and broccoli are all good sources of calcium. so is jelly. you could ask your health visitor if she thinks your little one gets enough calcium during the day.

at the moment my baby is having formula for the calcium, we're waiting for a full appointment to see the dietician but she told me over the phone that a one year old only needs ten ounces of milk a day to satisfy calcium requirements, and it doesn't have to be milk - can be fromage frais etc. milk in the morning or on breakfast might be enough.

is he waking at night from hunger? if not then it's probably fine to just give water or nothing.

BernadetteN

What is wrong with water? Or a limited amount of milk?

Our kids have 2 choices at bedtime, water or no water.

I just follow guidelines for what small children should drink whatever time of day, not because the guidelines are there and I am a sheep, but because they make sense.

BernadetteN

Toothsmith wrote:

No - Milk won't cause decay like that photo, but neither will it need litres of coke.

The VERY WORST time to have any sugar on the teeth is just before bedtime.

Toothbrushing afterwards will not counter the damage caused by a drink with sugar in it (even very diluted cordial - if you're the size of a bacteria there is still a feast of sugar there).

In fact, brushing too soon after a sugar attack will DAMAGE teeth more. The surface layer which has been softened by the acid produced when bugs digest sugar will be damaged by the brushing.

This is the layer that would harden up again once the calcium and phosphate ions present in the saliva have a few hours to do their stuff.

At night, the salivary glands slow down, so the natural tooth cleaning and repairing process virtually stops.

Anything sugary going into the mouth in the last half hour - 45mins before bed will be on the teeth and doing damage all night.

That photo could easily be from a kid who just has a chocolate milkshake before bed - even if - and probably more likely if- he/she brushed his/her teeth straight afterwards.

If you need a bedtime drink at all, then unsullied milk or unsullied water are the ONLY safe option. Temperature is optional!

Such excellent advice, good enough to print out and keep.

fsdss

tankgirl1 wrote:

even milk

tbh although i have thanked your post, i found it a bit uneccesary.

yes milk converts to lactose, a sugar and has a small element of risk of caries caused by prolonged feeding with a bottle.

this is because the the sugars sit in a pool at the front of the mouth and the saliva breaks it down into acid which inturn erodes the enamel of the teeth.

adding anything else to a bottle such as horlicks / milkshake can cause caries.

i added the picture referral because if it educates just one parent to change their habits then it has done its job.

just google dental caries or bottle caries in children and you will get hundreds of of results including that of the british dental association.

Katyag

My DS, nearly 5, still has a cup of warm milk at night. Hes dry thru the night and he has his milk with his bedtime story, just the way we have always done it and as long as he wants milk he can have it. He isnt a great eater so at least i know hes getting some calcuim thru it.

tankgirl1

thanks for the replys everyone- especially toothsmith's excellent post

well for the past 2 nights, I have given him a few ounces of plain old cows milk, fresh from the fridge! and he has drunk it, and slept through :T

tankgirl1

fsdss wrote:

yes milk converts to lactose, a sugar and has a small element of risk of caries caused by prolonged feeding with a bottle.

this is because the the sugars sit in a pool at the front of the mouth and the saliva breaks it down into acid which inturn erodes the enamel of the teeth.

adding anything else to a bottle such as horlicks / milkshake can cause caries.

i added the picture referral because if it educates just one parent to change their habits then it has done its job.

just google dental caries or bottle caries in children and you will get hundreds of of results including that of the british dental association.

thanks that's interesting about the milk, although I'm not sure I want to google for yuckky teeth :o

fsdss

tankgirl1 wrote:

thanks that's interesting about the milk, although I'm not sure I want to google for yuckky teeth :o

i wouldn't have known this also had it not been recently having to complete an essay on public health / tooth decay in children (for uni.)

i was astounded by the percentage of children who have to be anaethetised to have their milk teeth removed. (inner city children faired worst)

whilst milk has excellent nutritional value to growing bones and its benefits certainly outweigh the risks, i merely put the picture on because i was concerned about people suggesting adding sugar / making hot chocolate etc as an alternative to night time milk.