cows milk

adea

Sorry, misread about it being the night drink.
I give my girls hot chocolate and then brush their teeth after that.
They drink it through a straw.

elona

Check with Toothsmith or another dentist but I think that drinking it through a straw might be worse.

heather38

right i gave in and bought more formula, i'm such a softy!
i am going to dilute the formula over 2 months and wean her off it slowly, 1oz at a time so week one 1oz milk and 6oz formula, week 2 2oz milk 5oz formula etc until she's done. tonight went well and she didn't notice so hopefully a sign of things to come!!

[Deleted User]

heather, thanks for thsi useful post, i had already planned to do a split ratio of formula and cows milk in just over a weeks time and its been interesting to read this. I hope Jack takes to it ok as i've been swtiching him from apatimil to sma as it was on offer and we are so close to giving up i've saved £4 doing that. He hasn't noticed the change as it was gradual, so I'm hoping the cows milk will be the same, although its not sweet as you say.

Please update us week by week, as i could be here with a similar prob in about 10 days!!

heather38

thanks bailey, we're doing ok this week, she's taken the milk ok so far.

Toothsmith

adea wrote: »

Maybe you could try her with milkshake?
I've searched around and there is nothing to say that a 12 month old can't have milkshake,as long as the milk is full fat.

No No No No No No No No No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not give the kid the idea that if they refuse one thing, it will come back as a sweeter colourful alternative!

Not only will you be starting down the path to rotten teeth, but you will be making a rod for your own back when the kids start expecting everything to taste of sugar and strawberries.

Toothsmith

adea wrote: »

Sorry, misread about it being the night drink.
I give my girls hot chocolate and then brush their teeth after that.
They drink it through a straw.

Ditto!!!

Drinking through a straw is less bad than drinking direct, but why the chuffin' 'ek do we have to have sugary drinks at bedtime?

Also, do not brush the teeth for a good half hour after a sugar attack.

When sugar hits the mouth, the bacteria in the mouth break down the sugar and form acid. This acid dissolves away a microscopic layer from the surface of the tooth, and leaves a soft surface. After time, the calcium and phosphate in salive will re-mineralise this soft layer, and repair it.

If you scrub away at this soft layer, there will be nothing there to repair, and the teeth will slowly errode.

At night though, the salivary glands shut down, so repair is slowed at least, and practically stopped. So sugary drinks within a hour - 45 mins of bedtime are even worse than at other times of the day.

Please try and stop that habit. There is nothing wrong with just warm milk before bed, but no sugar please.

grannybroon

My DD has breast fed all three boys (well' current one on nothing else as just 4 months old). She has a policy for the older boys of not allowing anythng else but water (or milk). Juice a big treat like we were over Sunday! If I take them out for a picnic they think it fab I give them juice. Just keep persevering with the milk - a good source of nutrients.

GB

Toothsmith

heather38 wrote: »

right i gave in and bought more formula, i'm such a softy!
i am going to dilute the formula over 2 months and wean her off it slowly, 1oz at a time so week one 1oz milk and 6oz formula, week 2 2oz milk 5oz formula etc until she's done. tonight went well and she didn't notice so hopefully a sign of things to come!!

This is the way to do it, and you're not being soft at all.

By changing things gradually, there is no sudden shock, and so no refusal.

If there is no refusal, the kid will never experience the 'power' and chaos that refusing food can bring - and so will be less likely to refuse other stuff in the future.

For anyone who does resort to sugary alternatives, this is the way to come off them too. Over a week or two, make the 'flavour' weaker and weaker, until it is just pure milk again.

If you think the kid will notice it's not 'brown' chocolate milk anymore, then feed them it with the lights off or very dim!!! It's dark at bedtime now, so perfect opportunity!!!