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Parenting

Milky time - What should i do?

40 replies

RGPargy · 10/10/2009 22:47

DD has cow's milk in a bottle twice a day - once in the morning and once at night. It's a time when we sit down together and have a snuggle. I'm wondering tho, seeing as DD will be 2 in December, whether it's time she stopped having it in a bottle and had it from a sippy cup instead? I'm reluctant to put her bed time milk in a cup as i'm convinced it makes her sleepy and ready for bed but for the last couple of mornings she's had her morning milky in a cup - and drank hardly any of it!

What shall i do?

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seeker · 10/10/2009 22:53

Why would you want to change something that works?

Seriously, why do you think she should change?

drinkyourmilk · 10/10/2009 22:54

Heck - I know that bottles are bad for childrens teeth, and some people see ditching them as a way of moving them on from baby mindset - but i can't see the problem with 2 quick bottles a day. I also don't see how the motion needed to drink from a sippy cup is that much different from a bottle.
So - my advice? Let her have the bottle. So long as she doesn't have one hanging from her mouth all day, and you brush her teeth afterwards I can't see it's gonna hurt for another year or so. She's still so young. I feel at 3 they are much more mature and are ready to move on (though ob everyone is different).

RGPargy · 10/10/2009 23:03

seeker - It just dawned on me the other day that she was nearly 2 and still having milk from a bottle and wondered if this was wrong!

drinkyourmilk - It is only 2 quick bottles a day - 6oz (if that) in about 5 minutes, sometimes a bit longer if she's faffing with it. She never has the bottle at any other time of the day, although i have to say that she has her night time milk directly before going to bed so we dont brush her teeth after that one, but her teeth are cleaned before she has it as part of our bedtime routine (upstairs for bum change, PJs, clean teeth). Is that really bad?

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TimothyTigerTuppennyTail · 10/10/2009 23:06

What should you do?

Enjoy the snuggly time.

I don't think a bottle at night when you're not even 2 yet is a bad thing.

RoseBlossoms · 10/10/2009 23:07

I'm at the same place ds is 2 in march, it does work so well, i'm so relucant to change this little routine.

I think i will also stick with it as i do brush his teeth after and he drinks water from sippy cup/ sports type bottle during the day.

I'm no help really am i?!

TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 10/10/2009 23:08

You know what? I don't see anything wrong with it. Yes, it's bad for their teeth, but so long as you're brushing regularly I don't see that it's going to do much harm. Does she still have a dummy? That's much more harmful to palate development IMO.

Leave it a little while, or if you're really keen to wean her off it, try buying a special straw for her to have instead - tis what my friend did when she weaned her dd off her nighttime bottles.

InMyLittleHead · 10/10/2009 23:21

I seem to remember I had a bottle until I was 5 Re the teeth thing, I bashed my front two out falling off the back of the sofa at 3yo, so don't think my mother really thought of the teeth issue

Squiglet · 10/10/2009 23:24

If shes happy and it works why not continue? I still nurse mine and he'll be 2 in December.. he'll stop when ready.

Cadelaide · 10/10/2009 23:27

Having a bottle is fine.

Calling it milky needs to stop, now.

RGPargy · 10/10/2009 23:29

TTTT - Thanx, i might just do that.....

RoseBlossoms - Nope, but i think your DS is too young to come off the bottle atm too lol!

TAFKA - Yes, we brush twice a day and yes, she still has a dummy which she is very much attached to! I think we're down to about 4 left now and i have vowed not to replace them - once they're gone, they're gone as i hate her having them but she loves them so much!!

the straw thing isn't a bad idea. I might give that a go in a few months time.

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Squiglet · 10/10/2009 23:29

RGPargy · 10/10/2009 23:31

lol Cadelaide!! I cant help myself sometimes, although i do try and stop myself saying "milky"......

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Squiglet · 10/10/2009 23:31

'ponders' and 'what'

RGPargy · 10/10/2009 23:32

Squiglet - i hadn't even thought of that! It does make you wonder doesn't it!

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Squiglet · 10/10/2009 23:33

it does.. ah well. Night night you lovely ladies. x

seeker · 11/10/2009 07:00

"and some people see ditching them as a way of moving them on from baby mindset"

Isn't that sad? Why would anyone want to move a 2 year old away from a baby mindset??

buzzybee · 11/10/2009 08:02

RGP - DD2 born 30 Dec 07 still has at least bottles per day of milk. She also drinks straight from a glass at creche. I'm actually hoping we never use sippy cups - I see no harm in keeping the bottles for a while longer yet. With DD1 she only stopped having her bedtime milk from a bottle when we started night-time toilet training.
Regarding teeth cleaning - is there added flouride in the water where you live? If so, she probably has relatively low risk of tooth decay.

overmydeadbody · 11/10/2009 08:03

Nothing wrong with a bottle for milk twice a day.

Just leave her to it.

StealthPolarBear · 11/10/2009 08:13

was just about to say my 2yo is bf morning and night - milk & comfort, surely this is the same thing

RGPargy · 11/10/2009 16:18

thanx everyone. Will leave her to it then. I very much enjoyed having a snuggle with her this morning while she drank ALL her milk!!

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Alishanty · 11/10/2009 21:32

I was thinking the same and my dd is only 14 mths! she has a bottle before bed and one before her morning nap. She has quite a fast flow teat and drinks it quite quick. She will drink water from a sippy cup but just tips milk out of it and won't drink hardly any of it. I know others younger than her who don't seem to have any milk in the day but at the end of the day, she still eats her food and milk is good for them surely? I think I am going to leave it for a while tbh, my dd doesn't suck her thumb or have a dummy and we stopped bf at 11 mths so I think it's comfort for her, I don't want to take that away from her yet.

Rosebud05 · 11/10/2009 21:41

My friend's son had a bottle unti he was 6, if that makes you feel any better!
I'd agree that 2 is very little - it'll make much more sense to change to a cup in a year or so.

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RGPargy · 12/10/2009 15:15

Thanx We have had much snuggliness with milk times twice a day so i'm going to stick with it for now. She has weak squash or water from a toddler sippy cup so i'm not really worried about that. My next challenge will be to get rid of her bloody dummy addiction!! I take it out of her mouth 99% of the time that she's got one in but sometimes she gets really stressed and constantly asks for one so of course i have to give in and give it to her lol.

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MrsBadger · 12/10/2009 15:20

just as a different point of view, since I gave up bf dd we have lovely snuggly times before bed without any milk of any sort involved at all - no need to give up one if you give up the other.

RGPargy · 12/10/2009 15:32

That is true, Mrs B, but i think that without some sort of bribe to hold her there, she probably wouldn't want to snuggle with me anyway!! haha!!

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