Baby using bottle as dummy for sleep

[Poddingtonp123]

Hi
My 10 month old baby has been ill the past few weeks and has started to use her bottle as a dummy to the point where she won't go down to sleep at all without it now. She won't take a dummy as an alternative. Is it ok for her to be sucking on an empty bottle or is it bad for her to be sucking in air and is it bad for her teeth?

[Gileswithachainsaw]

What kind of dummy do you have. You can get different types. does yours match the teat of the bottle in any way?

[Poddingtonp123]

its an avent one and we have avent bottles too. I think she likes hugging the bottle! she is interested in the dummy but just chews it - won't suck on it.

[MulledLairyFights]

Have you tried giving her an empty lidded bottle to "hug"? Some children cuddle the funniest things. My mother loves the stories of me taking a dustpan and brush to bed for weeks on end!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

has she got a blankey or something she could cuddle instead.

sucking on air will cause tummy ache unfortunately.

daft question have you tried increasing the milk so she's definitely not hungry?

[Molotov]

I don't think it would compromise her safety from what you've described: it's an empty bottle, so no sugars would be present; no spillage risk. I suppose the worst thing is that she might break wind more often from swallowing air?

I guess I would try and distract her from taking the bottle to bed and replace it with something more appropriate (a dummy, a toy). But an empty bottle doesn't seem like the worst thing.

[Poddingtonp123]

she has a blanket but doesn't seem too bothered about it. She used to have a dummy when she was tiny but got so addicted to it she started waking very 40 mins so i had to take it away. I didn't really want to give her a dummy back but somehow this bottle thing has got to be a bit of a problem.... she does seem to like the sucking so maybe i should perservere with trying a dummy again... just feel like I'm making another habit to break later!

[Molotov]

I don't see a problem with dummies, tbh. As long as you look after their teeth and make sure they've stopped the dummy by the time their milk teeth come out/before their adult teeth grow in, what's the issue?

[Molotov]

My point here is that at 10mo, you've a long time to get your baby to give up her dummy.

[Poddingtonp123]

thanks all - feel reassured re the bottle and the dummy. they all need some sort of comforter don't they?!

[Molotov]

Absolutely! You sound like a lovely Mum Don't worry x