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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not want to stop 2.5yr DS having milk in a bottle?

28 replies

choceyes · 10/06/2011 21:36

DS still has his night time milk and morning milk in a bottle.

We have tried a cup a few times. Most recently the last couple of days. I took him to the shop and let him choose him own bottle and everything. But he hardly drank any milk from it. He usually drinks his milk laying down in the bed while me or DH read him books. Then we brush his teeth.

But with the cup he has to sit up to do this which he doesn't and tries to lay down and the milk goes everywhere. He just gives up drinking the milk. we like to have him laying down cos that settles him and it is much easier to get him to sleep, and also it's nice and relaxing for all of us. But the last coulpe of nights when I've tried to get him to drink his milk from a cup, it's just been stressful and it is much harder to get him to sleep.

From what I gather the reasons for changing to a cup is dental and speech related? His speech is far above average for his age and his teeth are fine (just visited the dentist last week). So is there any other reason that I need to know about?

I also have a 10 month old DD, and since her arrival DS has been feeling left out and has become attention seeking and in needs of his comforts more, and my gut instinct is that I should not be fighting the battle re the bottle vs cup as it is a comfort for him, and I don't want to take anymore of his comfort/babyhood away.

So AIBU?

OP posts:

LittleMissFlustered · 10/06/2011 21:39

To be fair, in a diet sense he doesn't really need the milk.

No advice though, mine rather liked cups so I never had to fight that battle.

Good luck.

porcamiseria · 10/06/2011 21:40

god dont sweat the small stuff, mt DS has a night time bottle and he is 3 and a bit. anyway...... one bottle wont harm him, its minor minor MINOR!

Gastonladybird · 10/06/2011 21:41

Am with porca- dd nearly 3 and still has a bottle at night. She will get rid in time

RitaMorgan · 10/06/2011 21:44

I don't really see the rush to take comfort objects from small children.

So long as you brush his teeth after, aren't letting him walk around with it in his mouth all day and don't put coke/tea/ribena in it I don't see the problem.

Doitnicelyplease · 10/06/2011 21:45

Why not put the milk in a sippy cup, so that he can still drink it lying down?

It is probably better to loose the bottle now, rather than wait until he is a really stubborn 3 year old.

But he is your child so only you know how much this will upset him...

I don't think posting in AIBU is the best idea

Sarah159 · 10/06/2011 21:46

Lordy don't worry about it at all, just think "will he be doing this when he's 10/15/25? Think not. Let them have some comfort if I say, my DS is 3 and loves his bot-bot at night, and it's become a useful tool for discipline e.g. if you don't wee in your pants today you can have bot-bot in mummy & daddys bed etc etc. Bonus!

RitaMorgan · 10/06/2011 21:47

I don't think there's much difference between a bottle and a valved cup for their teeth Doitnicelyplease

FabbyChic · 10/06/2011 21:50

My eldest who is now 18 had a bottle until he was 3.6.

No harm in it, don't do what I did though and give them diluted orange or blackcurrent juice, mine ended up with no teeth at the age of five thru 7.

Original poster

choceyes · 10/06/2011 21:53

Ritamorgan - No he only has the bottle for a few minutes each day, so not walking around with it! He has never had a dummy either. And i've never given anything but milk in a bottle.

doitnicelyplease - I thought there might be a reason not to have a bottle other than the teeth/speech thing, that I didn't know about, so wanted to know if IWBU. posting here is the quickest way to get responses

OP posts:

SillyOldHector · 10/06/2011 21:57

My 5 year old ds still has a bottle. It's as comforting to him as my glass of wine in the evening is to me. I don't see any problem with it all.

Jojay · 10/06/2011 21:58

I haven't got the heart to take the bottle away from my DS2 either - he's 2.7.

He only has it at bed time and we brush his teeth afterwards.

In the grand scheme of things, it's minor imho.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 10/06/2011 22:01

My 3.5yo dd has finally given up the bottle of her own free will in the last fortnight or so. I'm amazed that she did it, she was utterly obsessed and she did walk around with it during the day. The surprising thing is now that her milk consumption has dropped from about a pint or so a day to next to nothing. Once in a blue moon she'll ask for a drink of milk but hardly ever.

The other thing is how grown up she suddenly is. Not having the bottle constantly clamped to her mouth and not asking for it when she's tired or upset has turned her into a different child. I'm a bit sad about it really...

Original poster

choceyes · 10/06/2011 22:20

oh thank you everybody! It is such a relief to know that I am not alone. I was feeling guilty trying to get him to stop the bottle, and also guilty that I might be doing him harm in allowing him to drink from a bottle.

My MIL tutted when she saw him drinking from a bottle, but my mum says let him have the bottle. So I was feeling confused on what I should do. But I am going to follow my instinct and let DS have his comforting bottle of milk for awhile longer!

OP posts:

ooohyouareawfulbutilikeyou · 10/06/2011 22:25

mine used to have milk in the bottle when he was about 3-4 and the enamel on his teeth started rotting

i said to the dentist but he only drinks milk and the dentist said yes but that can rot teeth too when its in a bottle

RitaMorgan · 10/06/2011 22:26

People are really judgy about bottles and dummies, I don't know why. People are very judgy about breastfeeding toddlers too though. We're desperate in this country to make babies/toddlers independent and grown up as soon as possible.

SuchProspects · 10/06/2011 22:29

There was some research reported recently that children who are still drinking milk from a bottle at 2 are much more likely to be obese at 5. We are pretty much in the same situation as you and wondering whether (and how!) to move away from the bottles.

Clarabumps · 10/06/2011 23:19

my son gave up his bottle when he went dry at night- i wouldnt worry about it to be honest. if you're brushing his teeth and as long as he's not wandering about with it al the time then whats the harm. Everyone pushes timelines on our children and sometimes i dont think its fair. My son gave up his dummy a few weeks ago and if it wasnt for the fact he'd end up going to school with a dummy- i'd prob would have let him have it forever. he just loved it so much..bless! there's a lot worse things than bottles and dummies imo!:)

Happymm · 10/06/2011 23:35

My DS gave up his bottle on his 4th birthday, and is a skinny whippet with great teeth :)

working9while5 · 10/06/2011 23:41

My sister gave up milk in a bottle at 4 too. She is morbidly obese and had to have a palatal extender in her 20's which they said was related to the bottle use.

It's all luck really, I think.

GooGooGadget · 10/06/2011 23:55

If it's just wile he has stories and you take it away after you brush his teeth then it's neither here nor there. Maybe cut out the morning one?

maighdlin · 11/06/2011 00:05

My DD is nearly two and still has her night time milk in a bottle. she gets her tablet then drinks the bottle winding down with me on the sofa then goes to bed. She drinks from a normal glass the rest of the day now but the night time bottle is part of her routine. we have tried many times to give her milk in a cup/glass but she drinks it then runs around, when she has the bottle its her cue to relax its near bed time. I'm going to let her have the bottle for as long as she wants. When she wants to give it up then we will give her her drink in a glass but until then she can keep it. what the worst thing that could happen? its not as if she is the only one who will have a bottle later in life, and its hardly going to continue for her whole life. its like breastfeeding eventually they will wean themselves off.

WellIShouldNever · 11/06/2011 00:09

Use a sippy cup, Superdrugs own brand one is the only one I have found that doesn't leak when the baby is lying down.

likale · 11/06/2011 00:10

I would give it him in a sippy cup at least as bottles are babyish

RitaMorgan · 11/06/2011 00:14

Does it matter that bottles are "babyish" - we're talking about a 2 year old not a 12 year old.

LunaticIsOnTheGrass · 11/06/2011 00:24

DS1 (13) had his nightime bottle until he was 4, when the bottle fairy came & took it away for the babies that needed it & left some duplo for the big boy

DS2 (11) gave it up of his own accord at 14 months - just refused bottles completely.

DD (22 mnth) is still having her nightime bottle & is very atttached to it, only has it at bedtime though - never during the day. She goes down like a dream every night & I have no problem with the bottle.
We'll get rid of it when she's ready, whenever that may be

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