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

[choceyes]

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?

But 2.5yrs is still a baby!! They have the rest of their lives to look grown up!

The chances of DS getting obese is pretty low. He is small toddler and both me and DH are slim too. We have a healthy diet and DH does loads of exercise, and is already keen on getting DS active as much as possible.

It is literally for a few minutes everyday, I just cna't see the harm.

I am breastfeeding DD and plan to do so till she self weans, so hopefully this won't be an issue with her. Although it's still sucking and drinking milk, so what would a dentist say to that?!

My daughter was the same, liked to drink milk from a bottle. However, at about 2years old I swapped milk into a cup and she no longer wanted it. She didn't need it so she stopped having it.

I think this is an example of how children grow and develop and 'drop' one behaviour/ need en route to becoming young children. If he will not drink it out of a cup I would use the opportunity to drop the night time bottle and give him a cup of milk with breakfast.

You have to do what you think is best though, that is just what I did.