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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 put cows milk in a bottle

15 replies

thefurryone · 27/05/2012 21:49

DS is 13 months and down to one bottle a day before bed in which he still has infant formula. For some reason I have it in my head that bottles should only be for formula or expressed breast milk, and cows milk should be cup only. I have no idea why I think this way and don't seem to be able to find any useful advice anywhere.

My quandary is that i'm scared of dropping the bottle in case DS decides to drop sleeping through. I just feel really reluctant to switch the contents and keep the bottle, but I just don't want to carry on with formula now it's no longer necessary.

Any ideas?

OP posts:

Morph2 · 27/05/2012 21:51

my ds has cows milk in a bottle

Sirzy · 27/05/2012 21:51

No reason you can't put cows milk in a bottle. DS had cows milk in a bottle til 18 months when he dropped the bottles out of choice.

whenyouseeitwaveorcheer · 27/05/2012 21:51

I think it's best to ditch bottles asap as they aren't good for their teeth.

I got rid of bottles for both of mine at 12 months and it was a non event each time.

Pontouf · 27/05/2012 21:52

DS also has cow's milk in a bottle. He just has it at night as a winding down for be thing. He's 18mo.

Pontouf · 27/05/2012 21:52

For bed

Booette · 27/05/2012 21:53

If he drinks the bottle straight down, and brushes his teeth before bed then I don't see a problem with it.

hazeyjane · 27/05/2012 21:53

switch to cup
put cows milk in bottle
keep on giving some formula

any of these would be ok, so just choose which one you want to do.

McHappyPants2012 · 27/05/2012 21:55

To me sleep is important without it I am a grump so I would put cows milk in a bottle.

I normally book 2 weeks off from work when dropping bottles or potty training ect as I can't function without sleep

RagamuffinAndFidget · 27/05/2012 21:58

We just kept going with the formula. Don't fix what ain't broke and all that. DS1 was still having a morning and an evening bottle at just over a year old, if I remember correctly, so it would have cost quite a lot to give him cows milk for both of those bottles. He was having 8oz (roughly) in each bottle so that would have been nearly a pint of milk every day, I think.

Bottles can be damaging for teeth if they're not given sensibly - if baby is put to bed sucking on a bottle that's when the damage is likely to occur. If you give them a bottle, they drink it and then you take it away, and then you brush their teeth twice daily, they should be OK.

If you want to switch to cows' milk (either in a bottle or in a cup) it should hopefully be relatively easy though. They're mostly fairly adaptable creatures!

KitCat26 · 27/05/2012 22:10

We switched from formula to cows milk at twelve months (the cost was horrendous!) and at the same time switched from bottles to sippy cups. They both took to this fairly easily.

Try giving your DC a cup at bedtime if you're worried about a bottle rather than dropping the feed completely.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 27/05/2012 22:16

Why are you so keen to get away from formula? My two were fully on cups at the earliest opportunity, but I gave formula well after a year. Probably because ds1 could be fussy about what he ate and it was an easy way to ensure that he got enough vitamins.

GateGipsy · 27/05/2012 22:17

we kept going with formula and used toddler formula for a while. Son absolutely loathed cows milk so I didn't really have much choice. I don't think it is a problem though, although it would have been cheaper. He is 7 now and glugs cows milk down by the pint each day.

So I'd say just go with what works for you. Continuing with a bottle each day isn't an issue as long as brush teeth after. If your child likes the formula then stay with if you want. You could have formula once a day and cows milk the rest. I've never heard of anything about only putting cows milk in cups. Just that for their teeth development you shouldn't give them lots of bottles so maybe it is just that this coincides with the time kids normally go onto cows milk?

Original poster

thefurryone · 27/05/2012 22:26

Thanks everyone. DS is generally fairly adaptable, over the last couple of months has dropped 2 daytime bottles and stopped breast feeding with no real fuss. He likes cows milk so no issue there.

Not sure why this nighttime bottle is niggling at me so much. Part of me just resents buying formula when there is no need.

Will continue mulling over my options and hopefully by the time I get to the bottom of this tin I'll have stopped being so indecisive!

OP posts:

everythingtodo · 27/05/2012 22:26

Ds 1 had cows milk and bottle until 3!! Was a nightmare to give up the bottle. Ds2 i switched to sippy cup very early on was about 1. Ds2 route was the best i would say....

WhippingGirl · 27/05/2012 22:30

I gave cows milk from a dippy cup with a soft spout from 12 months when dd self weaned. She still has them at bed time at 2.5. For some reason I would feel negative about giving it in a teat bottle but them she never had formula. Follow on milk is a con anyway

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