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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To still be giving 21 month old DD a bedtime bottle?

67 replies

BearsInMotion · 10/11/2013 14:21

DD has always loved her milk, but I only realised recently that NHS guidelines are to stop bottles at 12 months . It's part of her bedtime routine and there would be major tantrums if she stopped. Problem is although she happily has water or juice from a sippy cup she refuses milk from one (and refuses cows milk outright). We do clean her teeth after her bottle, but how bad is it?!

OP posts:

Notmyidea · 10/11/2013 14:23

Mine were the same. They survived.

wimblehorse · 10/11/2013 14:23

Don't know but I DO know some 4 year olds who still have them & a 3 year old who has one during the night so you are not alone...

catgirl1976fucker · 10/11/2013 14:23

DS still has a morning and a night bottle and he is 2 this month

Like your DD he refuses milk from anything else (though will drink water or juice from a cup

I have told him, when he is two he is a big boy not a baby and it is time to stop the bottles then.

Not sure how it will go........someone suggested getting him to throw them away

I always clean his teeth but I don't know how bad it is either so watching with interest

ILetHimKeep20Quid · 10/11/2013 14:24

Yanbu.

If it's ok to breast feed until 2 why is it not ok to offer a bottle at bedtime?

CatThiefKeith · 10/11/2013 14:24

Hope not, dd is 2 and still has one at bedtime! (Only 4 ounces, but she won't settle without it :( )

Original poster

BearsInMotion · 10/11/2013 14:27

Phew, not alone even if IABU

She is bf overnight too once or twice - she doesn't need it to fall asleep, she just seems very hungry!

OP posts:

ThePinkOcelot · 10/11/2013 14:27

YANBU. My dd1 had a bottle of milk going to bed until she was 3. She liked it, she went to bed and went to sleep no bother. It's not as if she is out in public with it. Don't worry, she will grow out of it in her own time. Pick your battles, but imo this ain't one of them.

kinkyfuckery · 10/11/2013 14:29

I wouldn't worry too much about it. My 5 year old sometimes has a sports bottle type with 'cosy milk' in it at bedtime.

Aquariusgirl86 · 10/11/2013 14:30

It's for their teeth development, I had the same problem at 18 months wouldn't give up a bottle. Ideally they shouldn't have them but if it's one bottle a day and they are drinking it relatively quickly (not sucking for ages) I wouldn't (and didn't) worry top much. In the end the teats split, I threw the bottles away and as we didn't have them in the house she couldn't have them, she then after a few tantrums drank milk from a cup. Currently getting my 13 month old to drink from a cup (was breastfed til 11 months so doesn't have thd bottle obsession). Though I'd imagine a cup they have to suck from is just as bad so I wouldn't worry too much there are far worse things that could happen!

Original poster

BearsInMotion · 10/11/2013 14:32

Pick your battles, but imo this ain't one of them.

This is basically my thinking. As far as I can tell the only issues are cleaning teeth and getting into habit too late. But I could be missing something...

OP posts:

Mylovelyboy · 10/11/2013 14:35

YANBU My ds drunk milk from at bottle at night time until goodness knows what age . I cant see the problem. Dont think there is an issue with teeth etc either. If your child is happy then carry on. Ignore the NHS guidlines 'to stop bottles at 12 months'. Load of rubbish. Thats just another statistic that has been made up by some jobsworth. Sounds like you are doing great and your dd is thriving

StandingInLine · 10/11/2013 14:39

My son had one up to about 2 and a half. He would probably still be having it now if I hadn't of been due with another so wanted him off it as it would be a nightmare trying to get him off if baby was using those bottles as well.
He wouldn't drink anything from anything else so had it during the day as well. With my first attempt of getting him off I did the mistake of keeping the bottles in the house so gave in as he wasn't drinking anything - he's a VERY stubborn little boy. Second time I chucked all the bottles out and when he asked made out they were lost. Even made him search for it so he could see for himself. He took it really well and after about half a day started drinking from an ordinary beaker :)

However ,he still has that beaker of milk at bedtime ....

mumofweeboys · 10/11/2013 14:41

We brought ds1 a special cup just to be used for his milk. It was one of those cow cup ones - it had three small holes in it and a spout so same sort of flow as a bottle. He grumbled a bit but we made a big fuss about the cup, pretended to throw all the bottles out (hid them in the loft as knew we wanted more dc's). It took a few nights, tantrums and some bribery but he took it happily enough in the end.

Original poster

BearsInMotion · 10/11/2013 15:12

Special cup might be a plan in the long term - she showing no signs of wanting to give up by herself!

OP posts:

DragonMamma · 10/11/2013 15:20

DS is 2.5 and still has an 8oz bottle before bed. DD was the same. The world didn't stop turning and we stopped it so she would be dry through the night at around 3.

HaroldTheGoat · 10/11/2013 15:21

Phew. Still at it here, over 2.5 yo.

hettienne · 10/11/2013 15:24

The problem is when children go to sleep on the bottle or have it in the night, as the milk is swilling around their teeth - or if they are having bottles as comforters all day.

One bottle, drunk in one go, with just plain milk in it and teeth brushed afterwards - can't see the harm.

Breastfeeding doesn't cause the same problems for teeth as bottles do, as milk doesn't pool around the teeth in the same way.

ILetHimKeep20Quid · 10/11/2013 15:27

Plus it's the only time he's still enough for a cuddle!

SoonToBeSix · 10/11/2013 15:29

My dd is 2.10 and still has a morning at night time bottle . She drinks from
a cup the rest of the time but she loves her bottle and we brush her teeth so I don't see the problem.

Clawdy · 10/11/2013 15:32

All mine had a night-time bottle for as long as they wanted. It kept up their milk intake and helped with bedtime routine. My sister insisted her ds went on to a cup at fourteen months and spent the next year trying in vain to get more milk down him.

pigletmania · 10/11/2013 15:33

Yanbu why not! Nothing wrong with that

Brittapie · 10/11/2013 15:35

DD2 is 4 next week and still has her milky bottle for bed. She is a little handful, shouting, running, really active and opinionated all day long. Me and XH haven't been split for long too, so she is worried by that.

The difference always shocks people when they see her running about hitting trains together, chattering away at a million miles an hour as I wrestle her into pyjamas. Then give her milky bottle and mousey blanket and she immediately stops, sits nicely on my lap and has a lovely peaceful cuddle, with her big blue eyes peering round. It's just lovely. We're gonna take the bottle off her soon and I don't mind admitting that I will miss it.

She was breastfed to 13 months, so I'm not even sure why we introduced it at all...

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 10/11/2013 15:37

My DS had a night time bottle til 3. I don't see the difference between that and natural term breastfeeding.

Only thing is - you should wait 45 mins to an hour at least after having any sugary food (including milk) before brushing their teeth otherwise the enamel becomes damaged.

IAlwaysThought · 10/11/2013 15:43

I didn't let my kids have bottles that late I was worried about their teeth.

One of my DDs had a dummy for a while but only took a couple of days to get over it when I decided to stop her using it.
You might find if you refuse to give a bottle that your DC gets over it much quicker than you think.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 10/11/2013 15:45

We prepped DS by giving him a milestone (and a few weeks notice) at which point he would no longer have a bottle - he gave it up no problems.

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