When did you give up the bedtime bottle

[kelloo1]

My DS is 2.8 and stil has his bedtime milk in a bottle. We have a story then I leave him with his bottle. He doesn't NEED the bottle to fall asleep, it's not a comfort thing for him, but he doesn't drink much during the day so i like him to have his milk before bed still. One of my friends was outraged that 'he still has a bottle at his age' and says i should get rid. I was thinking of giving him a beaker of milk instead so he can have it whilst we do story time in bed. When did you give up the bottle?

my first three were bfed and stopped feeding at various ages, one 18mths, one almost 4yrs! one 3yrs. the next two are bottle fed, dd is 11mths and has 4 4oz bottles a day.

ds4 had a bedtime bottle until he was 3yrs 5mths, we gradually cut downt he amount, from 9oz! to 4oz and then when we went on holiday this summer we 'forgot' to take his bottle with us, he was offered milk in a cup but didnt want it, he asked for a ti a few times but there was no drama.

i dont think its a problem as long as you clean his teeth afterwards :)

dd was about 15 months and ds was 11 months when they started having milk from a cup rather than a bottle.

DS was 10 months when I cut out the night bottle. The morning bottle was a bit later at 14 months.

DD was 3.4 and gave up of her own free will. I was amazed, was convinced she'd be taking it to school :)

Around 2.8 we forced a move to sippy cups instead of bedtime bottles, and have moved daytime drinks to open cups/glasses that he's quite capable of using.

Fortunately 'do you want milk or no milk' focused his mind pretty quickly.
We're now cutting out milk in the night at 3.2. [repeat: food and milk and juice are for daytime. In the night you can have water.]

Dentist said last month that plain milk at night is OK, but not juice. Though ideally no milk either.

After struggling with having four children I have to say let him give up the bottle when he wants (and don't worry about teeth-brushing). Anything that makes him feel happy and settled before bed is worth hanging on to. He will certainly give it up when he's ready.

About 18 months I think. This one is BF and going straight to cup. We are transitioning now and she is nearly 1.

dd is 3.8 and still has a cup of milk before going up to get ready for bed so you can keep the routine but it should be before tooth brushing. Can't remember when bottle went - it was after she was 1 as she started nursery and we didn't want to change bedtime routine, but before 18months.

DD is 16 months and still has milk in the morning and at bedtime but since 10 months has had a sippy cup instead of a bottle.

Ds stopped when he was 18 months, didn't like the milk on holiday so stopped drinking from a bottle so it made it easy!

15 month old ds has a soft spouted cup of milk before bed - always brush his teeth afterwards though.

So long as you make sure teeth are cleaned after the milk, I don't think it really matters if it is in a cup or a bottle does it? Hard spouted/free flow cups are apparently best for their teeth but I think it's the brushing that's the important thing.

Both of mine stopped having formula and bottles just as they were turning 12 months.

14 mths. Gave him a tommee tippee first cup instead. Think it was so easy because of his age.

Hmm reading this with interest. I have read that a teeted bottle should be stopped at 1year but DD is 21 months and still likes her bottle before bed. Have only just managed to get her to hold it herself whilst I read a story.

She has one in the morning as she is an early waker. She still eats a big breakfast. I have felt reluctant to stop the milk as she is on the dinky side. She is super active though.

I didnt think this would harm her teeth as no sugar in the milk.

TBH as she has been a terrible sleeper, only started sleeping through two months ago, I associate the milk with filling her up and making her sleepy.

Am I doing her any harm?? If I offer milk in a cup, she refuses it.

littlebear as long as you clean her teeth after the milk then its fine, the problem is with babies/toddlers who go to bed with bottles, often still in their mouths! and then the milk pools around their teeth etc which is bad for tooth decay etc, not to mention the choke hazard!

About 10 months - I mostly BF so very few bottles, but (and I accept this is a personal thing) I really can't stand looking at babies/children with bottles so I got my DS on to a beaker ASAP - and never really got into the 'milk at bedtime' routine either - he would have a drink downstairs if I remembered and then go up, have a bath and story in bed - lights out .

There's lots of sugar in milk (lactose is milk sugar). Cow's milk is around 5% lactose.

Thanks for all your replies, it seems I have let the bedtime bottle go on for quite a while! I must add he never has a bottle during the day, he has had cups since he was about 10 months, it's only at night time he has a bottle. He never falls asleep with it, just throws it out his bed when he has had enough. I have started cutting down the amount he has as he's not always finishing it. Might try it in a cup tonight whilst we're reading and see how that goes. TBH honest I would rather he didn't have a bottle at all, it must be hard work trying to drink through a teat made for babies!