Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

18 month old still using the bottle to drink his milk

24 replies

testbunny · 29/07/2010 19:57

hi there

my 18 months old is still having a tommee tipee bottle of milk at night and in the morning (6-8 oz's each feed).

she drinks from a beaker during the day when she has her water and even from a cup whenever she gets the chance.

but she wont take milk from any other thing than a bottle. i have tried all sorts of beakers/spout and cups. but nada!

i worry that it will hurt her speech development and even affect her teeth

should i be worried or just carry on with the bottle and try again in a few months?

(she does eat cheese and yogurt during the day)?

thanks

OP posts:

Ragwort · 29/07/2010 20:00

I can't understand why she can drink from a beaker during the day but not at night - can you change the 'routine' slightly ie: before her bath/pyjamas so she doesn't think it's the 'last' drink.

I am sure lots of MNetters will say it doesn't matter but I never gave my DS a bottle after 7 or 8 months, he just HAD to learn to use a cup.

MumNWLondon · 29/07/2010 20:02

I took the bottle away from DS1 at around that age. He wouldn't drink it from a beaker, at all but I found over time he was prepared to drink some from an open cup with his breakfast and dinner.

If the bottle is being drunk quickly and then teeth brushed its not as bad as if they insist on want to take the bottle to bed and then demand more bottles in the night (thats what DS1 was doing).

moonminmama · 29/07/2010 20:05

My ds had a bottle at morning and night for a looong time (I am too ashamed to admit how long for) but it has never done him any harm. He now happily drinks from a cup all the time but hasnt had milk in the morning or before bed since we took the bottle away as he simply wouldnt drink milk out of anything else. I didnt worry too much because as you have pointed out he ate plenty of yogurt/cheese etc

sorry it wasnt helpful, I just wanted to let you know that it isnt the end of the world if your lo has a bottle at night and in the morning.

Original poster

testbunny · 29/07/2010 20:08

i know its weird. we have tried milk during the day at different times in her favourite water beaker (and plenty of others!) but no luck. i think she just loves the bottle and not fussed about the milk (unless it is in a bottle!)

the bottle is being drunk quickly and i always brush her teeth before bedtime (and she doesnt have it at night - only water)

i think i have left it too long giving her a bottle with her milk and now she is used to it. i should have tried to wean her off before and maybe given her her milk in a beaker as soon as i introduced the beaker for water

OP posts:

Original poster

testbunny · 29/07/2010 20:11

moonminmama does your son not drink milk at all now (apart from obviously in cereal etc)?

OP posts:

chabbychic · 29/07/2010 20:13

Ds had a bottle til he was three last thing at night. NOT A PROBLEM. It's a comfort thing, will not damage teeth or speech. Why take something away that's a comfort? She'll do it when she's ready, or when she understands bribery a little better!

moonminmama · 29/07/2010 20:37

no testbunny, not really. He is 4 next month.

Original poster

testbunny · 29/07/2010 20:44

moonminmama, sorry, i konw you didnt want to say do you mind me asking what age he stopped using the bottle?

OP posts:

moonminmama · 29/07/2010 20:48

It was only about 10 months ago so he was a little over 3.

Original poster

testbunny · 29/07/2010 21:38

thanks

OP posts:

moonminmama · 29/07/2010 21:41

can I ask why you are curious? should I be worried.

atmywitssend · 29/07/2010 21:41

Don't worry about it - my DS has milk from a bottle morning and night at 2.6. He just likes it and given that he's getting plenty of milk, I don't see a problem. I agree, it a comfort thing and he'll stop when he's ready!

itstimmytime · 29/07/2010 21:43

My 23 mo has a bottle before bed, then brushes teeth. She can live without it and has done when away. It makes her happy which makes me happy. What's wrong with it?

BoffinMum · 29/07/2010 21:46

I thought it was normal for babies to have their milk feeds from bottle until about 2 or so, and then they usually wean themselves off sometime over the next year or so, as if they were bf and left to wean at will?

That's what's happened with all of mine. The older ones' teeth are fine and they have no faddish tendencies.

MassiveBumperlicious · 29/07/2010 21:47

DD just three and still has a bottle morning and night. Won't milk from a cup bizarrely.

It's a comfort thing and while a little bit of me feels like it is wrong, most of me doesn't give a toss, she'll give it up when she is ready. It makes her happy and isn't doing her any harm.

moonminmama · 29/07/2010 21:53

bumpilicious, that was my way of thinking.It was only when he started to leave his milk that we decided to take the bottle away. Now however he has none! Im not bothered because he gets a varied diet so gets calcium from other sources.

MumNWLondon · 29/07/2010 22:14

Even with DD who was happy to drink milk from beaker I stopped morning milk before 2nd birthday. Bedtime milk was stopped on 3rd birthday as I knew she'd be dry at night if I took it away (she was).

My friend is a GP and she says she sees lots of malnurished kids eg iron deficient and other things too. Parents think children need to drink lots of milk but in fact milk fills them up and not enough "space" for proper food.

Toddlers need less milk than you think. 2 cups in total (including yoghurts and cheese) is enough. 2 bottles would only be required if no other diary was being eaten.

Original poster

testbunny · 30/07/2010 09:00

no moonminmama i dont think you should be worried- just wondering how long dd could be using a bottle for so i know what to expect!

thats very interesting mumnwlondon. do you think i should stop the morning milk so dd eats well during the day (she eats well as it is) and just give her a bottle at night? (she is in nappies at the moment so doesnt matter if she pees!)

OP posts:

colditz · 30/07/2010 09:03

it doesn't matter, she's still a baby. Stop her before she's 3 by 'losing' the bottle.

porcamiseria · 30/07/2010 09:04

my 2 year old still has has morning and evening milk from a bottle! chill. amazes me that its "fine" for them to drink from a human nipple till they are 4, but not from a plastic one!

he wont still be having a bottle when he's 8 I am sure!!!

ballstoit · 30/07/2010 09:08

Can I just clarify it is cow's milk rather than formula she's having in the bottle?

Original poster

testbunny · 30/07/2010 09:21

hi, yes cows milk. just recently stopped the formula. is that ok?

OP posts:

katechristie · 30/07/2010 11:29

DS was 3 when he stopped his bottle. He was just stopping it at 2, then DD arrived and he then clung onto his bottle for his morning and bedtime milk - comfort thing whilst I was BF DD. The week before his 3rd birthday we said Santa was coming to bring his birthday presents (he's feb, so having just understood santa for the first time, he was very excited about it all still!), and that Santa was taking his bottles away and bringing a new big boy cup. (He'd also started understanding that not all little boys and girls have toys or lots of clothes etc. thanks to a lovely C&L comic relief book about fair trade, so he was happy to send his bottles to the little boys and girls who haven't got bottles). So the night before we set out the tray for santa, biscuit, milk, carrots and his 2 bottles. He was actually most excited about it and never mentioned the bottles again.

I know it's a while before she'd have that level of understanding, but just incase something similar helps further down the line. (Told my friend this is what we did as she had similar with her DD, so she did it on her 3rd birthday, but said the fairies were taking it away - her DD loves fairies).

I know some people have cut the ends of the teats as a gradual progression, eventually just using the bottle as a cup.

MassiveBumperlicious · 30/07/2010 19:52

Very good point porcamiseria

Flip