TRYING TO GET RID OF THE BOTTLE!!

[gillythekid]

DS is almost 1, he throws a right strop when I attempt to give him milk from a cup. HV says he should be off the bottle soon. He drinks his water from a sippy cup or sometimes a doidy but he point blank refuses to take his milk from anything other than his bottle. Do I deny him, or keep giving in to the wailing three times a day?

Ignore your HV. Carry on giving your ds his milk in a bottle. He is still a baby why on earth shouldn't he have a bottle if that's what he wants, if that comforts him.

Gosh we are harsh on children!

Im with Belgo,guidelines are a good idea to 'guide' people but at the end of the day you have to go with what works for you.

Whats the big deal if he has a bottle.

Thanks Belgo, we shall carry on happily as we are. If only he'd let me brush his teeth, I mightn't worry so much!

ah give him the toothbrush and let him play with it, hopefully at some point he will let you brush his teeth. It's hard though.

gillythekid dont worry I know how you feel, my dd 2.4 years just the same, she wont drink milk from anything else but a bottle so i ust give her one before bed and one before nap and one as she wakes up, during the day she uses a sippy cup or normal cup for drinks. donbt know what to do myself as milk is important for them at this age and its the only way to get milk into her. I think that the HV is completely harsh, they want babies to turn into little children overnight, just go with the flow your ds is only a baby after all.

My HV said the same, she tells me off because my 2.6 daughter still has one every night. Apparently it can affect their speech, well bollocks, I still see her as little and if a bottle makes her sleep nicely and makes her happy, then she is having one! Let him have them, in the world of motherhood its a battle not worth fighting.

My DS1 age 2 still uses a dummy and a bottle for his milk, and I'm sure HVs would disapprove. I wouldn't worry so long as it's just milk or water he has from his bottles - if he has juice (and he doesn't need it whatever anyone tells you) that should be from a cup or through a straw.

I dont know how a bottle at certain times like bedtime or naptime will affect their speech, its not like its superglued to their mouths. dd drinks it in a few secs flat and is happy afterwards and dozes of with dummy(only to sleep) within a few mins. that is the main thing that they are happy and contented. i am gradually weaning off just keeping dummy and bottle for bedtimes.

I generally avoid Hv, often they cause more anxiety than they solve. some of them, not all.

Almost 1 seems very early to be taking away the bottle - I think their sense of security is as important if not more so, than any teeth / speech problems which may occur.

If you can manage wiping your DS teeth with a piece of muslim cloth it would be better than nothing, and also allow DS to play with a toothbrush with a tiny bit of baby toothpaste on it - my dentist told me that if they swallow it, the flouride in the toothpaste helps to protect their teeth, even if they are not brushed.

Well, an actual speech and language therapist told me the other day that it doesn't really matter if ds continutes with his bottle for 6 months to a year. He's 20 months at the moment so you certainly shouldn't worry yet. I've tried him with a cup a few times but he cries, loves the bottle too much.

Tell your HV to naff off!