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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

having read about suri cruise still drinking from a bottle at nearly 4...

25 replies

alannabanana · 13/04/2010 08:49

...when are they supposed to move on from bottles?
my DS is 16 months and still prefers to drink both milk and water from his avent bottles. ive tried several beakers and he ends up playing with it (usually ending in soaking clothes) rather than drinking from it, and the thing is he is very good at nailing the water so i don't want to do anything to discourage him.
is it ok to carry on with bottles for a bit? obviously i'll try and get him to kick the habit by the age of 4, but for now are people looking at him and thinking 'what a big baby'???

OP posts:

princessmel · 13/04/2010 08:51

I say do whatever you want. Stuff other people.
Just milk or water in it though.
He is only 16m....

waitingforbedtime · 13/04/2010 08:53

Ds still has 3oz milk at nigth in a bottle he is 3 I dont care tbh, he has it in about 0.2 seconds. He's never had water or juice in a bottle.

You are 'meant' to gte them off the bottle by the time theyre 1. It depends how often they are using it etc - it can cause damage to their teeth if used too much.

I think I would start with moving the water into a sippy cup now.

barefootinthepark · 13/04/2010 08:53

gosh there are kids going to school in nappies -- i wouldn't worry about a bottle of water at 16 months

Bessie123 · 13/04/2010 08:54

I think you are supposed to start moving on from bottles at about 6 months because using bottles past this time can retard speech development and delay development of certain muscles in the mouth.

DrivenToDistraction · 13/04/2010 09:01

Most leak free cups are a nightmare, DC have to work ridiculously hard to drink from them. I found Nuby cups really good for the transition between bottles and a beaker. They have a soft spout, don't leak and are easy to drink from.

16 months is old enough to appreciate having a big boys cup if you talk it up enough IMHO.

NorkyButNice · 13/04/2010 09:05

DS is 2.5 and has just (in the last month) stopped having his bedtime milk in a bottle.

Do people really stop using bottles at 6 months?

Original poster

alannabanana · 13/04/2010 09:12

hmm, food for thought. i didn't know it might be hindering his speech development, and indeed his teeth.
i'll look those nuby cups i think then.
and im very proud of the fact that he's never had juice, or ice cream, or sweets of any kind! im keen on keeping those teeth as healthy as possible!

kids going to school in nappies??, my god.

OP posts:

mrsmeadwead · 13/04/2010 09:16

My DS used the Avent bottles with a 'sports' spout (just for water though). I'm not sure what age they are suitable for - I think 18m.
He now uses a mixture of open cups and those children's drinks bottles with a proper sports spout.
He still has his bedtime drink of milk in a 'baby' bottle. He'll be 3 in May.
I'm not too worried as my cousin's DS still has his bedtime drink in a bottle and he's 5.5. I don't intend to go that long though!

differentnameforthis · 13/04/2010 09:25

Using a bottle for a few feeds a day isn't going to harm speech or teeth. If he had the bottle in his mouth constantly, then yes, there would be some concern.

'kids going to school in nappies??, my god'

Sometimes it is unavoidable, so best not judge.

differentnameforthis · 13/04/2010 09:28

I should have added, that it won't harm teeth unless they are drinking something other than water after brushing their teeth.

Bonsoir · 13/04/2010 09:35

Babies can learn to drink from a small normal cup at 6 - 9 months old.

My DD was breastfed and never ever had a bottle - she just drank from a cup.

DorotheaPlenticlew · 13/04/2010 09:41

DS loved his bottles, but we still managed to move him onto spouted cups painlessly at 1 year. We just used the basic Tommee Tippee ones with the flip-down spout (although now at 2.8 he doesn't have a lid most of the time).

hazeyjane · 13/04/2010 09:51

I think the recommendation is actually to start introducing a cup at 6 months, and to try to wean them off using a bottle from one year (if they use one). I think the problem with speech development is caused by having all drinks in a bottle from a year, not 6 months.

megonthemoon · 13/04/2010 09:52

I think the general recommendation is to start removing bottles and dummies after 12 months, not 6 months.

I know someone who still had a bedtime bottle at age 6 so even Suri has a long way to go to beat that!

I think it is probably worth trying to get your DS moved on from bottles at least during the day - can understand keeping it for longer at night for comfort/routine thing. Do make sure you clean his teeth after the bottle at night though rather than before. You will have plenty of spills along the way (I'm currently trying to move my 2yo from spout to open cup so having lots of fun with this at the moment!), but eventually they'll get better. Perhaps start with water at mealtimes, rather than drinks when out and about as you can control the spills a little better as he is at the table - plus you're probably used to dealing with mess then anyway!

I found the basic Tommee Tippee to be much easier for DS than any of the ones with valves as it was freeflow and he doesn't have to work at all to get the water out. He also liked drinking from a straw - maybe that would make it fun for your DS!

megonthemoon · 13/04/2010 09:56

sorry - i meant what hazeyjane says but messed it up - start introducing cup at 6 months (or even a little earlier) with aim of having bottles removed by 12 months, rather than stopping by 6 months which someone else had implied earlier.

Mummy1868 · 13/04/2010 10:04

My DD2 is 4 1/2 and still has 9oz milk form a bottle morning and night, it our guilty secret until now!

Speech retardation has never been a problem, she was saying 4 recognisable words b4 she was 1 and has the best speech of any child I know.

She finds it comforting and brushes her teeth afterwards b4 bed and after breakfast.

We used a beaker with a straw attached which doesn't leak when tipped, and folds down when closing the lid.
She loved this as she could control it. It's worth a go for the water.
I wouldn't worry about the milk though.

HumphreyCobbler · 13/04/2010 10:06

My ds would not ever drink anything from a cup until he was two. dd never had a bottle. They are all different.

I wouldn't worry about it OP.

PrettyCandles · 13/04/2010 10:12

Do what works for you.

Possible problems with bottles:
Too easy to keep drinking milk throughout the day, so may go short on other foods.
Very unhealthy for teeth to be constantly sipping juice or milk (same problem with a sippy cup).
Very unhealthy for teeth and for ears to go to sleep drinking or to drink lying down.
Other people's opinions.

All of which are easily dealt with by simply restricting the bottle to specific drinking times. Apart from the last, of course, but then what business is it of theirs?

All my dc have had their bedtime drink in a bottle or sippy cup until they stopped having a bedtime drink. In ds1's case, that was until age 7. He liked it. No big hairy deal.

PrettyCandles · 13/04/2010 10:15

BTW, speech development is nonsense. It's only at risk if the child has the bottle in his mouth all the time, like a dummy, not giving him the opportunity to practice.

BornToFolk · 13/04/2010 10:16

DS is 2.6 and still has his bottle of milk before bed. We've talked about it with him and suggested that he use a cup but he's adamant his still wants the bottle! And it calms him down nicely before bed and he brushes his teeth afterwards.

During the day, he mostly uses open cups or the basic Tommee Tippee ones when we're out. He never got on with any other style of cup but was using open cups quite early I think. They gave them to him at nursery and he just got on with it so was using an open cup well by about 15 months.

stealthsquiggle · 13/04/2010 10:21

We used the avent sippy cup and then sport-cup type tops - so still the same bottle (sometimes with the handles on) but with a different top.

That said, both DC still had milk at night from bottle with teat until we (in each case) went on holiday when they were about 2.5 and strategically 'forgot' the bottle.

Original poster

alannabanana · 13/04/2010 10:45

i just can't imagine my DS with an open cup and any of it actually going in him!
tommy tippee seems to be a popular suggestion - i think thats what nuby is isn't it?
he doesn't have a bottle in his mouth all the time by any means, ditto to dummies which haven't been used since he was 3 months - his choice! i just don't want a new beaker/cup to discourage his mammoth drinking of water.

btw, is it really the case that they should brush teeth AFTER the bedtime milk drink? i thought the opposite was true as the milk weakens the enamal therefore risking brushing it away.

OP posts:

izzybiz · 13/04/2010 10:49

My Dd has only in recent months stopped having an avent bottle for her bed time milk.

She is 5!

It was once a day, no one else saw it, if it had been a comfort blanket or the like no one would see a problem.

I think if its only a bedtime thing, obviously she wasn't using them through the day, she drinks from an open cup, can speak perfectly and cleans her teeth, not a problem!

PrettyCandles · 13/04/2010 10:51

None of our dc have ever brushed their teeth after their bedtime drink. We found it too disruptive, especially when one person was trying to put 3 dc to bed. None of them have had any dental problems, and even our dentist doesn't think it's a issue. More important is general dental hygiene, general diet, what is in the bottle (milk or water only, or low sugar milk substiutute, ie not sweetend soya milk/formula), and how long the bottle/sippy cup is in the mouth over the course of the day.

LoveJules3 · 13/04/2010 12:47

My Ds (6m) has a Nuby cup, it's got handles like a beaker, but a large clear top with an almost bottle like spout. The top is good cos they can see the liquid coming towards them, and my ds chews the teat to get the water out! You could also try a tiny bit of liquid in a Doidy cup to get him used to drinking from an open cup. The sogginess is temporary i promise!

My dds always had their milk 30 mins before cleaning their teeth, and we've never had any tooth problems. DD1 has only just got her 1st loose tooth, and she's 6.5!

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