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Original poster

Does your 3 year old still have milk before bed?

55 replies

bethan37 · 03/02/2011 16:58

Think i have to break the cycle but my nearly 3 year old still has milk in the morning and before bed. I didnt really think about it as it was just routine but now she is coming up to 3 i am thinking surely this is more of a baby thing to do.

What do they recommend for intake? Cant find it anytwhere...
Thanks

OP posts:
Mummy2Bookie · 03/02/2011 22:10

Your 3 year old could be drinking much worse than milk before bed ( cola, milkshake etc) plus milk doesn't damage teeth. Really, I wouldn't worry.

SleepyCaz · 03/02/2011 22:12

My DS is 4.6 and he still has a mug of milk before bed. He loves it :)

happyhappyjoyjoy · 03/02/2011 22:14

No. Not since she was 11 months old. She doesn't like milk though. She does have a beaker of water by her bed if she's thirsty.

Cicatrice · 03/02/2011 22:22

Still has milk in a beaker with his story before bed. Uses cups the rest of the time, but the bedtime milk always seems to get spilled!

I'll keep doing it as long as he wants it.

TheSleepFairy · 03/02/2011 22:29

DD3 will be 3 next month & still takes milk in her bottle to bed.

TabithaSilver · 03/02/2011 22:31

I still have milk before bed. I'm 30!

hellymelly · 03/02/2011 22:33

Mine does,out of a breast Smile

CrowBaby · 03/02/2011 22:51

I think it's both sweet and sensible for the LO to have a milky drink before they go to sleep. I have no intention of making DS ever give his up, any more than anyone could make me give up my drink

Part of me thinks there's just a bit of societal pressure to make us feel guilty for not "making them grow up". Which is stupid, ignorant, ill-informed and now I think about it makes me quite angry Angry

But mainly I still think it's lovely to see them with a drink at bedtime Smile

Maria2007loveshersleep · 04/02/2011 07:57

Mine too (2.6) has a bottle of milk before bed which still helps him get drowsy & fall asleep easily. I do sometimes wonder about the whole thing but then I think 'if it's broken don't fix it'.

My concern with it is- what happens in the future with night driness / bed wetting if he continues with the milk? he normally sleeps 12 hours so surely can't be expected to go that long without toilet, so what do people do? Toilet before bed? For the moment we're nowhere near night training although he's toilet trained during the day. But I have slightly reduced the amount of milk as he doesn't like having his nappy full (since potty training), it wakes him.

I

Original poster
bethan37 · 04/02/2011 08:54

Oh this is reassuring then. I will keep this up maybe reduce a little at night for the dry nappy but yes she enjoys it. Oh and I always brush teeth after ;)

Am sure she will stop when she wants to, dont want to even think about teenage years yet lol!

OP posts:
thereistheball · 04/02/2011 11:51

Mine still has milk before bed, from a beaker. Then I brush her teeth in bed. I am thinking about dropping it so we can ditch the night time nappy, but she loves it.

AlabasterQueen · 04/02/2011 14:28

When you all say your children have milk from a bottle - do you actually mean a bottle as in a baby's bottle???

falsemessageoflethargy · 04/02/2011 14:32

No - when I stopped bf then they just have dinner and pudding and then go to bed and wake up hungry for breakfast.

I cant be bothered with milk at bedtimes - they would have to get up again and clean their teeth for a start.

Maria - its easier to nighttrain if they dont have liquids after a certain time yes - otherwise you would definately have to lift them when you go to bed.

Ragwort · 04/02/2011 14:33

Flame me but I can't stand the thought of 3 year olds (or 2 year olds for that matter) with bottles - surely they can have a drink out of a cup at that age?

My DS didn't have milk drinks at bed time since I stopped feeding him myself - about 8 months; he immediately learned to drink from a beaker and then pretty soon went on to cups - but we just never got into the 'bedtime drink' habit.

madwomanintheattic · 04/02/2011 14:39

my 11,9, and 7yo all have a cup of milk before bed. then they brush their teeth and go to sleep...

i hadn't realised there was an age limit - they seem quite happy.

i think the more important factor is whether they are getting enough calcium in their diet - all of mine are very active and over here there are huge advertising campaigns as osteoporosis is on the increase. ds1 (9) asked me the other day if it was true that by 20 if you hadn't had enough calcium do your bones really liquefy? Grin

who says advertising doesn't work, eh?

falsemessageoflethargy · 04/02/2011 14:41

madwoman - calcium is a concern but mine will eat lots of oily fish and yoghurt and cheese - I think its a bit of a myth that they all need to have loads of milk.

itsatiggerday · 04/02/2011 14:41

When we took her out of night time nappies, we moved the bedtime milk to milk with supper to keep up the milk intake. She still has milk in the morning in our bed with her little brother too. She likes it, it's good for her, but she also sleeps 12 hours plus so didn't want to make it impossible for her to go through. She usually needs the loo sometime after 5/6am I think, so still has a potty in her room to use and then go straight back to sleep (without disturbing us!). Seems to work fine, rest of the time she uses the loo.

HingCogNeeto · 04/02/2011 14:42

no age limit, madwoman

there are real concerns over bottle-to-sleep and tooth decay

however if the bottle is referred to as bockle then I will not be held responsible for my actions

Grin
Millie1 · 04/02/2011 15:06

My DTs who will be three in May still have a breastfeed before bed Blush .... unbeknownst to them it's not for much longer. One would happily drink a little milk from a glass, the other won't touch milk unless it's on her cereal. I'd like them to have a glass of milk before bed when b'feeding stops, just not sure how to get DD2 to give it another try. Sigh.

rubyrubyruby · 04/02/2011 15:08

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

madwomanintheattic · 04/02/2011 15:08

false - an advertising myth? Wink

mine eat the same. don't think the milk is doing any harm though. they've cleaned their teeth after milk from about 2 iirc. don't ask me about the horrors of teeth cleaning with toddlers though.

at bockle

Shannaratiger · 04/02/2011 15:15

If she still likes her milk in a bottle then let her carry on. I wish I hadn't stopped my ds's bottle at 3 as he hasn't drunk any milk since! :(

falsemessageoflethargy · 04/02/2011 15:19

I know madwoman - the truth of it is that I just cant be bothered with it - though I do like them nice and hungry for breakfast - it scares me when they go off to school and I feel they havent eaten enough iyswim.

4madboys · 04/02/2011 15:38

my ds4 will be three in march and he still has a bottle of milk before he goes up to bed, its a comfort, he has it with a cuddle and his blanket and its part of his bedtime routine.

two of his brothers were still breastfeeding at that age and obviously having a breast feed before bed, so i dont see any difference tbh. as long as you clean their teeth well afterwards whats the harm?

also i had dd 8 wks ago and as he now has a younger sibling i dont think it would be appropriate to try and take away his bedtime comfort!

FoghornLeghorn · 04/02/2011 15:40

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