Do I really need to give up bottles yet?

[Orissiah]

My DD just turned 2 and still has a bottle of milk at bedtime. It really seems to soothe her. I've heard many people on here say that past 1 or 2 years, children should be off all bottles due to teeth formation.

My DD has never used a dummy, does not suck her thumb, can drink out of a glass/beaker with no spout, can talk in whole sentences and has a large vocabulary and has perfectly straight teeth.

Do I really need to get her off the bedtime bottle just yet?

We've just taken the bottle from DS and he's 2.10.
From about a year, he only had the bedtime bottle but it really soothed him before bed. He wouldn't drink milk from anything else so it was a good way to get a decent amount of milk down him! Milk was drunk in 10 mins, then teeth brushed before bed.

The bottle was starting to get a bit manky and he didn't seem that bothered any more, so the Bottle Fairy came by and picked it up and left him a toy and a new cup instead.

That was a couple of weeks ago and most nights he's had a drink of milk out of the cup. Sometimes he doesn't want it, and that's fine, he's still going to bed OK.

Anyway, I don't think he would have been ready for this even 6 months ago. I know a lot of people will disagree and say we should have just taken it from him but I think he still really needed it.

I think bottle use after a year is only a real problem if a child is constantly sucking on a bottle - that's not going to be good for teeth. However, a bedtime bottle of milk isn't going to do much harm.

If it's just one bottle a bed and she drinks it reasonably quickly, then let her keep it.

DS Gave his up at 2.8 (morning and night) Don't think it is a problem.

She guzzles the bottle down - within a minute.

DOn't worry about it then! Milk is full of calcium and nutrients, let her carry on with it.

I don't see any problem with using a bottle for evening milk at 2. I think the bigger problem is when it is given in bed, immediately before sleep so the teeth don't get brushed afterwards.

so relieved ive seen this thread, my dd 20months is very fond of her bedtime bottle, no cup can compare in her eyes, ds happily handed his bottle over at 13mnths and never made a fuss. im happy to let her keep it.

Dd was breastfed until she was 11mnths maybe i should have never used bottles.

meh DS is 22months, has a bottle while watching the bedtime hour before his bath and bed...AND he has a dummy

It's not to do with straight teeth so much as decay because of the sugar in the milk.
I think it's just worth teeth brushing after the milk, not before.

DD is 2.7 and has a bottle at various times during the day, generally containing milk but sometimes even empty, it really is her comforter and I can't see any way of dropping it in the foreseeable future. She has never had a dummy, blanket etc and she really loves the bottle. Doesn't really bother me tbh. She drinks everything else out of a normal open cup or glass.

mousey we should start a 'bad' parents club for our bottle and dummy addicts