What to give instead of a bottle?

[TeethingBabyHelp]

Hi all
My DS is turning one soon so I'm doing some reading on making the switch to cows milk. He has it in his porridge at the moment and is often trying to slurp my milk when I have cereal so I'm not worried about taste being a problem.
However, I've just read on Nhs website that drinking from a bottle should be discouraged from 12 months old. DS uses a beaker for his water - is that what I should be using for his milk too? He finds his beaker quite exciting (I don't know why) and I can't imagine this helping with wind down time for his milk before bed!
What do you use for milk feeds after 1 please?

Thanks!

A free flow beaker - either one with a lid but no valve or a cup with no lid. You may find that he'll drink it a little better if it's warm rather than cold out of the firidge.

My DS 21mo is still having one bottle per day when he goes down for his nap, but all other drinks are in a beaker like a 360 cup. He loves drinking out of open cups but can be quite silly with them still. Realistically i'll just drop the last bottle when we drop the daytime nap.

Another vote for 360 cup

The NHS discourages bottle use after 12mo, because healthcare professionals see many cases of problems being caused by overuse of bottles (toddlers dragging grubby bottles around all day and sipping on them all night, tooth decay caused by drinking from bottles at nighttime, toddlers not getting onto proper meals because parents find it easier to keep handing out bottles and pouches to keep the kid quiet in the pram/car seat, toddlers over-consuming cow's milk in bottles and getting anemic).

If a bottle is literally ONE bottle before bedtime, and teeth are brushed afterwards, I really don't think it is a problem--plenty of children keep a single bottle for quite a while in this way.

For all other times of day, it's best to stay away from bottles and use a cup of some kind. If he is already using a beaker then you can start putting milk in the beaker. It is also a good idea to start practicing with an open cup from this age. My bottle-refusing baby started sipping from an open cup from 5mo (with help, of course!) so 12mo is definitely not to early to start with the open cup. Some people like to practice in the bath, as it can get messy!

Cow's milk should not be over consumed, because it can lead to iron deficiency, so take care with the amount of cow's milk he consumes. NHS guidelines will tell you how much he should be drinking.

Any dentist or speech therapist would agree with the advice to ditch the bottle and dummy at 12 months. Having a bottle at bedtime and then brushing teeth rather defeats the object.

Offer milk from a beaker, it's not rocket science.

We love the oxo tot straw cup. Nice fat straw so good milk to belly ratio and therefore less temper tantrums. No valve so easy to keep clean and non-mouldy. Also it's really big, 300ml+, so holds enough precious white, see previous comment re milk related temper tantrum avoidance!

We use the 360 cup for milk. Stopped bottles by 15m both times, and no problem really with the transition to cup. DD is 18m and her routine is usually bath if it’s bath day, or just pjs on if it’s not, then her cup of milk downstairs, then teeth brushed and a book sitting on the chair in her bedroom then bed.

Of course use a beaker, absolutely no reason to use a bottle, some children continue to be given bottles far too long (because it’s ‘cute’ - yes, really - an acquaintance of mine used to give her school age children chocolate milk in a bottle for years as a ‘bedtime routine’ ).

If they still make them, the anywayupcup was a favourite here, took a lot of effort to get rid from dd1

We have the weighted straw cup for out and about and the doidy cup for in the house. We used these since 8 months.

360 cup for bedtime

DD has been using a 360 cup since 6 months and loves it!

I’m a dentist. My 3.5 year old still has milk in a bottle. I cannot remember when he dropped proper milk feeds, probably about 18m. For the last 2 years he’s had 2 bottles a day and brushed teeth straight after. In the last few weeks it’s been at bed time only and brushed after. He’ll probably drop that bottle when we go on holiday in August. My middle child was the same. No decay or orthodontic issues related to this. My middle child probably will need orthodontics but this is due to his skeletal pattern.

Genuine question bonzo why do you give your DC milk in a bottle, surely at 3.5 they can use a cup/mug?

Sheer habit. He can drink from a cup. It’s just milk. He won’t take it from anything else. He likes it. I like babying him (it’s an open joke, he also goes in a sling and calls himself “the baby”, youngest and last of 3). It won’t be forever.

Bizarre! 🤐

I'm assuming you're going from breastfeeding to cows milk? If so you'll probably find that baby won't take a bottle anyway. They're actually quite hard to drink from if you're not used to it.

Another vote for the 360 cup And mine all liked their bedtime milk warmed up a bit

I didn't bother to give youngest cow's milk when she stopped formula at 12 months. She didn't like the taste although she had it in cereal. Her teeth are checked every 6 months and the dentist doesn't appear worried. I assume she gets enough calcium.

Thank you everyone, seems like the 360 cup is the one to try!

@Hazelnutpie I assume that was directed at me. Not very kind. Or necessary. Which I think you know by your use of the zipped-mouth emoticon. What I’m doing is not abuse. I’m not in denial over it. I’ve taken steps to minimise the harm (to teeth). I have an end point in mind. How is it different to BF at bed time at 3.5? Or would you judge that too?

@bonzo77

I've worked as a childrens' nurse and cared for small children having a full dental clearance. It's quite distressing to see these little ones having a general anaesthetic to have their baby teeth all removed because they are rotten.

My bizarre comment was directed at you because as a fellow health care professional I feel you're being irresponsible. The evidence that dummies and bottles are bad for teeth and speech development after 12 months is conclusive, yet your child still has milk from a bottle at age three and a half.

It's your decision and nothing to do with me. However, I think that if you are a dentist your posts should be professional, which would suggest you endorse the evidence rather than posting about giving a three and a half year old milk from a bottle.

Bottles and dummies used for inappropriate amounts of time will indeed cause dental disease and issues with speech and language development.

A bottle used for 5 minutes an evening, prior to brushing with age appropriate fluoride tooth paste, for a child with a low cariogenic diet will not cause decay or issues with speech. We both know that. If a child having one bottle a day has tooth decay, there is something else causing it.

You’re still wrong, as a dentist, to advocate using bottles after 12 months. Especially on a parenting site. Stop digging.

But there is absolutely no reason for a child of three and a half to have a bottle, you admit yourself that he is your youngest and you enjoy ‘babying him’, I find that a totally bizarre comment for anyone to make, but even more from a dentist .