Bottles before bed

[jesslambo88]

Our little boy is 21 months and still has a bottle of whole milk before bed...does anyone else's little ones still have a bottle of milk

I never gave my DS a drink before bed ... however a friend gave her DC bottles (yes, bottles) of chocolate milk before bed up until the age of 10. Personally I think that is very ... odd. If a child is having a full, balanced diet do they need a bedtime drink?

Yes. 18 months

Yes my wee one still has a bottle at 20 months. my hv said ages ago that she should stop before shes 2. Weve been gradually reducing her bottle at night and nap but she loves it for comfort. Still offering the mill at mealtimes though.

@jesslambo88 if it's any consolation I used to have a bottle of milk before bed until I was 10. 10 yo. Yes. And I turned up fine :)

DS , who was 2 last month , still occasionally has a drink of milk at bedtime. I'd say around December time it stopped being part of his routine and more just when he needed the extra comfort.

Is it a baby bottle that your son uses? That's the only thing I'd be keen to get rid of , can you give it in a cup before starting bedtime routine?

I suppose it's a good idea to stop before potty training as when you want to remove the night nappy it's tougher if they have a big drink before bed.

Ours is 22m and she has milk before bed, anywhere between 15 mins and one hour before bed depending on what time she goes to bed. She has this in a sippy cup or straw cup though not a bottle. I assumed all kids at this age still had milk before bed tbh.

My 2 year 4 m old still has a baby bottle of milk at bed time :-)

I stopped bottles around 1 year as advised. I still gave milk before bed but it was in a lidded cup

2.5 yrs and still has a bottle of warm milk at bedtime, I know I should stop but he was such a milk fiend it took us a while to fight him down to this one!

We did bottles until 2 at which point we gave DD a cup of milk downstairs before bed with a bedtime cuddle which was nice and she still has a cup of milk before bed sometimes now aged 5...don't see why it needs to be stopped to be honest. Surely the equivalent of an adult having a cuppa.

My 3yo DD still has a bottle of warm whole milk at bedtime she eats really well in the day it's a comfort thing she gets tired asks for milk and her bed, I'm hoping she just grows out of it eventually although I love a cup of warm milk too

@Katjolo @SnowdropFox @ZooKeeper19 @CantKeepSecrets @notoneday @MeadowHay @AdvicePleaseThanks @dementedpixie @yestonodressyet @mitsyblue @kissmewherethesundontshine thank u all for ur advice...the problem I have is our little boy has always had the same routine of a bottle on my lap in his room then falls to sleep on me and then he goes into his cot...the last week he's had enough of this and after his milk he's pointing to his cot so I'm putting him down in there but then he won't self settle...if I leave the room he cries and shouts mama so I've been advised to sit with him in his room and then he's finally settling himself...I just don't no how change the transition of having no milk and then him going to bed...he has a straw cup so will try this xxx

DD nearly 3 has a bottle in her cot. More and more she foesnt drink it but still likes to have it . My son had one until he was 4 and ready to surrender it. If it gives them security and helps them settle it's a good thing in my opinion.

You could try putting him to bed with one of the Fisher price (I think) type sippy cups that they actively squeeze to drink from,that way the milk doesnt pour or gush. The act of sucking is soothing. After a short while you dan give the cip then just wait until hes relaxed, say you're just going to fo xyz in the next room and will he havk. After 2 mins return. Then repeat. Over a couple of days stretch the tine out it USUALLY works!

Nothing wrong with a bottle in bed IMO, but not if chocolate milk, children definitely don't need that!

@GlamGiraffe ye we have always started his bedtime routine in his room...I read him a book on my lap and then he's decided after his bottle of whole milk he wants to go in his cot...when he's at his childminders as soon as he's tired his tells his childminder by pointing to the playroom that he wants to have a nap...I've tried leaving the room and returning after certain times and gradually waiting longer and longer but he gets really upset and just keeps throwing his dummy out...I sit in his room to reassure him and he's going to sleep after around a hour xx

Yes our son had it till a little over 2.

To stop it I gave him it laying on the couch for a little while (he used to drink it in bed). The first night he got quite upset asking for his milk when he got to bed. So the second night I made sure to really explain to him that this was his bedtime milk and then it would be all gone and no more milk in bed. He was fine after that! Then I moved to a cup of milk on the couch which he still has now (2.5 years)

Also to get my son to go to sleep by himself I would leave the room for really short bursts. Night 1 I would say something like, I'm just going to put your clothes in the wash basket then I would return. Do this for a few nights. Then I would do something longer like, I'm just going for a wee then return. Eventually (over the course of a few weeks) I built it up to I'm just going to have a bath, and he would fall asleep whilst I was in there. Good luck whatever you try! If this upsets him, I think it's OK to stay as long as he needs personally.

24 month DS still has a bottle before bed but we always brush his teeth after.

Sorry I meant 23 month 😄

My daughter 21 months still has 8oz first thing same again at bed 🤷🏻‍♀️ she's happy so I'm happy! Like someone above said when get to potty training might have to rethink but until then we're fine as we are 😊

It's a battle for us to get our lo down to sleep too. Last night it took an hour and a half. Weve been gradually leaving the room and coming back in for longer periods of time. She used to scream the house down but now just plays and demands songs until she falls asleep. Its progress in a way but hit and miss as to if she falls asleep when we have left the room.

Last night for example she eventually fell asleep when I said that I was taking her bottle downstairs to wash. I washed it then checked the monitor and she seemed to be settling herself. After 10 mins she'd fallen asleep.

Its exhausting but we are getting there.

Mine both have a cup of milk at bedtime with stories and they are nearly 4 and 2. It's part of their routine and they enjoy it so I don't see any harm.

@FuckPolitenessSSDGM does ur little ones have there milk and book in there rooms or downstairs xx

Our dentist told us that it was an absolute no unless you brushed their teeth afterwards so we went to a sippy cup at a year (no bottles) and a drink of water only after teeth had been brushed.

Teeth should be done after milk. Mine swapped to having milk downstairs a bit earlier and then had stories upstairs in the bedroom