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When do you stop night time bottles and dummies

21 replies

lancslass17 · 26/10/2020 21:02

My Ds still has a bottle before bed and has a Dummy at night.

Just wondering when you should stop, he occasionally Says no to Dummy at bedtime now but still happily has his bottle.

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hodgepodge21 · 26/10/2020 21:11

I am not sure about dummies, but they advise all bottles should be gone by 12months. Plus any milk before bed needs to be followed by teeth brushing. My DS is nearly 15 months and has a sippy cup of milk downstairs before we take him up to brush his teeth and give him his bath. How old is your baby?

Willow4987 · 26/10/2020 21:17

The advice is 12 months but my DS is 2 and still has a bottle of milk before bed. He has his teeth brush straight after and it’s part of his routine so I’m reluctant to give it up yet

lancslass17 · 26/10/2020 21:20

He's 2.3.

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Disappointedkoala · 26/10/2020 21:45

Bottle swapped to sippy cup at about 12/13 months - she had teeth cleaned after bottle from about 8 months as she had lots of teeth by then. Ditched the dummy at 2.4 yo.

Ihaveoflate · 26/10/2020 22:18

Well, my 15 month old still has both and I can't see that changing for a while yet. I had thought maybe by 2 years the bedtime bottle will be gone, and certainly by 3. Probably the same timeline for the dummy (she only has it for sleep).

DappledThings · 26/10/2020 22:30

Never did bottles but both had a dummy. After about 9-10 months it was only ever for sleep. DC1 we stopped it at just turned 3. DC2 was earlier, more like 2 and a quarter. She was just ready earlier.

Ohalrightthen · 26/10/2020 22:46

No dummies or bottles after 12 months, as it's potentially damaging for teeth and speech. Especially if you're giving a bottle and then not brushing teeth afterwards.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 27/10/2020 06:28

The speech/teeth thing is only if they have it all the time. How much speaking are they doing whilst sleeping? If you're just using it for sleep then its ok.

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 27/10/2020 06:33

Bottles - 1 year . And teeth brushing after his cup of milk before bed
Dummy - 2 years

newmum234 · 27/10/2020 07:06

My DS is 6 months and has never had a bottle before bed. He just has a feed every 3.5 to 4 hours, and if his last feed is at 5pm and his bedtime is at 7pm then that’s what we do. Other times it does work out that his last feed is just before bedtime. Should I be giving him a top up just before he sleeps or am I okay with what I’m doing?

Dummy - 2 years

I read that NHS advice is to wean babies off dummies between the age of six months and a year.

hodgepodge21 · 27/10/2020 07:07

If he is 2 then id just swap his bottle for a sippy cup - and make sure you are brushing his teeth afterwards. It didn't make a huge difference when we swapped to a cup!

Ragwort · 27/10/2020 07:11

I never gave my DD a night time feed either NewMum, he fed (I mix fed) regularly throughout the day and one quick night time feed (up until 8 months), I didn't want to be in the position where DS needed milk to get to sleep ... might have pure luck but he was a really good sleeper anyway, put him in his got at 7pm & he would fall asleep.

As soon as he could hold a sippy cup I stopped a bottle immediately.

mamaof2girls · 27/10/2020 07:12

Bottle swapped for sippy cup are 12/13 months but not long after that I stopped giving her milk before bed She was still sleeping through the night so wasn't doing anything for her she still has a cup off milk with her breakfast and if she asks during the day so gets plenty calcium. Dummy was 16 months just before I had baby number 2! X

WonderMoon · 27/10/2020 07:37

Stopped the dummy at 12 months old - she only had it at nightimes anyway so it wasn't much of an issue and she didn't seem to miss it or need it to get to fall asleep..DD doesn't have a bottle as ebf but I have noticed since taking the dummy away a few months ago she has started to use my boobs as a dummy at night to help her get back to sleep when she wakes up :/

Ohalrightthen · 27/10/2020 07:37

@Letsallscreamatthesistene

The speech/teeth thing is only if they have it all the time. How much speaking are they doing whilst sleeping? If you're just using it for sleep then its ok.
I thought it was more to do with the position of the tongue and the formation of the soft palate being disrupted by the dummy and the muscles being strengthened in the wrong places meaning that speech might not develop properly, rather than speaking with the dummy in.
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 27/10/2020 08:06

I think its a combo of trying to speak with it in but being reluctant too because babies want to keep the dummy in and anatomy formation - but all of which are minimalised by time using the dummy. If babies are using it to fall asleep, then it drops out of their mouths whilst asleep the actual time using it is small

Charlottejade89 · 28/10/2020 09:17

we swapped to a 360 cup at 12 months, shes 2 now and still has milk before bed just from a cup and teeth brushed after.
Dummy we weaned during the day at about 15 months and stopped at night at her second birthday

Scubalubs87 · 28/10/2020 10:25

My just turned 2 year old still has his dummy for bed." But hasn't had milk before bed since he was about 15months.

OnNaturesCourse · 28/10/2020 13:35

My nearly three year still has both at night.

Bottle with warm milk before bed, she'll take a cup if there are no bottles but likes to lie down to have a story while drinking it so it's less messy and less bedding to clean stale milk from. I have found even the 360 cups leak a little with her. She then gets up, brushes her teeth, finds a dummy and has another story in bed.

There is no dummy throughout the day at all, and if she takes one (stored in her bedroom) we tell her she has to go to bed if she is tired enough to need a dummy, and we also will not engage in conversation as "we can't hear her with that in her mouth". When we started doing this she weaned herself off the dummy during the day. I find now if she goes for one it's when she's ill / exhausted, and will actually go lie in her bed with it.

I sneak into her room once she's asleep and remove her dummy, but lately I've found it disgarded on the floor anyway as she's starting to lose interest in it.

Ive, for the most part, let her wean herself off these things (with some pressure and guidance) and have found every little problems with it. They will do it in their own time with your help/support - the only thing I'd recommend is not letting them constantly have the dummy in when speaking etc.

For the record - her teeth are fine, her speech is ahead of what is expected, and she's definitely not a "baby" child. 😁

EIRA3 · 28/10/2020 13:51

We have just ditched the dummy last week, DD is 23 months - nightmare sleeper anyway and hasn't noticed the dummy's gone - settles better if up in the middle of the night now 🤗
Few days after we removed the dummy DD started refusing the bottle before bed - so that's gone too!
I really thought we have more of a battle but DD done amazing, they do surprise you!

Caterina99 · 28/10/2020 16:06

Bottles were done by 15m for both kids. One didn’t really take to dummy (but also slept like crap). The other one loved his dummy (and was a great sleeper) and we took it away when he turned 2. Took about 3 days and it was stressful, but once it was done he never wanted it again.

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