Milk before bed

[H930]

I’m just wondering at what age people stopped giving their little ones milk before bed?

My son is 20 months old and has a small cup of milk before he goes to sleep. Just now he’s got a vomiting bug so is only wanting water, and I’m wondering if now is a good time to just stop the milk.

The reason I wouldn’t mind stopping is that he has it after we have already cleaned his teeth. He absolutely hates having them brushed and gets very distressed, but for us it is a non negotiable just like changing his nappy and we just power through and get them cleaned twice a day. Doing it right before sleep isn’t exactly relaxing so we tend to do it before stories and milk so he can wind down again.

So is he too young/are we being mean taking it away? I just hate him going to bed with dirty teeth!

If he likes it just let him have it while you read bedtime story and then brush teeth after.

We do milk with a bedtime story, last pee before bed, brush teeth, couple more stories and go to bed.

My daughter is 4 and still has a cup of oat milk before bed. It's the only reliable time she will drink it and it's her main source of calcium and only source of iodine.

Our routine is brush teeth with an electric brush, oat milk. Two stories rinse and then place a layer of toothpaste on her teeth before sleep. Her dentist suggested this routine. The toothpaste is also to protect her teeth from the silent reflux she still has overnight.

Mine are 4.5 & 2.5 and still have a small cup of milk before bed.
I've started giving it downstairs after dinner instead of upstairs with books etc as am trying to phase it out. So hoping it's now downstairs it may just slowly get forgotten ..

Mine are 5 and nearly 4 and still have milk before bed (before having their teeth bruahed)

Mine is 17 (years not months) and still likes a glass of milk before bed!

I’ve never actually considered stopping it! My 13 year old, 8 year old and 6 year old all still like a glass of milk in the evenings

Mines 28 months and still has a bottle of soya milk before bed. And shock horror I don't brush his teeth after it 🤭 he gets them done twice a day and I don't think it's going hurt him to let him leave it til the morning. If your little one still wants his milk before bed then just let him have it, he'll let you know when he's ready to give it up

My 8 year old and 5 year old still have milk before bed. Good source of calcium and if it ain't broke dont fix it!

Mine stopped when she went to university. I don't think she goes to bed anymore either.

Mine had milk up to about 2.5 years. But from about 18 months (when we switched from expressed milk to cows milk) she'd have her milk, then I'd wait until she was realllllly sleepy and brush her teeth while she was half unconscious. Was the only way she'd cooperate. She'd be too sleepy to care. Now it's milk at dinner time, teeth and then only water from that point. Teeth are important!

Our grandson 21 years old still drinks milk before bed.

I’m 48 and still have a small glass of milk in bed! 😜

we stopped it naturally at 14m. I’ve never really liked milk and the children get their calcium through cheese and the occasional yoghurt. Just do whatever works for you.

Mine never had milk before bed after they stopped breastfeeding at 14 months.

We've only recently stopped doing milk every evening, my son is 4. He still has some
Nights when he doesn't eat much dinner.

My kids are 20/23/17 and often like a milky drink before bed, and did for years when they were little. Not sure there's any need to stop if your dc likes it and it's not interfering with their appetite during the day?

Mine were still having milk before bed when in primary school. Then they slowly phased it out themselves. No need to stop until or unless your child wants to.

Teeth were cleaned after the milky drink, just before they got into bed, whether they liked that or not. Then there would be a story.

My parents never stopped, and I'm still drinking milk (after I've brushed my teeth) at bedtime and I'm over 60. It settles me.

DS is 11 years and still has a mug of hot milk before bed (more recently with a Rich Tea biscuit too). He's not yet into tea.

I'm 55 and still like a small drink of milk before bed 🤣. My DC had one for as long as they wanted. They are adults now and 2 of them still regularly have a glass.

I also like a drink of milk before bed (and am in my 60s.)

Isnt it quite important before they are 5?

DS is 22 months old and we moved it forward to just after dinner, then brush teeth, then offer a bit of water after that if he still wants more liquid. On odd occasions he will finish his milk after teeth but only on rare occassions. I know it negates it a bit then but it’s a routine still.

I've got 3 year old twins and we eat a pretty healthy diet with little sugary food. Brush teeth twice a day (most of the time) but when I stopped breastfeeding at 2, they started having a bottle of oat milk to get to sleep. We went to the dentist a fortnight ago and they have identical cavities in one molar. I am putting this down to the oat milk so that's stopped and I'm hoping when we go for fillings in a month that the holes haven't got worse

Thank you all for your replies. Perhaps we’ll switch it to before teeth and just see how it goes. Like PP we have a very healthy low sugar diet (although he does eat plenty of fruit) but I know how bad milk on the teeth overnight can be.