What age should you stop giving your baby/toddler milk?

[OnMyJourney]

My little girl is 16 months old, she’s drinking cows milk she has one when she goes to sleep, one in the middle of the night and one in the morning first thing, during the day she eats her food and does really well with it she eats all her food normally, but I just saw a tiktok video saying that it’s wrong for babies past 1 year old to drink milk out of a bottle! I thought this was crazy as people breastfed until some children are like 3/4 years old (no judgement I find this amazing) but apparently after age 1 they shouldn’t be drinking milk anymore? I’m really confused when did your little ones stop drinking milk?

Both mine still had a cup of milk before bed until around 3 years old, they're now 6 & 4 and will occasionally ask for a drink of milk in the evening

I'm unsure from your post, are you giving her a bottle or a sippy cup? It's recommended after 12 months to switch to a cup but honestly do whatever suits you and your child.

I'm more curious about the middle of the night drink, is she not sleeping through?

At around 12 months my DD would have a cup of milk after food in the morning, and before her bath in the evening. This went on for a few months until she stopped really wanting it at those set times, at which point we switched to milk whenever she asked for it during the day only.

Milk contains a lot of sugar so a cup is recommended for giving it to babies over one due to teeth. If I were you I’d try and cut the middle of the night one.

Be wary of parenting or nutrition advice from Tiktok unless the content is from a known trusted source (meaning an organisation with genuine knowledge, not an influencer).

NHS advice is:
Introduce your baby to drinking from a cup or beaker from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals.

Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn to sip and is better for your baby’s teeth.

It might be messy at first but be patient, your baby will gradually learn how to drink from an open cup.

Once your baby is 1 year old, feeding from a bottle should be discouraged.

And Pasteurised whole milk and semi-skimmed milk can be introduced as a main drink once your child is 1 year old.

No bottles during the day from 12 months. The reason no bottles from 12 months but bf is fine is due to were the teat of the bottle sits in the mouth compared to the nipple.

You don’t ever need to stop giving milk. I still drink it regularly!

However, drinking from a bottle isn’t good for teeth. Use a sippy cup instead.

Yes they shouldn't be drinking out of a bottle, it's is bad for their gums and teeth

Honestly, I reckon taking baby feeding advice from TikTok is bonkers. There's loads of rubbish online, isn't there? I'd always say, just ask your doctor. There are decent websites you can look at, but definitely not TikTok.

My little one, she's three now, still has milk before bed. I think it's a good top-up for all the stuff she needs to grow.

Milk's fine into teenage years and beyond as part of a balanced diet. Should drink from a cup and try to wean off it during the night.

Both of mine still have a milk in the morning and before bed. They're 7 & 4. They've used cups since they were 1 though.

Milk is absolutely fine, it’s the baby bottles that should be stopped at about 12 months 😊 we moved from bottle about 14 months, and now at nearly 3 he still has milk in the morning and before bed!

DD has a dairy allergy and was EBF for 6 months (I went dairy free). From that point mixed fed with wysoy (prescribed) formula and BF; I quit BF when she was about 12 months as I went back to work and they didn't give me a room to express.
She always point blank refused to drink a) cold milk and b) even when warmed up, milk that wasn't in a bottle.
She had a bottle in the evening until she was over 3 years old - it was the only way to get any (soya) milk into her. Consultant was aware and approved.

She's 11 now, has good teeth, still doesn't ever drink milk (not even in cereal).

Basically - do what works for your baby.

They should still be drinking milk (or something with calcium) through to starting school, just not from a bottle. Mine had a cup of milk before bed and when they woke up/with breakfast until between 3-5.

So it’s not milk they shouldn’t be having, it’s the bottle. As the guidance is that after 1 year old they should transition to having it from a cup rather than a bottle - it’s something to do with it damaging their teeth long term I think although may be wrong there. But the time frame is flexible - our HV just said it’s something to start working towards from 12 months, as some little ones are so attached to their bottle it’s easier said than done. We found ditching the dummy easy peasy compared to ditching the bottle. Eventually managed it by about 16 months by using a transition teat on DS bottle (more like a sippy cup shape but soft like a bottle teat) and then eventually moved that to a sippy cup. Even that was a trial and error of trying loads of different brands to see which he’d take! He then got very attached to that sippy cup, as he had been his bottle, and goodness knows everyone knew about it if we tried to give him milk in something different 😂. But they should definitely still be having milk. DS is 3 in May and is still having a cup of milk before bed (and any time he feels a bit emotional tbh as it really soothes him!), he loves his “milkies”!

At 12 months you can switch from full fat to part fat milk.

There should be no milk at night except for rare occasions as teeth can suffer decay from the sugars in milk.

Your DD should have her teeth brushed after her last drink of milk and before bed. You could give her water overnight if she's thirsty. There's no nutritional need for milk overnight.

At 16 months, she could start using a sippy cup for her milk during the day.

Just to clarify - the bottle itself isn't the problem wrt teeth. It's the milk and all the milk sugars coating the inside of the mouth overnight that will do damage to the teeth. Teeth should be brushed before bed and only water should be given overnight, for thirst.

The bottle should be discontinued for social/ emotional reasons by 18 months.

I’m really struggling with this as well so following this thread with interest! My little boy is coming up to 16 months old and my god he loves his milk from his bottle, he has one in the morning before breakfast and at night before bed. A month or so ago we tried to switch the milk to a sippy cup and he was so sad and upset 😔 as he’s been teething horrendously and been ill virtually non stop since starting nursery I couldn’t bear to make him give up the bottle because I know it’s a massive comfort to him. We brush his teeth after the bottles though so I’m hoping that’s helping at least for now and we’ll revisit the cup once he’s feeling better!

So glad to read this. Mines 2&a half and still has a bottle of soya before bed, Cmpa. He refuses to drink milk out of anything but a bottle and I'm not going to stop it just because some people say I should 😅

Have you tried the little alpro soya carton? DD1 loved them.

Mine didn't have a bottle often, he was bf , but I did express, so when we moved onto cows milk around a year he had it from cups. He's 6 now and still has a cup of milk most days, eats well and at the low end for weight compared to his height so I don't see a reason to stop. Bottles I thought should stop at a year if possible because of teeth etc

We still use bottles at bedtime, less spillage and we brush DDs teeth after!

Yeah I tried that, ended up having to empty the carton into a bottle 😅

DD1 is almost 5 and still has a cup of milk before bed, she asks for and I honestly can't see the harm in it. She did have it in a bottle until 3 but it was once a day for 2 mins and she drank out of a cup the rest of the time. Teeth were brushed after and teeth have come down lovely. I think I bought every cup on the market but she just wouldn't entertain it until 3.

DD2 is 16 months (just). Still has sound 4/5ozs after breakfast and 7ozs just before bed. Not had a bottle at night since 7 months. Will be dropping the morning bottle shortly, probably in the next 2/3 weeks after a holiday. Drinks water from a sippy cup in the day.

They are all so different x

Ebf stopped breastfeeding at 6.

Eldest still drank milk from a bottle until he was at least 3 at night. He has never had bad teeth, doesn't have any fillings, and he is an adult now. I don't have any recollection of youngest drinking any milk after stopping breastfeeding at 2. He wouldn't drink from bottles or sippy cups ever, and the only cows milk I remember him having was on cereal. I think its best to just do what works for you.