Toddlers and Baby Bottles

Published by: mike 2009-01-07

Baby And Toddler Health And Nutrition, The Complete Guide :: Welcome::
The Issue of Plastic Baby Bottles. Read a great article written by Dr. Maurice Levy concerning the issue of plastic baby bottles for toddlers.
http://www.babyandtoddlerhealth.com/en/general/general.about-baby-toddler-health-nutrition-complete-guide.phpHOME

At what age are MOST children weaned from a bottle? My child is 28-1/2 months and takes a bottle before bedtime. He doesn't just like it--he takes to it like a drowning person to water. He LOVES it! Frankly, I don't mind his drinking his before-bedtime milk from a bottle (and he would prefer having his daytime beverages in one, too), but I DID wonder if this was unusual, and "harmful" in any way. And, I must say, there are lots of folks who think it is time he "grew up" a little. WHat do YOU think/know?

Hi there! It sounds like his bottle is a "bedtime comfort item" to him. This is *not* a bad thing! It's not at all unusual for toddlers to resist giving up the bedtime bottle - it's soothing to them, makes them feel safe, relaxed and content. The most important thing to consider is the comfort of your son and your own comfort with his habits. Does it bother *him* to use a bottle right now? Does it bother *you* that he's using a bottle before bedtime? As the mother of two (ages 10 and 6, fast approaching 11 and 7), I've discovered that *everybody* has an opinion about how one should raise one's children. I've also discovered that, when it comes to your own children, everyone else's opinion is meaningless. Every child and every family are different, and where one family is comfortable allowing a toddler to have his bottle until he's three, others cringe at the idea of letting him have it past two. Neither side is ever going to agree. Relax. You're not doing anything wrong and neither is he. He's just barely over two years old, hardly old enough that he needs to "grow up" to please other people. Why don't we have a look at what a few pediatricians have to say on the matter of weaning? "Many toddlers continue to nurse or have a bottle at bedtime well past their first birthday (and some continue well past their second), so there's nothing unusual about your son's attachment to his bottle. What's more, most toddlers who give up sucking milk still suck something. Children who use pacifiers, or suck their fingers or thumbs, often keep it up through early childhood and are usually reluctant to save it just for bedtime. One way or another, "comfort sucking" is a central part of peaceful bedtimes for most small children. When a child gives up this habit has nothing to do with how "advanced" or "behind" he is." My toddler refuses to give up the bottle. What can we do? - Penelope Leach, PhD http://www.babycenter.com/expert/toddler/toddlerfeeding/13364.html [ An aside: I lived and died by Dr. Leach's "Your Baby And Child" when I was a new mother. It was a real comfort to have her child-centered advice quick to hand when I was confused or ready to tear my hair out! ] " Our culture views the bottle as infantile and the cup as representing developmental progress and independence. Yet, I'm not aware of evidence showing that children who continue to take a bedtime bottle beyond age 2 turn out differently than those weaned earlier. When children are weaned has much more to do with cultural and personal beliefs than with science. I vividly remember presenting one of my daughters at 14 months with a cup of milk instead of the bottle she expected. I was greeted with an expression of fear and rage. And although she soon independently chose a daytime cup, she required a bottle (of water) prior to nighttime sleep until she was almost 3 – and suffered no developmental side effects because of it." Ask the Pediatrician - Gil Fuld, M.D., F.A.A.P. http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZRCV2OQNC&sub_cat=474#A " Often, the older toddler who only occasionally bottle feeds doesn't necessarily need any pressure to give up the bottle. On the other hand, many older toddlers, once attached to the bottle, are reluctant to give it up, and this reluctance tends to increase with age. [...] Do not panic. Your son will eventually wean from the bottle although there may be rough spots along the way. Once you begin the process of weaning, try to resist the urge to backtrack on the progress you have made at that point. However, remember to implement this at a time when you anticipate the least amount of change in his life (i.e. not when he is ill or your family is on vacation, etc.). This will optimize your chances of success." Weaning your toddler from a bottle http://www.parentsplace.com/toddlers/bfeed/qas/0,10338,243646_101099,00.html So when should you wean your toddler from his bedtime bottle? If your focus is on child centered parenting, when you're both good and ready for that bedtime bottle to be gone! Really, that's the key. If your toddler isn't interested in giving it up right now, he's just going to make everybody miserable if you try to force the issue. Most children give it up on their own between the ages of two and three - every child is different. By way of example, my eldest clung to his bedtime bottle until just before his third birthday. We had originally tried getting rid of it at around 15 months, to get my know-it-all mother in-law off our backs about it. It was a terrible mistake. Alex was miserable, we were miserable, and my poor neighbors downstairs who endured his heart-breaking wails were doubly miserable. We gave it back, and he eventually threw it away on his own at about 33 months. His little brother, by contrast, couldn't be bothered with any bottle *at all* much past 13 months. Big brother didn't have one, he didn't want one either - one night we tried to give him a bottle and he whipped it across the room. That was that, it was a cup ever after. The articles I excerpted above contain tips for helping you gently break the bedtime bottle habit if you're so inclined. Additionally, Dr. Alan Greene has written a terrific article discussing toddler weaning: "When a toddler or preschooler is still using a bottle to go to sleep, there are two patterns that must be overcome. First, she has chosen the bottle as her special comfort object to help her with the transition from a wakeful state to a sleep state. Secondly, this choice has become a deeply ingrained habit. Weaning her from the bottle will require either finding an effective substitute, or using tremendous force to break the patterns." Tips For Weaning Your Child From A Bedtime Bottle http://www.drgreene.com/21_628.html Three books I couldn't have survived without when I began the grand adventure of mothering: What to Expect the Toddler Years by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff (Introduction), Sandee E. Hathaway http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0894809946/qid%3D1045027305/104-8405310-1121524 Your Baby and Child: From Birth to Age Five by Penelope Leach http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375700005/qid%3D1045027411/104-8405310-1121524 Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development by T. Berry Brazelton M.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/020162690X/104-8405310-1121524 Don't fret. The boy is perfectly normal! If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification. I'll be glad to help. --Missy Search terms: [ bedtime bottle weaning toddler ] and nearly 11 years of hands-on experience.

Stainless Steel Drink Water Bottle Kids Toddlers 350ml - eBay ::
Find Stainless Steel Drink Water Bottle Kids Toddlers 350ml in the Baby - Feeding - Bottles - - - category on eBay Australia.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Stainless-Steel-Drink-Water-Bottle-Kids-Toddlers-350ml-_W0QQitemZ300283530897QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081229?IMSfp=TL081229127001r16184HOME

science TV :: Baby Bottle Tooth Decay and Early Childhood Caries ::
pattern of caries in susceptible infants and toddlers commonly known as baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD), a form of severe early childhood caries (ECC).
http://www.science.tv/watch/f3dc4f3cf45f02c61c0c/Baby-Bottle-Tooth-Decay-and-Early-Childhood-Caries-(ECC)HOME