Author Topic: Why do we have to get rid of the bottle? (Read 4217 times)

AidansMommy · « **on:** February 18, 2007, 23:12:04 pm »

So this may be a stupid qustion, but why is it that we are recommended to get rid of a bottle? What is the difference between grabbing their bottle to suck water out of or grabbing a sippy to suck water out of? And if they are FED a bedtime sippy of milk what is the difference if they are FED a bottle of milk? I am confused. Sorry if this is dumb I am just wondering what the benefits are of getting rid of a bottle. Thanks for your thoughts! Tammy

nathan_smom · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2007, 23:38:48 pm »

My Lo is still on 2 bottles a day and I have never even pondered this thought...I am soo interested to hear what people say!! I havent been overlly concerned with weaning him off the bottle....he drinks plenty of water from his straw cup, so I know he is capable...he just for some reason doenst prefer milk out of the cup yet. I am hoping he will wean himself like he did for soo many other things in the past.
I do know that having the bottle at night....I think it was only when you gave it to the baby in the actual crib, could cause what they call tooth rot....but I make sure to brush my Lo's teeth after the bottle at night.
I also guess it gives the babies a sense of independence when drinking from a cup??

AidansMommy · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2007, 00:21:32 am »

yeah, if we brush teeth, etc then what is the big deal? is there one?
curious!
hugs, Tammy

Two mummies · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2007, 00:32:19 am »

We've changed the morning bottle to a sippy cup with half the amount of milk to encourage Riley to eat more breakfast but we kept the bedtime bottle as it's still a significant part of our wind down routine and comes after dinner. The rest of the time she has water or juice from either a sippy or a straw cup.

We figure she will wean herself from the pm bottle and we're in no hurry to get rid of it.

As for why you should wean I think the argument is the whole dental caries and filling up on milk instead of food thing.

Be interested to hear what others think/do...

Soph

Lana · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2007, 01:27:00 am »

I think "they" make the reccomendation so that your LO will get more of their calories from solids as opposed to the bottle. In the end if you dont want to stop using one you dont have to. Both my boys stopped with bottles at 12 and 13 months respectively and I was happy with that. I dont have to wash bottles anymore and I can just put the sippy in the dishwasher.

matthewsmama · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2007, 02:17:08 am »

ok, I know some moms will likely object to his, but my ds, who is 3 and a half, still takes a bottle. I dont say it often because people often think I am a bad mother. He takes one bottle at bedtime, gets his teeth brushed and thats it. He LOVES his bottle. ill tell him its time to go to bed and he doestn want to, but he sees his bottle and hes ready. Dr and dentist both know that he takes it and are fine with it, because we are so careful. We have had a ton of transitions since he was born adn are just now settling inot our new home and have adjusted to the new baby, which is why I hadnt taken it away. As long as you are ok with it, and you are careful of his teeth, listen to what you want to do. I know from expreience that with all the changes we had his first 3 years, it was not a good time. Good luck, christie

matthewsmama · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2007, 17:17:54 pm »

My ds will actually go to sleep without it, he takes an afternoon nap no problem, but yes he likes to drink from it and as stacy says...its a carrier of milk, which is what the pediatrician said to me.

nathan_smom · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2007, 17:54:37 pm »

I think its being used just as a carrier as well. He has always been such a good good eater, so I know his bottle milk consumption is not hurting his appetite!! And he definitely goes to sleep on his own, so its not being used to put him to sleep.....so I guess we're ok for now!!

MDHmommy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2007, 18:08:50 pm »

We're the same way - carrier of milk.
DS really loves the bottle at bed time. He drinks it and we read stories, then he hands it to me when he's done and ready to be put in the bed!

I'm not in any rush to get rid of it - it's a nice part of our nighttime routine.

catmom · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2007, 18:09:57 pm »

My friends who are NICU nurses tried drinking from a bottle one night and everyone had a sore jaw the next day. Obviously, it uses different muscles than drinking from a cup or straw. I doubt you can overdevelop the muscles. The only thing I could think of is other kids will tease them about using a bottle. I expect it is primarily developmental to move into the next stage just like starting solids, walking, etc. Just a thought. Maybe think about the question "why don't adults use a bottle?" to help find your answer.

nathan_smom · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2007, 18:20:47 pm »

I think that answers the question right there..."why dont adults use a bottle?"...we DON"T (Beer bottles don't count!!)....because eventually it gets phased out ...one way or another!!!!!! Its kinda like potty training...you dont see 10 year olds wearing diapers or drinking from bottles.....eventually everything clicks into place.
Right now it is a comfort thing and part of our night time routine which will eventually get phased out. I am just not flipping out about it at the moment. There are too many other things to enjoy!!
I do however...agree with catnmom...I think that by using a cup...straw or sippy...they learn how to use and develop different jaw and tongue muscles. But like most of us said, our Lo's drink from these cups...just not the full ounces of milk like they do with the bottle....kwim??

Zoey · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2007, 19:06:51 pm »

My thoughts are...

I feel strongly that whatever works for your child and your family is what is 'right'. If your child loves his bottle and it isn't causing issues, then I don't see how a bottle is harmful so long as he isn't going to bed with it, for obvious dental reasons. I do think it is important when babies get older to introduce them to cups since that's what people drink out of for the most part. Like we use forks and spoons, plates - etc. Like mentioned sucking liquid is a much different task then drinking it from a cup.

For us...
My son isn't FED his milk anymore (13m). His milk isn't his meal anymore, its part of his meal as it is mine. So he gets milk three times a day in a cup, with his meals. But that's what works here. My son has no attachment to the bottle. He could care less what vessel his beverage comes from so long as he gets some lol. So, it wasn't an issue here.

I really don't think you have to do anything you aren't comfortable with.

Just my thoughts!

Zoey

AidansMommy · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2007, 20:37:41 pm »

Wow, you all said so many interesting things I don't even know where to start in response! I agree about the dental care of not drinking bottle in bed and brush teeth before bed. Got that and totally agree. I see the point about making sure not to allow bottle full of milk a substitute for meals. We do have food issues. But I don't know if that is the bottle problem or not. We have gone days of just using sippies but I FEED IT TO HIM he doesn't drink it himself. I am not sure how to fix that. He doesn't tilt it properly to drink from and so he gets mad and throws it and i end up FEEDING it to him, he doesn't feed himself. Maybe i am not using th right sippy. We have had big problems with his solid food consumption. I suspect that the problem is because he has developed a negative connotation to meal times as we have had great difficulties with my step son and meal times. ONce we (too late) realized that we think it is affecting the lo we have TRIED to stop the battle at the table but it is hard. I don't know how to remove all of the stresses at the table - which would in turn help my lo find more enjoyment out of eating (oh, when he was littler he would eat anything but now hates the approach to the table and everything about it.......one time step son was not here for a week and in that week my lo actually tried a dozen things he would never try...now we are back to beginning again...)
SO I guess maybe i have more questions that just about the bottle! hahahaha Any ideas about how to make meal times fun? especially when you have obstacles (dss who is almost 6 uses meal times as his battle ground -- he literally will vomit all over the table if he doesn't get his way! yikes!!!) I guess I need alot of help!!!!!!!
hugs, Tammy

Zoey · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2007, 22:03:52 pm »

Aww Tammy, that sounds difficult indeed. I'm sorry I have no ideas on how to help older ones, I wish I did. Stacy may though, she has worked alot with kiddos.

What I did with Owen and the sippy was hold him in my lap with a sippy with water, each day (or whatever) I reclined back more and he would raise his arms higher. We did it while he was watching baby einstein or something so it was really stress free and associated with happy things. There is a link in the bottle feeding section about something like this - which is where I got the idea. He does amazing though with an open cup - I didn't think he would and yes its messy sometimes - but he can see the milk and tips further back. Maybe worth a try?

Also, there are SO many sippies out there. Just keep trying some til you find one that he likes. I know that can get expensive lol. Can you do an open cup? Or at babies r us they sell simple small cups with a lid that has a free pouring spout. Maybe he'd like something like that. For out and about we use a cup with a straw and he likes that as well.

Perhaps you can post your feeding/milk routine and people can view it and offer suggestions? Maybe that'll help too.

Here is a link for a supportive chat regarding sippy cup transitioning: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=79426.0

Sippy cups: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=55022.0

Sippy cups: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68677.0

As far as food intake, we have hit and miss weeks lol. Some days Noodle will eat like he has never eaten before and then pick for the next few days. I find it best to end the meal when he seems done.

Hang in there, Im sure others will have more advice for you. Hugs.
Zoey

nathan_smom · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2007, 00:15:36 am »

Lots of great things here....Tammy i also wish you luck with the dinner table wars...
Just a quick question....to those of you who have your lo's drinking at meal times....about how much milk are they drinking?

I think this is also one of my fears...that he is not going to drink what he's "supposed" to drink...still have that infant bottle mentality in that sense. I do know that when he drinks from his cup at meals, he will only take about 1...maybe 2 ounces of milk at a time...is this sufficient?? (He also has water available all day long)
Thanks eveyrone....interesting conversation!!!

Zoey · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2007, 03:10:00 am »

Robin - we do about 16-20ounces of whole milk a day. His cup fits 7oz so I fill it at each meal and he drinks most of it. He has water all day. I believe the rec is 16-20oz of whole milk a day, though I could be wrong.

Hth
Z

AidansMommy · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2007, 03:30:57 am »

Aidan will only drink about an ounce at meal time (amt he can get without big tipping required of cup!) unless i hold it for him.
He loves to drink out of a normal cup (such as MY cup!) but he can't do it on his own without wearing it all, and then he thinks it is fun and makes a mess and throws the cup. He loves to throw everything!!!! ugh.

catmom · « **Reply #17 on:** February 24, 2007, 23:46:38 pm »

I asked our feeding therapist about giving up the bottle for this "conversation". She said she works with a lot of kids that have major problems giving it up and it is more difficult the older they get. She said it is a developmental process that is important for children to master. When they use the bottle they thrust their tongue out which also causes them to be sloppy eaters because they are thrusting their tongue out and pushing the food out. Do you have this problem?

Sorry to hear of your table wars....that is an entirely different battle. Best of luck!

nathan_smom · « **Reply #18 on:** February 25, 2007, 20:37:34 pm »

Nathan drinks from straw cups too....but again....prefers water to milk or any other liquid!!! LOL He doesnt have any problems at all with thrusting his tongue out or pushing food out at meals, and was in fact an early eater of solids. My only concern with him is his abundance of drool at times. There are days where his shirt gets soaked....usually accompanied by teething I guess...but he is 18 months old...is this still normal?

??!!!

M2W · « **Reply #19 on:** March 12, 2007, 04:33:23 am »

Quote from: AidansMommy on February 18, 2007, 23:12:04 pm

So this may be a stupid qustion, but why is it that we are recommended to get rid of a bottle? What is the difference between grabbing their bottle to suck water out of or grabbing a sippy to suck water out of? And if they are FED a bedtime sippy of milk what is the difference if they are FED a bottle of milk? I am confused. Sorry if this is dumb I am just wondering what the benefits are of getting rid of a bottle. Thanks for your thoughts! Tammy

It's a social issue and I personally could care less if Weston took a bottle with him to the office at the age of 30...so he can wean himself at his own pace (IMHO)

I sucked a paci until I was 7+, no teeth issues, no braces, have straight healthy teeth. Never interferred with speech (trust me I can talk! LOL)

I think children come to an age where they want to be like mom or dad and do things they do...and will wean themselves at their own due time.

So far it's been that way with Weston.

He will drink from a bottle and/or a sippy cup...and to me they both are the same action...but society has a way of thinking a sippy cup is less 'baby' then a bottle. I say let them be kids for as long as possible, they grow up too fast as it is!

Two mummies · « **Reply #20 on:** March 12, 2007, 21:50:29 pm »

I posted here a couple of weeks ago saying how we weren't worried about Riley's bedtime bottle as it was a great part of our bedtime routine. Three days later she weaned herself off it!!!!

So now we have milk in a sippy after dinner then bath, stories and bed. It was a bit weird at first not having that bedtime bottle in the routine but we added an extra story. She doesn't drink as much milk out of the sippy or much from a cup but she is a cheese and yoghurt fiend so we figure she is getting plenty of dairy.

Soph

M2W · « **Reply #21 on:** March 13, 2007, 20:10:50 pm »

yeah...they do...IMHO...wean themselves when they are ready...

Gippie · « **Reply #22 on:** April 03, 2007, 01:50:49 am »

Great post - thanks for all of the input. DD is 16m and still has a day and night bottle. She has sippies all day and we are incorperating a real cup at dinner (where the mess is followed by a bath). The bottle is SUCH a nice part of the night, we sit together, she rests and drinks and when the bottle is done she sits right up and points to her bed. The bottle never somes in the bed and we dont use it before naps - just nights.

I guess I will wean it at some point and am in less of a rush right now. It's not a prop, she does not use a bbottle to sleep. Thanks for all of the input.

Stacey

M2W · « **Reply #23 on:** April 05, 2007, 02:55:41 am »

wanted to say that last night (and so far...knock on wood tonight) Weston has been taking a water bottle all night...which is AOK with me, because my main concern is the formula on his teeth, even though I've been reassured that the way he was drinking/tossing the bottle wasn't as harmful as leaving it in the mouth dripping...because RECENTLY he started trying to suck on it while laying on his tummy, which means when he falls asleep, it's in his mouth

So long story short, I'm please he's FINALLY agreed to a straight water bottle during the night!

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Author Topic: Why do we have to get rid of the bottle? (Read 4217 times)