Baby Place

LopkeD · Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:28 am Post subject: Still Having a Bottle at Three

Hi Everyone,

My name is Lopke and I am a mother of two boys: Zack who has just turned three and Caleb who is 17 months!

My question is, Zack, my 3 year old, still enjoys his bottle. I never thought anything of it untill the other day when a lady was rather upset at me for still alowing Zack a bottle. She said I was doing him an injustice...

I was rather upset at her remarks and it has bothered me now for a couple of days. I do realise that he can't be drinking on a bottle when he goes to school when he's six - but for now I don't see a problem with it.

What do you guys think...

Many thanks for your reply's

Lopke

Mom of 2 · Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 303

I took mine off at 15 months and the pacifier earlier. If they can drink from a cup I don't see the point in a bottle. It just becomes a habit that is very hard to break later on. However, this is just my personal/educational opinion and decision.

EJB2804 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 72

Having you child on a bottle at this age will also harm his teeth! If you want to raise your chances of paying for braces keep giving him the bottle. I would definatly talk to your pediatrition about this. Personally I have never seen a three year old use a bottle. If he is fine from drinking out of a sippy cup or regular cup I also don't see the point of him using a bottle. Good Luck!!! Very Happy

P.S. I would research the internet or put a poll up on this site to see when children should stop using a bottle.

DadSteve · Joined: 09 Jul 2004 Posts: 290

IMO, you're going to have to suck it up and break him of the habit. Try transitioning to a sippy cup that has a straw. It's really not that much different but it won't harm the child's teeth as much. There's likely to be a lot of crying and fussing during the transition, but it's for the child's own good. The longer you wait the harder it will be.

Jaymmie · Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 172 Location: NC

I am surprised you haven't already had to have surgery on his teeth. I know 2 kids that had to have surgery for being on the bottle that long. I took both of my boys off when they were 10 months. I feel that if they can walk then it is time for them to come off the bottle. But in the end it is up to you.

Nikki · Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 407 Location: Toronto

If your son is finishing his bottle within a few minutes and not falling asleep with it or taking long to drink it, it would not be harming his teeth. Also, make sure he is brushing his teeth before bed so the sugars in the milk are not going to decay his teeth.
How many bottles is he having a day?

My 22 month old son has one bottle of whole milk after supper that he just goes crazy over...............we want to stop this before his 2nd bday and I'm not sure if I should just go cold turkey or gradually lessen the amount in his bottle day by day.....

My dentist and his doctor said this one bottle would not do damage to his teeth because of the fact that he is finished it literally in about a minute and then just hands it to me and we brush his teeth everynight before bed...it's just a comfort thing for him

My dentist who also has three children of his own told me that sometimes if you break a child off a bottle too soon, they resort to thumb sucking as a comfort measure....and this can be very bad for their teeth.
My son has never taken a soother or sucked his thumb so I am not worried about his teeth. Very Happy

katwoman3 · Joined: 26 Jul 2004 Posts: 17

Hello!!!!!!!
First of all let me say, that was not any of that woman's business to speak to you in such a way. She was out of line as far as I am concerned to have spoken to you like that when you didn't ask her for her two cents!!!
Second, I took my daughter off the bottle one week before her second birthday. She was highly attached and I thought it was going to be an awful experience for both she and I. But I was wrong, this is what I did.
I took her to the store, I told her this is what Big Girls drink out of and told her that she could pick any design she liked. Giving her the choice made her feel good and she picked out two cute cups one with ducks and I don't remember the other one , but from that point on she drank from a sippy cup. I do think three is to old for a bottle. But don't beat yourself about what that woman said just make your mind up to get him off of it now and however he reacts, just deal with it, after a day or two he will get used to it. My mother said when I was little taking me off the bottle was hard she broke the nipple off of the bottle and showed it to me and said " ugh oh it broke!" she said I understood that and that was it!!!
Good Luck to You.