Infant-Led Weaning from the Bottle

Ok... probably throwing a spanner in the works here... but I just wanted to get some opinons.

I have been told by MCHN's and "experts" that, after 12 months, a bottle is no longer necessary and bottle fed babies should move onto cows milk via a sippy cup.

Now, I know that BFing can be extended until well after 12 months and the benefits are phenomenal and I realise that formula doesn't have the same effect nutrionally. However, I am looking at it more from a "comfort" point of view.

I intend to keep Gabby's morning and night time bottles for as long as she wants them. I will move to cow's milk when she is 12 months. I just feel that if having a bot-bot in the morning and at night before bed is comforting for her (and part of her routine), then why should I take it away from her?

I've recently dropped one of her 4 formula feeds because it was "time" to do so, but I felt like I was forcing her to do something she didn't want to do, iykwim? So I'd rather let her guide me and let me know when she wants to drop another bottle - even if it extends beyond 12 months.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. I have heard that comfort bottle feeding can lead to tooth decay where as breastfeeding it doesn't (I'm not sure why this is). Also that cows milk is more filling, less nutrients and can cause them to eat less! Geeze I'm full of positives... but in all honesty I know plenty of people who's kids had bottles up until they were 2 I even have a friend who's now 4 y.o. still finds comfort in a bottle before bed. And she eats fine, is very healthy and has had no teeth problems whatsoever. So I wonder how exact this information is ;)

I'm sure there are plenty of mums who will say it was never a problem for them, I think the only concern is falling asleep with the bottle in the mouth unfinished iykwim? As I know that definitley causes tooth decay...

*mwa*
Cailin

Yep.. I had heard that too, Cailin.
Gabby doesn't hold her own bottle atm so it's not an issue yet but I fully intend on not putting her to bed with the bottle. Rather I want to use the bot-bot time before bed as a chance for her to wind down and snuggle and get all sleepy (very similar to what we do now).

I also have friends who have children that have kept their night-time bottle until they are about 3 or 4. I even had another friend whose little girl liked to have her first-morning bottle up until the age of 4.5. There's nothing wrong with any of their teeth.

debbie, my nephew is 16 months and still has three bottles a day. i dont think there is anything wrong with it from a comfort point of view, if they are not putting on too much weight from the solids and the milk, then what is the harm, all babies have their security blankets, jackson's is his little stuffed pup he sleeps with and if he wants to do that until he is a teenager then so be it (i am slightly exaggerating there!)

Debbie,

This reply is probably way overdue, but I thought I would chuck in my 2 cents worth!

Olivia has just turned 2, and I realised I had been putting off weaning her off the bottle, becasue of the comfort factor. The same as you, the cuddly snuggly bedtime bottle is such a nice part of her little routine!

But I started to realise that she was eating less, and my MIL (who is a dietician) esxplained to me that too much calcium via cows milk in toddlers can lead to a depletion of iron uptake, so I realised I had to "bite the bullet" and start encouraging Olivia to drink her fill of milk from a cup rather than the "habit" of a bottle.

I was scared it may lead to her being unsettled and not drop off to sleep as well.

But her birthday was on Tuesday and we had a big "ceremony" about putting all her bottles in the bin, & she thought it was great fun.

Now she has a cup of milk with brekkie, one with lunch and one with stories before bed. Interestingly she only drinks about 80ml of it, and then asks to put the cup in the sink, telling me she is "finished please", LOL!

And her appetite for normal food has increased again, which I am happy about.

So, we waited till she was 2, she was happy to put them in the bin, and it hasn't affected her routines or sleeping at all, so I am glad we waited.