How old is too old for a bottle?

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Teenagers and Older children

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How old is too old to still be sucking on that ol' (baby) bottle?

6 months

[ 2 ]

1 year

11%

[ 16 ]

2 years

26%

[ 38 ]

3 years

35%

[ 51 ]

4 years

[ 12 ]

5/6 years

[ 9 ]

7/8 years

[ 2 ]

Bar/bat mitzvah age

[ 0 ]

At one's Chuppah

[ 14 ]

Total Votes : 144

medola

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:23 am

lol sorry, I just had to post this in the wrong category cause it gave me a little chuckle... hehehe Rolling Laughter

:

Ok, on to the matter at hand:
My son turned 3 this past December and still asks for his bottle. Every night. And sometimes (like now) one or two (max) during the day... We phased it out of bedtime a while back, but somehow it seems to have crept back in. I know it's not great for his teeth (please spare me the guilt trip lecture) and I wish I was better about enforcing good tooth brushing hygiene... embarrassed

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I was never able to nurse him so this is what he's used to in terms of self pacification and comfort...

Also, what IS the big deal about [a 3 year old] still drinking from a bottle, anyway? I can see 13 being too old... but I was talking with my dad about it and he said my sisters were still drinking from a bottle until like 7 years old (or was it even older!?). shock

What do you think?
If you say it's time to let go of the bottle, any suggestions as to how to make it a smooth, painless transition?

Thanks!

middy

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:28 am

Teenage is definitely too old! LOL

yo'ma

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:35 am

I didn't vote because I vote 3 and older, not just 3 Wink

. You have to stop slowly. Does he drink from a cup also? That's how I stop, first a cup, like a sippy cup, then nothing, or less and less.

morah

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:35 am

Kids will generally let you know when they're ready for the next step- whether it's giving up the boob/bottle/paci, using the toilet etc. That doesn't mean you can't give them a gentle nudge here and there, because left to their own devices, many won't take the leap.

Whenever someone in my family has trouble getting their child to the next step, my wise grandmother says: "I know it seems impossible now, but don't worry. Trust me, s/he won't be going to the chuppah in diapers/with a paci/on the boob."

medola

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:35 am

lol I know! Hope you read on... ds is only 3 but it still feels like he's pushing it with still being attached to the bottle.

little_mage

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:42 am

From the tone of the post, I assume you're talking about a baby bottle. What about getting a water bottle/sports bottle? It won't make a lot of mess, will be more grown up, but won't be too different in terms of practical use.

3 little 1s

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 11:59 am

I agree with little_mage, you can get something 'like' a bottle but is not a baby bottle. Like a special non spill one that you still have to suck. Can make transition easier.

shanie5

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 12:16 pm

My personal feeling is that 3 is too old for a bottle.

My mom told me that the way she got me to finally give up a bottle (not sure how old I was at the time), was to only have 1 bottle and 1 nipple. Eventually that nipple wore out and my mom told me "the bottle is no good anymore, how about we throw it out". And I did. When I asked for a bottle afterwards, she just said-nicely "remember, it was broken and we/you threw it out. How about a cup of____".

melalyse

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 12:23 pm

At 1 yrs old - out with the bottle in with the sippy cup.

yo'ma

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 1:59 pm

Right now my 1 1/2 year old asked for a bottle of milk and since he already had his bottle for the day, I offered him a cup and he was fine with it.

Isramom8

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 2:04 pm

I third the sports bottle. Much cooler and accepted in society. Even for teens, and even after the chupah!

cinnamon

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 2:20 pm

I don't think is a a big deal for a three y.o to have a bottle (though if you could, try to enforce an only water in the bottle rule)

My 4 y.o was still asking for a bottle every once in a while untill about two weeks ago she decided she is to old for a bottle and didn't ask for it since. (Now if she would only do the same with her paci... Smile

)

MaBelleVie

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 2:30 pm

What about a straw cup, like the Foogo? Sucking from a straw gives a lot of oral input, so it will feel similar. But it's socially acceptable for preschool kids, and even older. He won't be able to drink lying down, so you lessen his chance of tooth decay- nothing pooling in his mouth all night.

Soul on fire

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 3:12 pm

I said 3 but I really don't know. My oldest gave up the bottle on her own at 11 months and the pacifier at 2. My youngest was breastfed and would probably still be nursing at nearly 5 if I let her. I stopped her at 2.5 because of pain issues. It's hard to give a definitive age. I think it depends on the child and when and where they are using it, etc.

flowerpower

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 3:14 pm

I'd say go with a sippy cup or regular cup. At age two it's tiime to outgrow it.

mommyhood

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 3:40 pm

Is he taking the bottle into bed with him, or drinking it and them going to sleep without it. Becasue if he's falling asleep with it in his mouth/drinking all night then that's a problem for his teeth, he's going to be in a lot of pain at the dentist. But if he's just drinking from it and not sleeping with it I don't think it's the biggest deal although I definitely agree that you should try and transition to a sippy cup. At this point maybe you could wait till Pesach and 'forget' to buy new bottles?

simchat

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 3:46 pm

I didn`t answer because my DD is not yet 2 and still has her bottle. I give her 2 milk bottles a day - water (and rarely, juice) she gets in a sippy cup, cup or sports bottle. I like the milk bottles because she tends to have days where she`ll eat very little so at least I know she`s getting some milk! She loses interest in her sippy cup very fast, just takes a couple sips and that`s it - a cup`s more or less the same, plus it would take forever to drink! She doesn`t take the bottle lying down though...

That being said, a girl in my seminary (19 or 20 yo) couldn`t go to sleep at night without a warm bottle of chocolate milk in bed. Now, imo, that`s just weird...

abmom

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 4:19 pm

If it's in bed only I'd say till 4 is okay. Around the house-till 2. My babysitter told me that when she wanted to wean her kids from a paci at night she would tell the child "I'm bringing it in 5 minutes" 5 min later she gave the paci. the next day she said 10. Eventually the child would fall asleep w/out the paci, but she would anyways put it on the child's bed. When the child would say the next morning "Mommy, U f'got to bring my paci!" she would show the paci on the bed & say I brought it but you were sleeping. Then she would wow the child that he/she was able to fall asleep w/out it. Eventually the child would stop asking.

Bleemee

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 4:22 pm

If a baby (just after 1 yo) takes the bottle to bed but falls asleep after the bottle, is that also a problem? The bottle is finished before they go to sleep. (I think! Smile

)

Fabulous

Tue, Feb 21 2012, 4:23 pm

abmom wrote:

that's great! I am a big proponent of not lying to your kids. I hate it when a parent says something just to get them to quiet down but then doesn't come through. It really ruins the trust. I ask my son if he wants something that he's been screaming for and he says yes. I say if you go to sleep really nicely now, as soon as you get up, I will give it to you. He cries because he wants it then but he has come to realize that when he wakes up he gets it (whatever IT is, I.e. certain toy, food etc.)

I really love this idea for the pacifier. I am looking for a way to get rid of it. I think I'm going to try it over Pesach when I have some time to devote to it. Thanks!

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