Can someone explain to me why it is worse for a babys teeth if you give them the bottle to sleep rather than if I hold the bottle and feed my baby before bed? It seems equally bad but I always hear not to put your baby to bed with a bottle. Thanks in advance!!
Thanks for all the great responses! I didn't think about the ear infection thing or even the choking (for some reason). Scarry! I still feed her myself before bed and will continue that route until she is done with bottles all together. Thanks again Moms!
Good question, my daughter is 5 now but I remember asking it myself.
My pediatrician told me the child will fall asleep with extra milk in her mouth and the sugars in the milk will sit on the teeth all night an rot the teeth.
S.
When they sleep with the bottle like my daughter does she will fall asleep but stop sucking or eating and the milk will just pool in her mouth and therefore just sits on her teeth.
I'm trying to break the bedtime bottle thing but it's difficult and after being sleep deprived from the whole newborn stage I'm parnoid to listen to my baby(9mos.) scream all night because she wants her bottle and she will. Most of the time I can slowly take her bottle away and remove it from her mouth but she does indeed sleep with her baba. Some kids have nuks or blankies mine has a bottle.
Why should it matter because a baby should never have a bottle when they sleep!
Because the milk stay in their mouth and milk has suger in it, and will decay their teeth, also if she were to choke during the night you would not be able to hear her.
Once they get teeth, you're supposed to wipe them with gauze after feedings. If the baby falls asleep in the crib with a bottle, you're more than likely not able to wipe her teeth. Unless you can do it without her waking up. Formula, and especially milk, are the leading cause of cavities in infants and children. I work in a dental office and have seen the horrors of 1,2,&3 year olds with tooth decay and cavities, and how hard it is for them to understand what's happening during a filling. Some have even needed crowns and/or extractions because the baby bottle rot was so bad. It can happen quickly, and very easily, while parents are thinking that their children's teeth are perfectly fine. Hope this helps!
The fear is that the milk or whatever you are giving will pool in the mouth causing tooth decay. If you feed, you are more likely to have them sit up afterward or make sure it is all down before they go to bed.
Christa
The reason is because when they suck on the liquid, it can pool in their mouth and the sugar that builds up is not good for their teeth etc. If your baby likes to have that sucking, you can put water in the bottle.
If you give your baby a bottle before bed you can brush her teeth before you put her to bed. Milk has sugars in it that sit on teeth all night & cause decay. Here's a web site to better explain it: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_bottleto_hhg.htm. I hope this helps!
L.
Going to bed with a bottle is worse because the baby is more likely to fall asleep with it in his mouth and it may stay there longer. Also laying flat while drinking will increase the chances of fluid going into the ears which can lead to an ear infection. Also, it's a very hard habit to break, so why start?. One more thing. What if the bottle isn't finished and the baby wakes hours later and drinks it? Gross!!
Feeding a baby a bottle before bed can also lead to cavities. Ideally, you should feed the baby then wash mouth with plain water and washcloth before putting to bed.
When a baby falls asleep with the bottle the milk pools in the mouth and can cause decay on the teeth. If you are holding your baby you will pull the bottle out of his/her mouth once they have fallen asleep, but in a crib, the milk is still free flowing and pools. And I can't help believe there could be choking in the crib with the milk?
Watching your baby takes it bottle is more efficient because you can judge when they are done and take it away usually not causing the milk/formula to sit in the mouth. When you take the bottle away the child will swallow and rid the mouth of the extra formual that may remain where as if you give them a bottle and lay them down they tend to drift asleep leaving the bottle and the formula to accumulate in the mouth. You risk future risk of dental decay and miss aligned teeth by allow the child to sleep with a bottle in its mouth. I would give her the bottle of formula and if she still wants to sleep with a bottle make sure that is Water. And yes children can have water at 10 months of age especially if they are getting all the nutritents during the day.
basically, the issue is dental; a bottle left in baby's mouth while they are sleeping will leak milk into babys mouth, it will cause bacteria to develop, setting baby up for rotten teeth and cavities.
however, i suppose the same can be said for feeding the baby to sleep, but i have never heard that. i have heard that to combat this you can wipe their mouths out after they fall asleep and after feedings.
Based on numerous responses below, you have your answer. But I'd just like to add, that each mom should feel comfortable deciding what works for her baby and family. One of my sons "really needed" the bottle in the bed and all worked out fine. I always took the bottle out soon after he fell asleep so he wouldn't wake in the night and drink old milk or worse yet, discover an empty bottle!
C.,
To my knowledge there are a couple reasons to not put the baby to bed with a bottle.
1. drinking while laying flat can cause ear infections (fluid being unable to drain away from the ear and being pulled toward the ear drum) and is a choking hazzard.
2. milk sitting in a baby's mouth while they are sleeping can eat away at baby's teeth, their enamel isn't as strong as ours.
My doctor told me that the milk can "pool" in the child's mouth and cause tooth decay. It can also run out of the mouth and down toward the ear causing ear infection. The child could choke and feeding time should be a time to cuddle and bond with your child.
HTH,
A.
According to our pediatrician the milk can pool and sit in their little mouths and cause gum disease and leave a coating on their little teeth, causing rot or decay to occur. Hence the phrase bottle rot. Hope this helps. Also once you start putting them to bed w/ a bottle or pacifier they use it as a crutch to get themselves to go to sleep rather than trying to fall asleep on their own and can be a hard habit to break out of. Good luck and hope this helps.
