I often wonder how they do this research and end up with the results they do. My children and other family members had bottles at bedtime and had none of the issues mentioned above. Everyone is so very different. I think these things are hard to believe and cause unnecessary worry for many new Mum. It seems everything causes something of concern.

Not surprising at all, all the information I’ve come across has urged to stop bottle feeding by 18 months to stop tooth decay. I don’t give my little guy anything before bed. After brushing his teeth, that’s it for the night except for water. Hopefully all parents catch on and stop the unnecessary tooth pain

Not surprising at all, all the information I’ve come across has urged to stop bottle feeding by 18 months to stop tooth decay. I don’t give my little guy anything before bed. After brushing his teeth, that’s it for the night except for water. Hopefully all parents catch on and stop the unnecessary tooth pain

This is something we never ever did and were also advised numerous times by many different health professionals to not do. It is not something we had even considered because good dental hygiene means a clean mouth when sleeping for children and adults. It is so important to always practise good dental hygiene.

Even though this isn’t really new “news”, it’s really helpful to see more and better evidence helping parents to make good choices. I think most parents try to do their best, and there’s so much conflicting advice that anything that’s evidence based is really valuable. Thank you for highlighting this .

I stuck to guidelines when it came to amounts of formula and none just before naps.

I grew up on milk in a cup at dinner time, and sometimes wanting a warm cup of milk before bed so it’s no stranger that my children have the same routine but when I heard about the dental impacts we made sure they are drinking it from a sippie cup not a bottle as we as still milk lovers in this house

I used to put my youngest to bed with a bottle but that stopped as soon as he was old enough to drink from a sippee cup. If he did need a bottle at bed time it would be water. He never had trouble with his teeth until he had his front teeth knocked out by a teammate while playing hockey. He was 7 at the time. He is also very slim unlike me

Well it’s hardly surprising when you think about it logically. Cow’s milk is designed to make a calf put on a LOT of weight quickly. It is not the same as natural human milk, which is designed to help a baby gain the right amount of weight. Add to that people giving a bottle for their child to go to sleep, well they fall asleep with milk in their mouth, which does have sugars in it.

I think this is not new information and it makes a lot of sense indeed. Personally I never bottle fed our toddlers to sleep for exactly these reasons. By the time they are toddlers bottle feeds are actually not needed anymore. Food and drinks can be given at other times during the day and there are other ways to get our toddlers to sleep.

Definitely makes sense as to why it would cause tooth decay. Milk does contain sugar and like all foods and drinks, brushing your teeth before bed is the best routine you can have for your child. We have always done this and so far our kids havent had any issues thankgod!

This makes complete sense once they have teeth. As adults we brush our teeth right before bed and also teach our kids to do the same so that food/drink isn’t stuck on your teeth over night so babies should be the same. I was ensured with my last that breastfeeding was the exception though.

Even 18 years ago I was told not to feed my eldest to sleep because it promoted tooth decay, so that part of this is not new. It’s interesting to see more solid evidence though. It’s also interesting to see the other negative effects. I know it’s sometimes easier, but clearly it’s something to avoid.