Would you cut the after lunch bottle?

[LibranTwin]

My 16 month old DD is having a 200ml bottle before her midday nap and a 240ml bottle before bed. Childcare keeps insisting I should cut the bottle as she is getting older but I dont know what to do...

My DD isn't the best eaten, even after all night without a bottle she will eat one weetbix with milk or equivalent at breaky, a few snacks then lunch which if she feeds herself is hardly anything or if I shovel something in maybe a handful of food. A few more snack then about the same for dinner as lunch.

If I put milk in a sippy cup she will only drink a tiny amount. Is she too old for a after lunch bottle and would you cut it?

[LibranTwin]

Should i be stressing about this??

[MumtoD]

Generally speaking I think she is too old for a bottle BUT if your concerned about her food intake and she wont take much milk from a sippy cup then maybe you need to keep doing it. Tell the childcare centre to mind their own business.

[Mummy2R&K]

My DS was only on the night bottle at that age, but you do what is best for your DD.

I did cut it out by just giving him a sippy cup with milk in it with his lunch, then just eventually water.

But if you want her to keep having it, tell the childcare centre she is your child and you'll decide what is best, not them.

[HollyHotLips]

Generally speaking I think she is too old for a bottle BUT if your concerned about her food intake and she wont take much milk from a sippy cup then maybe you need to keep doing it. Tell the childcare centre to mind their own business.

:iagree:

[LibranTwin]

Ok so I guess now is better then ever, I will trying cutting it out next week!

It's funny I never really saw it as a problem, in my mums group 2 babies are still breastfeeding through the day and several others are still getting a bottle before there afternoon nap.

Anyway I will give it a try and see how she goes :) Hopefully the 200-250ml of milk she gets at night isn't the only milk she gets.

[LibranTwin]

Oh and did you just cut the bottle completely or how did you do it??

[HollyHotLips]

with DD i just stopped giving it, might take a few days to get used to not having it but hang in there! :)

[Myztiks#1Fan]

coop isnt the best eater at times either, i would be lucky if he would have a decent feed so the bottles would be it for him in the end. he stopped having bottles before his lunch time sleep at about 19mths or so and that was because he was at daycare full time and they felt he was too old. if you arent to concerned about your DD still having bottles at 16mths, i would continue letting her have them. you could always try to give her sometihng else to go to sleep with such as a special blanket, a special toy or something like that.

you know your DD best, go with what you think is right, not what everyone else thinks

[kylza]

Ds 18 months still has 3 cups of milk with Breakfast, after lunch and before bed. Only about 160ml and either out of a hard spout sippy cup or cup with straw.
Ds daycare encourages a cup of milk after luch after all they still need their calcium.
I just swapped the bottles for sippy cups at 12 months, I don't even think ds noticed :).

[twotrunks]

We have a 2 year old still having a bottle before his day sleep. As long as it isn't impacting the amount of food he eats, I figure it is fine. He gets and adequate amount of calcium, he enjoys it, and gets comfort from it. In all reality sippy cups are no different from a bottle, just a bit harder to get the milk out of :) Our DS drinks his quickly, and has teeth brushed, so it isn't impacting his dental health either. Really, i think at 16 months it is no big deal...
and you are paying childcare to look after your child, not to be your doctors or health nurse. It is none of their business if he is still having a bottle. So tell them they can do as you wish and to get over it!
TT

[LibranTwin]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. And it is nice to get opinions on both sides. I will have a think about it over the next week and decide after that :) If she would actually drink some milk from a sippy cup I wouldn't worry. And yes it is very easy to put DD down after a bottle at lunch time and get a 2 hr sleep from her... I hope her sleeps won't shorten!