Is it bad that my toddler goes to bed with a bottle?

I understand the autism my nephew has autism what we did we didn’t refuse a bottle but it’s bedtime we would give the sippy cup and give that to him when they woke up it’s a slow process but eventually he will accept it but no I would not refuse the bottle but offer specific app and tried to show him you don’t want to aggravate him or be little or anything just introduce

As a RDA,It’s recommended by dentists to not allow children with teeth to go to bed after drinking milk/formula without brushing first because it sits on their teeth and will causes extreme tooth decay. I cant tell you how many children under 3yr old that I was in the operating room with to have all their front teeth removed or restored because they were allowed to have milk/formula before bed. It can also cause other damage to their palate to use a bottle even if it’s only during naptime/bedtime. It causes them to have “horse teeth” that curve towards each other which will cause dental needs later down the road to fix.
As a mom I get it, maybe try switching to water in a sippy cup for bed time so he still gets his bedtime drink and still gets to be held but it won’t damage his teeth.

You can talk to a BCBA if you have concerns about his routine. Positive Behavior Support Corporation is a great outlet.

Your kid your choice

You could always replace the bottle with the sippy and you can absolutely still cuddle him with out the bottle and just have him have sippy cup and do your regular routine and still cuddle

Changing his routine could be very hard on him. I’d suggest slowly watering down his formula until you can give him water at bedtime to make sure his teeth don’t get harmed over time

My asd daughter was breast fed to 2 and she is 3 now and still on bedtime bottle. I have no idea how I can actually stop it. But I also give her the formula for added nutrients as she doesn’t war enough.

Had you asked me I would have told you my autistic 3 year old grandson didn’t speak. Until he found a box of old Hot Wheels cars. He lined them up by color, counted aloud to 63 (the total number of cars). And then looked at me like I was stupid when I asked him to do it again.

I would suggest the same routine but without the bottle or zippy cup. Just cuddle, read a book, white noise. Explain to him this is the same routine without something to drink. He may or may not understand. That’s fine. He will probably be upset the first few times so extra soothing and cuddling. But he will get the hang of it. He has to learn that routines change and that’s OK.

What a dear mama you sound. You have a very lucky little one- you do what you think best :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: But yes, as others have said, look after his teeth.

I would let the bottle go . Just big cuddles. Has he been checked for his hearing? That might be some of the verbal problem. Just a thought. Your doing great at the other things

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Not good for their teeth.

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Does non-verbal mean no words at all, just noises/sounds?
I only ask because my almost 2 year old says very little as far as words go, plenty of noise and mumbo jumbo and it worries me. She is the last of 6 and her 5 older siblings were all spitting out whole ass stories by 2.5😂

I relate so much on bedtime as well. I Cosleep so the transition to their own beds is always a struggle but her and my 5 year old are taking it to a whole new level of battle. Everyone says sleep training is the way to go but I feel we are too far down the rabbit hole for that to work.

Mine did til they were 6. Teeth fine. They’ll b fine

I bottle fed mine till she was 7.

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My son turned 2 in July and I just got him off the boob about 3 months ago after I got pregnant again, he took a bottle for a while but can easily go without one no problem. My baby still drags me to his room for naps to lay down and snuggle so the holding and rocking him to sleep part won’t go away, my boy still sleeps in bed with me every night and won’t have a nap without me until he’s already asleep

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It’s perfectly all right to give a 2 year old a bottle at night. Do what works for him.

You are soothing your baby… nothing wrong with that! LOVE this!!

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If it makes him happy- let him have the bottle.

My son still had a bottle at night till he was nearly 3 and sometimes in the morning too. My son became a very fussy eater at 2 so the milk helped him. He ate some foods just not a lot. I think it’s upto you how you feel taking the bottle away. If you did you could still have your cuddle time. My sons routine was dinner pleat wash then story and cuddles then bed and he loved it. He’s 16 now and we still spend some time together before he goes to bed. Don’t let people force you to take it if he’s not ready. Maybe get him a new cup with a straw for bedtime. Do what feels good for him and you.

Do what you think is Best for your child! Don’t listen to all the Karen’s!

The dental side of me tells me to tell you to take it away. I do anterior crowns on babies (toddlers) everyday due to “how cute it is”. Baby bottle rot is not cute and can start under the gums. Then it’s too late to fix it. He’s doing it for comfort. I suggest a pacifier if you think he needs something in his mouth. He’s old enough to know he’s manipulating the situation cause he doesn’t do it at daycare but momma lets him. Get rid of it cold Turkey. A Sippy of toddler formula before bed is fine as long as you brush teeth before you put to bed.

You do what is best for your child. You know him best

Let that child have his bottle trust me you will know when to take the bottle away

My kids used bottles until they liked sippy cups. Which can take time. My son preferred bottles until almost 2 and my daughter switched to sippy cups by 1. Every kids different

I gave mine the bottle for a long time. They’re adults now and are just fine. Treasure those moments. They don’t come back.

Just make sure he rinses his mouth out if you can!

Why do you have to lose cuddle time if you ditch the bottle? You can still have cuddle time without a bottle. As you said, you could use a sippy cup and still have cuddle time. Seems like you’ve already made up your mind anyway so why even bother with the post? Just do what makes you and your baby happy and who cares what anyone on here thinks

Do not use formula. Coming from an adult whose baby teeth rotted, substitute for water. I had to have all my baby teeth capped at 3 and, as an adult, have had nothing but problems.

Not terrible at all. Keep your bonding time, Mama. My daughter stayed on a bottle of formula till almost 3. Really she just got too big for me to hold her like that for very long.

Don’t worry. Like at all.
My 3 year old has autism and is also non verbal :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: still uses his all day and all night he likes it empty to so he can just hold it in his mouth or suck it likes it is a comfort to him and he will use it to fall asleep or to calm down from a meltdown. But he has about 3 bottles of milk a day atm - one morning one for nap (also about 3 hours) and one for bed :heart:

cold turkey n make it water. my son had sippy with milk till almost 3yrs, almost same routine and his 2 front teeth need caps and hes 5 soooo…

My 2 year old has a bottle for bed…
he needs formula as his iron is low and to keep up his nutrition that he doesn’t get from food. (As he is a very fussy an picky eater). But we are getting there, his slowly trying new foods.

I will slowly start watering it down as he eats that bit more. To make sure he doesn’t lack anything.

Perhaps use a cup w/ a lid instead of bottle! Do whatever you think is best!!

I understand it’s sweet but it’s better for his teeth to take the bottle away. Even more so if he had ASD. Dental work can be a hell of alot harder for them. Only water after he brushes. I would start offing a cup then start cutting the milk out.

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Do what your mama bear instincts tell you

It sounds to me like you are worrying about all the right things. Enjoy your time with your baby. So long as you are putting his best interests first and pondering the important things relating to his health and hygiene (obviously you are), your call is the best call. Your pediatrician will switch him to milk soon. Every child is different and you know yours best. It sounds like the bonding time at bedtime is priceless. Enjoy it and good luck

I would do one step at a time just because he’s non verbal doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand what your saying…first keep telling him how he’s your big boy now and big boys use sippy cups take him to a store or show him options online (whichever one would work best for him) and let him pick out his new bedtime sippy cup…then after he gets use to that I’d say find the best way to incorporate brushing his teeth after the toddler formula or possibly change to water whichever one you feel would be easiest or best for your child.

Do what is best for baby if it does not bother you and you on with keep doing it and maybe have him brush his teeth after it just to keep the teeth healthy

Yes it’s horrible for teeth and gums.

I dont see a problem with it. To this day at 8 years old,my son drinks a warm cup of milk or hot chocolate before bed. As soon as hr falls asleep, remove the bottle. However if he isn’t needing it at school then I think he has outgrown it and u can give him a sippy cup then rinse his mouth so he starts a new routine which u want him to grow up with.

Switch to water for bedtime

I sent my daughter to bed with a cup. Not a bottle. She’s too old for that.

Realistically the formula can and will cause bottle rot and ruin teeth(but if you brush well and regularly it shouldn’t be too much of a problem) if the formula is a necessity(physically or comfort) If water will be ok to work into instead it’s way better for overall mouth health. And the bottle nipple really can just have a similar effect of a pacifier and cause the teeth to come in crooked and can boy only affect the baby teeth but the adult teeth as well. And while neither of my kids are on the spectrum every kid has their own struggles when faced with change or something being taken away that gives them comfort my only real advice is to take in other moms advice and experiences but listen to your gut and do what you think is best and at you and your child’s pace and in a way that your child can cope with. You know your kid better than anyone :heart: good luck mama
PS my daughter who is now 14 loved her bottle. I weaned her from the formula and milk at night but she kept the bottle at night until she was 2. Then shortly after her 2nd birthday I made the choice to throw all bottles away. I felt it fit her to stop one thing at a time instead of both at once

Give him water in it, yes it’s bad

I was told to have my son weaned from bottles (preferably) but completely off formula by a year old or not long after one. It’s not a judgement on what you’re doing but I’ve always been told by pediatricians and other individuals that they shouldn’t be on formula past a year old. I hope your baby isn’t autistic cause that’s a struggle all in itself, my nephew has been diagnosed since 5 he’s almost 9 now. So I can get that worry you probably feel about that. Sometimes though, children choose to not talk. It maybe not the case for your baby but my son didn’t really talk much till 2.5-3like he said a word or two and knew what we were saying entirely at 2 but preferred to not speak. I was told to take him to speech to have him evaluated and he was 2.5 when he started putting all the words he had known out into the open and stringing sentences together by 2 years and 7 months. By 3 you’d think he came out the womb talking g :rofl:. Ik this isn’t likely your situation just thought I would share but I hope it does improve and you get answers. I would stick with a bottle of just water until he’s evaluated atleast so the milks not chilling on his teeth. However, if they rule that out and feel he’s okay just needs some speech or something minor happening there then the bottle should go and theres sippy cups that are out that you can buy that help with transitioning from bottle to regular sippy cups without a sudden shock. It helps to gradually take it. It also helps to find replacements :woman_shrugging:. I had to find a replacement for my sons pacifier cause we took it away entirely when he was almost 3, too long ik but he was relentless and the only thing that soothed him was a mickey nightlight or stuffed animal eventually he got use to depending on that to hold instead of the pacifier in his mouth. It works the same with the bottle, its just harder to break them of things the longer you let them have it :sweat_smile:

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I would NOT suggest a bottle at night. My sons teeth suffered for it.

Mumma - you have a non-verbal autistic child. Period. Unless anyone has experienced that, they won’t get it. You do whatever the hell you’ve gotta do :raised_hands:

If he is being fed then sleeps good on you . If he was 3 I would say no but let him have that bottle at night you will know when to ween him off it

Follow your mommy heart and don’t let any other remarks or advice bother you!!!

I don’t see any harm in what you’re doing. Like you said it’s not with him when he’s asleep so I think it’s fine to keep doing what makes him happy and comfortable

You do what you feel is best for your little one. I’ve seen some 2 year olds still drinking from a bottle. My 1 1/2 year old does every once in awhile but since he chewed a hole in it he can’t use it but uses a sippy cup.

Everyone is going to have a different opinion from those who have no experience with those on the spectrum to those who have lived it of which I am one. I would definitely get the advice of the pediatrician you use.

Do what you need to make him feel secure. If this is what he wants, then do it. Also, try baby signs. They say it is very effective for children who do not orally communicate. Children with special needs need routine. Don’t break his routine. Keep an eye on his teeth.

As a mama with 4 children with autism, you need to choose your battles. My oldest was in a bottle until he was 7 years old. Guess what? I didn’t care about others judgment. Took years of therapy to help him transition off the bottle. I also have a nonverbal almost 4 year old. So i understand but don’t underestimate him. There extremely smart.

If it were me I would switch it to milk or part formula part milk and then go to straight milk eventually and then switch his bottle to a soft tip sippy cup.

The bottle is because of the nipple. Just like a soother it can cause the teeth to develop an odd shape. Also the having him drink toddler formula and putting him to bed without brushing his teeth can cause issues with his teeth as well. He is 2 it’s recommended the bottle be gone at 12 months. You can still do cuddle time. If you like the aspect of a bottle so you feed him and rock him use a sports bottle. I’m going to be blunt tho. Treating him like a baby is not helping his development at all. He is two not an infant. I do still snuggle my three year old but I don’t feed him he drinks himself. Now if your babes can not physically drink himself then I get it. But find another way that’s not a bottle with a nipple and not a milk product

He should be off bottle completely however you can still cuddle him you don’t need bottle to do so the bottle will cause crooked teeth

I say keep what’s giving him comfort right now. I have two kids with asd and trust me some things you just have to let them be however they’re comfortable as long as you’re being safe and brushing his teeth he should be fine :heart:

Enjoy this time. It sounds like a beautiful bonding experience where you are letting him know he’s safe and loved.

Unrelated to the bottle question bit you might find brown noise more soothing than white noise :slight_smile: xx

The only issue with it is if you’re not brushing his teeth after he could get bottle rot with his teeth.