Introduction
Deciding whether to give your baby a bottle before bedtime is a common dilemma for many parents. This decision involves considering Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime various factors, including your baby’s nutritional needs, dental health, and sleep habits. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the key aspects of giving your baby a bottle before bedtime, focusing on the should I give my baby a bottle before bedtime and other related topics.
Read More: What Not to Say to Parents of Preemies
When to Stop Giving Your Baby a Bottle Before Bed
The bedtime bottle is often the last bottle to Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime go. It can be a central part of your baby’s bedtime routine, and a source of comfort as they fall asleep. That can make it a tough habit to break – but you have plenty of time to make the transition. It’s best to stop giving your baby bottles between ages 1 and 2. By a year old, your baby is getting their nutritional needs met with daytime meals and snacks, so they don’t need the calories from breast milk or formula to get them through the night.
No matter what you’re serving, it’s smart to start Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime transitioning from bottle to a sippy cup or straw cup around age 1. And it’s recommended to have your child drinking out of regular open cups by the time they’re 2 years old for their dental health. If your baby was born premature or has other health considerations such as digestive problems or failure to thrive, they may need a bedtime bottle longer. Talk to your baby’s healthcare provider before making changes to their feeding schedule.
Why to Wean Your Baby Off Their Bedtime Bottle
If your baby is used to falling asleep while drinking from their bottle, or right after having a bottle, it may be difficult for them to fall asleep Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime without one. It’s best to teach your child how to soothe themself to sleep, rather than relying on a bottle at bedtime (more tips on that below). The longer you wait to stop the bedtime bottle, the more ingrained it will become – and the more difficult it will be to get your child to fall asleep without it.
Another reason to discontinue the bottle is to protect your baby or toddler’s teeth. If your child falls asleep while drinking from a bottle, they may have milk pooling in their mouth and around their teeth when they go to sleep, which can cause tooth decay.
This is the case even if your baby doesn’t fall asleep while drinking from a bottle. If you put them to bed right after giving them a bottle, the milk may pool in their mouth and around their teeth. It’s best for them to not have milk in their mouth when they fall asleep, especially once they have teeth. Remember to always brush your baby’s teeth after giving them milk, and don’t give your baby more milk after brushing.
This is also a good time to introduce a sippy cup. Sippy cups that feel like a bottle (with a soft, flexible spout) can be a good tool for transitioning your baby from a bottle, but the best thing for your child’s teeth is a regular open cup or straw cup. Once your baby is drinking from a sippy cup, don’t put them to bed with a sippy cup of milk or juice.
How to Wean Your Baby Off Their Nighttime Bottle
Babies are good at self-regulating their feedings, so your baby may “tell” you when they’re ready to drop that last bottle of the day by Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime turning their head away or consistently not finishing it.
But if your baby isn’t ready to quit the bedtime bottle on their own, it can seem like a daunting task – especially if it’s central to your routine or something your child finds comfort in. You can still maintain much of your baby’s routine without a bottle, and find other ways to comfort and soothe them before bed. Here are some ways you can help the transition along:
If your baby regularly falls asleep when they drink from their bottle, start by moving the bottle to the beginning of their bedtime routine so they can get used to falling asleep without it. Gradually reduce the amount of breast milk or formula in your baby’s bedtime bottle. Give them one ounce less every night for a week or so, until there’s only one ounce left in the bottle, then remove it from your bedtime routine. Keep all the other parts of your child’s bedtime routine the same – taking a bath, putting on pajamas, reading a book, singing songs, snuggling, and so on.
If you want to replace the bottle part of your Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime child’s bedtime routine with something else (like singing a lullaby), implement that with the bottle for a few days before cutting the bottle out. That way, they’re already familiar with this new part of the routine when you stop giving the bottle. Offer your baby other comfort objects at night, like a favorite blanket or stuffed toy, once they’re at least a year old.
Give your child some extra snuggles and quality time before bed. Offer a cup of milk with dinner or with a before-bed snack instead of the bottle. Explain to your child that because they’re getting so big and grown up, they don’t need the bottle before bed anymore. On a similar note, give your child plenty of praise Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime when they first start drinking out of a cup.
When to Stop Nursing or Bottle-Feeding Before Bed
Babies seek a bottle or nursing session for comfort as much as nourishment. That’s completely fine for the first several months, since infants need to be fed pretty much around the clock. But as you begin to drop nighttime feedings, you may wonder when to stop offering your baby the bottle or the breast before bed.
Of course, there’s no right answer, and every parent and child may have a different timeline that works for them. But in general, there comes a time where the drawbacks of pre-bed nursing or bottles begin to outweigh any advantages. Below we’ll explore the feed-to-sleep association, advise on when to stop feeding your baby before bed, and provide tips for how to wean them off the bottle or the breast at night.
Feeding a Newborn to Sleep
For many newborns, falling asleep either during or after being fed is a natural response to a full tummy of warm milk. Studies even show that breast milk expressed during the evening contains higher levels of naturally occurring sleep-inducing chemicals. In theory, this biologically supports the idea that milk can be used as a way to wind down.
Because babies in the newborn stage are Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime awake for such a short amount of time—maybe just an hour in the very beginning—feeding can take up two-thirds of that small window. Therefore it’s typical to nurse or bottle-feed a newborn to sleep for the first couple of months of their life, says Susie Menkes, PhD, CPSC, CCBS, a certified pediatric sleep specialist at Healthy Little Sleepers.
Avoiding a Feed-to-Sleep Association
As babies get older, they may still fall asleep while nursing or bottle-feeding. This is normal, says Dr. Menkes. That said, if they’re only able to go to sleep with the aid of milk, then your baby may have developed a feed-to-sleep association. This term describes the baby’s reliance on receiving milk as a crucial pre-sleep step.
A feed-to-sleep association is still only a problem if your baby wakes multiple times a night because they don’t know how to self-soothe back to sleep. “In this situation, the infant is often not hungry, just using nursing to soothe to sleep,” explains Sujay Kansagra, MD, director of the Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program at Duke University Medical Center. “It can cause frequent awakenings and Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime disrupted sleep for both infant and parent.”
Other Drawbacks of Feeding Your Baby at Bedtime
In addition to the feed-to-sleep association, feeding Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime your baby right before bed comes with several other disadvantages. Here are some drawbacks of a nighttime feeding past when your baby needs it for nutrition.
It can cause tooth decay. Eating at night allows the milk or formula to stay in your baby’s mouth and can impact their teeth. “To prevent this, bottle feed [or nurse] at the start of the bedtime routine, then gently brush their teeth or gums after the feeding,” says Charissa Chamorro, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sleep consultant in New York City who specializes in anxiety disorders and sleep-related issues. It can lead to stomach upset. Assuming your baby is eating some solid foods during the day, the added calories of a bedtime bottle or breast may not be necessary. Overfeeding your baby can cause stomach upset and may be more calories than they truly need.
When to Stop Bedtime Feeding
At approximately 4 months of age, babies begin to develop the ability to self-soothe. Around this time, it can be helpful to move the nighttime Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime feeding to the beginning of the bedtime routine so your baby doesn’t develop a sleep association, says Dr. Chamorro.
By the age of 6 months, many babies don’t need Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime the breast or a bedtime bottle for nourishment, and by 9 months, very few need the extra calories and nutrients. That’s because they’re typically eating and drinking plenty throughout the day. What’s more, many infants develop the ability to sleep through the night between 6 to 8 months of age, says Dr. Chamorro.
All that said, by the time babies are around 9 months old, feeding before bed is usually optional (although most little ones don’t seem to Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime think so!) The longer you keep nursing or giving that bedtime bottle, the harder it seems to do away with it—for both you and your baby. Many experts recommend completely eliminating bedtime feedings by their first birthday.
How to Wean Night Feedings
Feeding a baby to sleep is an easy pattern to fall into, especially when you’re operating on little to no sleep yourself. Unless your baby learns to fall asleep without the aid of milk, you could be setting yourself up for sleepless nights Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, there are ways to break the habit. Here are a few tips from our experts.
Start with a later bedtime. One way to make this transition easier is to move the bedtime later, says Dr. Chamorro. “A sleepy baby is more likely to fall asleep quickly. After a few nights, you can move the bedtime back in 10-minute increments until you’re back at your target bedtime.” Don’t keep your baby up Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime too late though, because this can mess up their schedule.
Move the feeding closer to bath time. You also can try moving your bedtime feed to before bath time or to a different room instead of the nursery, suggests Dr. Menkes. “Ideally, the feeding [should not be] the last thing that happens right before sleep,” she says.
Put your baby down drowsy but still awake. Dr. Menkes says that it’s ideal to put your baby to bed while they’re still awake, though notes this isn’t as important in the middle of the night as it is when you’re weaning night feedings.
Avoid going cold turkey. While every baby and every family is different, if your baby currently wakes between four and six times a night, Dr. Menkes advises against going cold turkey on all nighttime feeds. “I am less concerned with the middle of the night than at the beginning of the night when working on breaking this association,” she says.
Use your presence to soothe. You can gently pat or rub their back, as well as provide verbal reassurance that you’re there. “This can increase feelings of security, and eventually your little one will learn to fall asleep without the bottle. You can gradually reduce the amount of time you spend with your baby at bedtime until they are falling asleep on their own,” says Dr. Chamorro.
Create a consistent and soothing bedtime routine. This is the key to helping your baby learn to soothe themselves to sleep. “The bedtime routine should be clear and consistent. Once you establish a clear routine, this will become your baby’s cue that it is time for sleep,” says Dr. Chamorro. “Remember, the bedtime routine should still include lots of physical connection and cuddling! Make the end of your bedtime routine a goodnight phrase with a hug instead of a bottle, and you’ll set your baby up for better nighttime sleep.”
Be prepared for your baby to object. Be warned, your baby may not like this change in their routine and they’ll let you know by crying Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime. The older they are, the harder they might put up a fight. While your instinct might be to fix the problem, you can reassure and soothe them without succumbing to feeding them. “The upset you hear is out of mere protest Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime because things are different,” says Dr. Menkes.
When and How to Eliminate the Bedtime Bottle
I like to hear my baby cry!” said no mom ever. That’s one reason that it’s hard for parents to guide their children toward better sleep habits. When Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime you find something that works to get your baby to sleep, you want to keep doing it – even if it takes hours.
“No matter what I do, this child is not going to go off to college sucking on a bottle before bedtime,” you tell yourself. And yet, your five-year Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime-old daughter relies on a bottle to sleep … “They’ll wean off of it soon enough, right? Do I really have to cut out the bottle NOW?” The answer? Yes.
Recently, I chatted with a couple about their five Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime-year-old daughter who was still using a bedtime bottle in order to initiate sleep and maintain it. No, there was no milk in it, not even water … but she needed to suck on the nipple. I know, it sounds extreme but it was not the first time I have had parents admit this to me.
There is no guilt, nor shame here at Pam Nease Sleep! Everyone on my team, with the exception of our current assistant, are past clients. We did all the things to get our own children to sleep and back-to-sleep before we Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime sought professional, one-on-one help via a paid sleep consultation package. We get it. In the words of Oprah, even when you “know better, you don’t always do better.”
Giving your child a bottle before bed, or when they wake in the middle of the night, is appropriate when they’re younger. Babies need formula or breastmilk for nourishment! For example, it is common knowledge that a newborn’s stomach is only the size of an egg around 10 days of age.
But by the time they’re 6 months old (*adjusted Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime, if working with preemies), many experts agree that most typically-developing infants don’t need the nutrients and calories that they are getting from nighttime feedings. Babies are typically consuming enough throughout the day, and they’re getting their nutritional needs met.
At What Age Should You Say Goodbye to the Bedtime Bottle?
The first birthday! By the time your child is 12 months old, my best advice is to remove the bedtime bottle from your child’s sleep routine Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime even if they know HOW to self-soothe themselves into sleep and back into sleep throughout the night.
I get it. Most likely, if you are like me and the Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime thousands of families we have personally guided via one-on-one paid advice, you will be worried that your once great sleeper will suddenly wake up in the night from hunger.
I guarantee you that if your baby truly knows the beautiful gift and vital life skill of being able to fall asleep at the beginning of the Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime night all by themselves, they will not wake up looking for the lost eight ounces from bedtime! You might be afraid, just like I was in 2007— when my spouse forgot to give our 10-month-old son his bedtime bottle one fateful night. I was TERRIFIED but my son was not. He sailed right through and slept his normal 11.5 hours until morning.
Many sleep consultants will call a bedtime Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime bottle a prop, a crutch, or a bad sleep habit. I prefer to call it a “temporary tool” as I never want to guilt or shame a parent for the choices they are making. Where families “fall down” is not recognizing that their child needs to learn.
HOW to sleep all on their own without the need of external strategies (as we don’t want to replace one external strategy with a new one). I know this one so well … I did not want to be the “human soother” and tried replacing my breast with both the bottle and the pacifier before I sought professional help.
If you are still needing to teach your child HOW to go from awake to asleep all on their own, please keep using the bottle for now until Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime you find someone or a sleep training program you are 100% confident in.
Why Stop the Bedtime Bottle around Age 1?
Teeth are coming in at rapid-fire by this time. This will save time as you will not have to brush their teeth again after the bottle, nor Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime worry about milk deposits. Bedtime bottles may start to interfere with dinner. (For some reason, if you are curious, bedtime Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime nursing does not.)
In one particular case, an 18-month-old would not eat his meal at 6 pm knowing that he would be getting 18 ounces … yes, you read that correctly, 18 ounces of formula at 7pm before bed. Most parents feel like they are ready and that their tiny human is getting enough calories by day to sleep Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime through the night without the need for the “top-up”. Although they are naturally nervous, they Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime are ready and would like to speed up bedtime and get to date night even faster.
How to Drop the Bedtime Bottle between 10-18 Months
As scary as may be for you wonderful parents, it will be easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy to your sweet little muffin. If you are bottle-feeding – on your fateful night of saying goodbye to the bedtime bottle, have the “opposite parent” do the bedtime routine 100% on their own for TWO nights in a row. If you have been alternating consistently since your little one has learned to sleep, then toss a coin on who does the first bedtime without the bottle. If you would like to keep a bottle in the evening, move it to BEFORE bath rather than afterward.
Second, TRUST your little one! Do NOT replace the bottle with a sippy cup of milk, warm cup of milk or even worse – a bedtime snack. Please trust me on this as it may cause MORE problems down the road. Sleep is all about skill at this age. I know you are not going to starve your precious bundle of joy by day Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime so they will be able to sleep well by night. A little bit of food or milk just before bed will not help them sleep peacefully for 10 to 12 hours.
Continue to use bottles by day and move to cups exclusively when your family is ready to do so. I am not your feeding expert – I am Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime your sleep expert, but I would recommend that you say goodbye to daytime bottles by the time your child is two years old at the very latest.
18 months and up – Bottle Fed Toddlers
Asking a toddler to say goodbye to their bedtime bottle is much more challenging than a baby. We all have habits and the longer Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime we have them, the harder it is to change them! To be successful with this age group – as scary as it is – you have to go cold turkey. Meaning no more bottles AT ALL … during the day AND at bedtime.
Introducing The Bottle Fairy
For these toddlers, I suggest using a super Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime FUN motivational strategy called The Bottle Fairy. In this delightful video below, get to know Pam and find out her trade secrets including the introduction of The Bottle Fairy.
Here’s how to do it …
About a week or so before you are ready, start letting your little one know that they are a Big Girl or Big Boy and that the Bottle Fairy will be coming soon!! She will collect all their bottles to take them back to babies who Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime need them. Replace the word “bottle” with whatever name your toddler uses to identify them.
Quite often it is the word “bubba.” Please only do this lead up for ONE week (no more), as you do not want to create unnecessary anxiety for your child. Even a few days is fine! Don’t worry if your child does not know what a fairy is either. If you’d like, you can rent a book from the library or watch a Netflix children’s show about fairies to introduce the concept.
Between nap time and bedtime on your big day, make Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime it a GAME. Hide all the bottles around the house and have FUN collecting them all with your little one and put them outside on the doorstep for the Bottle Fairy in a box or a bag.
When your little one is not looking, sneak outside and collect the bag or box of bottles. Replace them with a gift from the Bottle Fairy. I LOVE it when parents go to the extra trouble of putting Fairy Dust and sparkles! A good idea is to give your toddler a new special sippy cup from the bottle fairy (not to be used at Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime bedtime though) and a special toy for your child to play with.
At bedtime, if your toddler is looking for their bottle, remind them of the Bottle Fairy and that they are a big kid now! Remind them that there are no more bottles in the home as the Bottle Fairy took them to babies who need them. Focus on making bedtime fun and enjoyable with books and songs.
As stated earlier, do NOT replace the bedtime bottle Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime with a sippy cup of milk, warm cup of milk Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime, a bottle, or even worse – a bedtime SNACK.
TRUST that your little one will eventually drink milk from sippy cups or regular cups by day! In all the years that I have been consulting, 99.9% of toddlers start drinking their milk out of their cups within two weeks of the Bottle Fair Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtimey coming to their home.
HAVE FUN!!! There was a little boy who received a toddler car that made noise, and he could safely scoot around the house. He LOVED it. His parents were so worried about saying goodbye to his bottles – in their words, he was “addicted” to them. Whenever he would say “bubba” during the day, they would remind Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime him that he was a big boy and that the “bubba fairy” came.
Within seconds, his tears would be replaced with a big Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime smile and he would go and find his car to ride on. They were amazed at how easily he adapted at bedtime too. Before they hired me – he needed to fall asleep WITH the bottle in his mouth and needed several bottles throughout the night in order to sleep. It was not just a “top-up” situation.
If you are reading this and your child still relies on the bottle to fall asleep, please note that the Bottle Fairy strategy is only one part of the solution. Please get in touch for a complimentary 15 minute telephone consultation so Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime that we can discuss your particular situation and discuss what is best for you.
As always, this is not medical advice. If you are Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime concerned with your child’s feeding, please consult your IBCLC Lactation Consultant, Pediatrician, Family Doctor, or preferred healthcare professional.
Conclusion
Deciding whether to give your baby a bottle before bedtime is a multifaceted decision that involves considering your baby’s nutritional needs, dental health, and sleep habits. By understanding the key aspects of this decision, you Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime can make an informed choice that benefits both you and your baby.
Read More: Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime
Why to Wean Your Baby Off Their Bedtime Bottle: Weaning your baby off their bedtime bottle helps them learn to self-soothe and fall asleep independently. It also protects their teeth from decay, as milk pooling in their mouth can lead to dental issues. Introducing a sippy cup during this transition can be beneficial, but Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime it’s important to avoid putting your baby to bed with a sippy cup of milk or juice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. When is the best time to stop giving my baby a bottle before bed?
The best time to stop giving your baby a bottle before bed is between ages 1 and 2. By a year old, your baby is getting their nutritional needs met Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime with daytime meals and snacks, so they don’t need the calories from breast milk or formula to get them through the night. If your baby was born premature or has other health considerations, consult your healthcare provider before making changes to their feeding schedule.
2. Why is it important to wean my baby off their bedtime bottle?
Weaning your baby off their bedtime bottle is important for several reasons. It helps your baby learn to self-soothe and fall asleep without relying on a bottle. Additionally, it protects your baby’s teeth from decay, as milk pooling in their Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime mouth can cause dental issues. Transitioning to a sippy cup or straw cup around age 1 and to regular open cups by age 2 is also beneficial for dental health.
3. How can I wean my baby off their nighttime bottle?
To wean your baby off their nighttime bottle, you can gradually reduce the amount of breast milk or formula in the bottle, move the bottle to the beginning of the bedtime routine, and offer other comfort objects like a favorite blanket or Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime stuffed toy. Maintain the rest of the bedtime routine, such as taking a bath, putting on pajamas, reading a book, and singing songs. Be consistent and confident in the change.
4. What are the drawbacks of feeding my baby at bedtime?
Feeding your baby at bedtime can lead to a feed-to-sleep association, where your baby relies on milk to fall asleep. This can result in disrupted sleep for both you and your baby. Additionally, it can cause tooth decay and stomach Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime upset if your baby is overfed. It’s best to move the nighttime feeding to the beginning of the bedtime routine around 4 months of age.
5. How can I eliminate the bedtime bottle for my toddler?
For toddlers, eliminating the bedtime bottle can be more challenging. Using a motivational strategy like the Bottle Fairy can make the transition fun and engaging. Have your toddler help collect all the bottles and put them outside for Should I Give My Baby A Bottle Before Bedtime the Bottle Fairy, who will leave a special gift in return. Focus on making bedtime enjoyable with books and songs, and do not replace the bedtime bottle with a sippy cup or snack.
