This is a question that all parents ask themselves when their baby is growing up. Because you have started to diversify your diet or because he refuses to go to bed without it in the evening, you are wondering at what age to give him a bottle . If, as is often the case, there is no precise answer to this question, several avenues can guide your thinking.
SUMMARY :
- The baby bottle, a practical and reassuring object
- From what age can a baby drink from a glass?
- How to help your baby discover other containers?
- The bottle as a transition between the bottle and the glass
- Why switch from bottle to glass?
- In conclusion, there is no age to stop using a bottle.
The baby bottle, a practical and reassuring object
A bottle is practical. It fits well in the hand and fits in mom's bag. It's filled with good milk, it doesn't break when it falls (especially if it's made of soft silicone 😉) and it's always available, or almost. Indeed, for babies fed with infant formula or for mothers who have chosen mixed breastfeeding and breastfeeding pumps, the bottle is the simplest, safest and above all the perfectly essential accessory for feeding up to 'eight times a day .
But, for the majority of children, the bottle is also a very reassuring object . Along with the pacifier and the comforter, it is one of the essentials that baby cannot do without and that is always within reach. In the event of great sadness , he is a source of calm and it is also behind him that little ones who need to be reassured sometimes hide.
Finally, no pediatrician prohibits bottle feeding from this or that age. The best way to gently detach yourself from it is to let your child manage his need and his attachment himself . At the same time, you can regularly offer him alternatives in the form of a transition .
From what age can a baby drink from a glass?
Here again, there is no real cut-off age to say that a child must be able to drink from a glass. We consider that one year is a good average, but that it varies depending on habits and skills. To introduce it, you can try occasionally or leave the bottle and glass available to your child.
How to help your baby discover other containers?
From the age of one, especially if your child is in a nursery or community setting, it may be interesting to offer them containers other than the bottle, if only to vary the experiences. Of course, the bottle can be left available to avoid too sudden a change which could have the opposite effect to that expected.
- Offer him a glass, a straw, a cup or a bottle and leave the object, such as the bottle, clearly visible and within reach on the table.
- As often as possible, eat breakfast at the table as a family , with your youngest child in his high chair. This way he will see you drinking and eating using different utensils.
- Introduce him to other foods , ripe fruit for example , and see if he is tempted to taste them.
For this presentation to go as smoothly as possible, you can first offer the empty container so that your child discovers its shape, understands its weight and texture, tests its grip... Then, outside of meals, when thirst of milk or water is less urgent, suggest a small test.
The bottle as a transition between the bottle and the glass
Among the different utensils to offer your baby, the bottle can be an excellent alternative for a smooth transition from the bottle to the glass . To make things easier for you and your baby, at Élhée we wanted a flexible and unbreakable bottle made of medical grade silicone, like that of the Rond bib . A customizable bottle thanks to its different elements interchangeable with the entire range. A practical and easy-to-use baby bottle , with its leak-proof suction spout, also compatible with our Round bibs .
With the Bubble baby bottle , your child can drink his dose of milk , hydrate with water or taste his first pressed fruit juice . Like the Round bib, you can also use Bubble as a container for small pots (the bottle is dishwasher and bain-marie safe 😉) .
Why switch from bottle to glass?
There is no real age limit for transitioning your baby from a bottle to a glass. Likewise, there is no real reason why your child should have to do without his bottle if he doesn't want to. More than going from bottle to glass, it is above all, at certain times, going from milk to water .
- Encourage dietary diversification
Once dietary diversification has begun, pediatricians' recommendations vary around 500 ml of milk per day . However, to go from 900 ml of milk up to 6 months, to 600 ml after 6 months, you must eliminate at least one large 330 ml bottle or two small 150 ml bottles . Now is the ideal time to gradually replace a meal taken from a bottle with a solid meal .
- Implement dental hygiene
Every time baby falls asleep with his bottle, milk gets deposited on his teeth . However, infant formulas such as breast milk contain natural sugars which can promote the development of baby bottle syndrome or baby bottle tooth decay . Whether you keep the evening bottle or replace it with a solid meal, it is interesting to start the first toothbrushing sessions very early. This does not prevent your child from taking a bottle of water to sleep, or even a training bottle with a leak-proof spout to avoid small accidents.
- Promote autonomy
According to pediatricians, the more time passes, the more difficult it is for a child to do without his bottle. However, in nursery, but especially in nursery school, bottles will have disappeared from educational materials. Introducing the glass or cup a few months before the first school year is therefore interesting so that your child can get by more easily.
In conclusion, there is no age to stop using a bottle.
Yes, there is no age to stop using a bottle! Nine months in the books, but rather two or three years in reality, it is above all your baby who decides according to his rhythm and his needs . If you give him time, he will show you that he is ready to get rid of one, then two and finally all of his bottles.
Keeping in mind that the morning and evening bottles are the most firmly anchored, trust it. Slowly, but surely, through a natural transition, weaning from the bottle will take place in step with your child's small steps, towards his first form of independence.
