Toddlers and Bottles

     Up until 6 months of age, breast milk and formula are the only food that an infant needs. From 6 months of age until 9months, solid foods are introduced but the breast and bottle are still the main sources of nutrition.  After nine months, regular meals are introduced with a sippy-cup of milk. The bottle and breast become the “between meal” feedings. After a year of age, toddlers can still have bottles, but that is the time to introduce the “water only” rule. Drinking milk or juice from a bottle during the day creates multiple problems. First, it gives the toddler worthless extra calories that are sugar with little other nutrition. Next, it teaches the toddler that he needs to have something sweet going into his mouth all day – a precursor to the epidemic of obesity we see in this country.  Milk and juice between meals can kill the appetite and set the scene for picky feeding and, lastly, drinking milk or juice in a bottle before naps or bedtime (or, even worse, going to sleep while drinking milk or juice from a bottle) causes a severe form of tooth decay called “bottle carries”. Some two year-olds have all four of their upper front teeth rotted out from continuous use of the bottle or sippy-cup. If all bottles, day and night, become water after a year of age, all of these problems are eliminated. The toddler can carry around a bottle of water as much as he wants. He can be put down with a bottle of water if he wants to suck to fall asleep. (Although parents need to resist the temptation to put “a little” juice or milk in the bottle – use plain water). He can even have a bottle of water before meals when you are finishing getting it ready and he is hungry.

     There is no place for juice in a toddler’s diet. Milk should be given with meals (but wait until a good portion of the meal has been eaten before offering it) and parents should stick to water between meals. A healthy between-meal snack is a glass of water and a banana.