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When To Stop Using the Bottle
Did you know it is best for your baby to stop using the bottle by their first birthday?
By the time they turn one year old, your baby will have many teeth – possibly as many as eight in the front and four in the back. These teeth are easily decayed by the sugars in milk and formula.
When your baby uses a bottle, there is a constant flow of sugary milk in the mouth. The sugars are allowed to build up on the teeth. If your baby uses a cup as soon as possible, he or she is less likely to get tooth decay.
Never put your baby to bed with a bottle full of milk or juice. Try to limit night feeding, and only give water after you brush your baby’s teeth. Always brush your baby’s teeth before bedtime. If your baby must have a bottle at night, fill it with water instead.
Using the milk bottle too long or too frequently can initiate severe decay that causes painful, broken teeth and infection by the third birthday, called Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.
Prolonged use of sippy cups can also cause severe decay. If at all possible, allow your toddler to drink out of a normal cup and only give juices or milk with meals.
Please see our Baby Bottle Tooth Decay page for more information on decay caused by milk and bedtime alternatives to the bottle.
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