Do you put your baby to bed with a bottle?

Unfortunately, many parents do. Not only does sucking on a bottle when propped or lying down increase the possibility of ear infections, but sugars in juice, milk or sodas deposit on teeth, causing a reaction that leads to the erosion of the delicate coating of protective enamel and thus to the destruction of the tooth. This is sometimes called 'baby bottle tooth decay'.


Not only can your toddler's existing teeth be damaged, but some toddlers with 'bottle decay' have had teeth emerge that are already decayed.  This is the result of prolonged exposure from the bottle being left with an child.

Toddler drink tips:

• Avoid putting juice, soda or other sweet drinks into your toddlers bottle. Only water between meals.
• As mentioned above - do not let your toddler go to bed with a bottle and especially do not let them fall asleep with the bottle still in their mouth.
• Encourage your toddler to use a cup - see our tip on giving up a bottle.
• Do not let your toddler walk around with the bottle - this is not only unhygienic, but the constant 'sucking' can also cause tooth decay. Having constant access to the bottle can also cause your toddler to drink too much, causing them to become overweight and/or less likely to eat other foods.

By Dr. Olson Huff

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