GGGGrrrrr.......

[Triggerfish]

I am so angry with my wife. She gives our 2 year old daughter juice or milk when she puts her to sleep. I am very concerned of tooth decay. I work at night and she bitterly keeps on stating that I do not have to deal with it since I am not home when she cries at night wanting milk. I feel what she stated was pointless since whether I am there or not it is the wrong thing to do. Plus once her teeth starts to rot the child will be crying more often and louder. I guess my wife cares more about her sleep than my daughter's dental heath. Any suggestions?

 

[Kain99]

I am so angry with my wife. She gives our 2 year old daughter juice or milk when she puts her to sleep. I am very concerned of tooth decay. I work at night and she bitterly keeps on stating that I do not have to deal with it since I am not home when she cries at night wanting milk. I feel what she stated was pointless since whether I am there or not it is the wrong thing to do. Plus once her teeth starts to rot the child will be crying more often and louder. I guess my wife cares more about her sleep than my daughter's dental heath. Any suggestions?

Mothers have been giving babies milk at bedtime for eons. Relax! It may not be the best thing for babies teeth but her teeth won't fall out of her head. Cut Mom some slack. Teach baby good dental hygiene and she will be just fine.

 

[Vince]

Wouldn't worry about it. She's going to lose all those baby teeth anyway and by the time she does she won't be getting milk at bedtime anymore. Then you can make sure she does the good dental hygiene.

 

[Sharon]

Mothers have been giving babies milk at bedtime for eons. Relax! It may not be the best thing for babies teeth but her teeth won't fall out of her head. Cut Mom some slack. Teach baby good dental hygiene and she will be just fine.

And chill out.

 

[foxfire8804]

I am so angry with my wife. She gives our 2 year old daughter juice or milk when she puts her to sleep. I am very concerned of tooth decay. I work at night and she bitterly keeps on stating that I do not have to deal with it since I am not home when she cries at night wanting milk. I feel what she stated was pointless since whether I am there or not it is the wrong thing to do. Plus once her teeth starts to rot the child will be crying more often and louder. I guess my wife cares more about her sleep than my daughter's dental heath. Any suggestions?

You didn't say, but does she go to bed with a bottle or are you just stating that she gets a drink of milk before bedtime? I allow my daughter to have a drink of milk or water before bedtime, but the last thing she does right before going to bed is brush her teeth (with assistance of course) and take her flouride. She is 19 months old. As long as your wife has her practicing good dental health, I think she'll be fine.

 

[Nickel]

she bitterly keeps on stating that I do not have to deal with it since I am not home when she cries at night

Therein lies the problem. Sounds like she's bitter about being home alone with the baby at night, and it doesn't sound like you're validating that. Start there, then rationally (and in a non-condescending way) explain to her why you do not want her feeding milk or juice to the baby when she's going to bed. Or, better yet, take the kid to the dentist, and let the dentist tell her why it's a bad idea.

If she's drinking a bottle, that's really unnecessary, at this point it's only a comfort thing for her and she should be switched to cups...if it's a sip of milk or juice before bed then that should be fine. Remember that there are 2 parents in your household, and you do not get to make any of the decisions by yourself any more than she does.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I have 5 siblings and all of us were put to bed with a bottle in our mouth. My youngest brother is the only one who needed expensive dental work on his baby teeth. :shrug:

 

[crabcake]

I have 5 siblings and all of us were put to bed with a bottle in our mouth. My youngest brother is the only one who needed expensive dental work on his baby teeth. :shrug:

Yours wasn't near as expensive or extensive and you look bootiful now!

 

[RoseRed]

Milk mouth is better than this...

 

[Triggerfish]

She puts our daughter to bed with the bottle. Also according to dentists having milk teeth can actually make the adult teeth come in crooked later in life. Another thing that concerns me is that my wife's family has some bad teeth genes. Very suceptible to cavaties and needing braces.

 

[RoseRed]

Perhaps she could water it down until baby gets used to it being plain water.

 

[Triggerfish]

We're hoping she has my teeth genes and my wife's eye sight genes..... I have 1 very small cavity that was filled in that the dentist said it probably didn't even need the filling while my wife's mouth is full of silver. My natural eye sight before lasik was 20/400 and my wife's is 20/20.

 

[itsbob]

She puts our daughter to bed with the bottle. Also according to dentists having milk teeth can actually make the adult teeth come in crooked later in life. Another thing that concerns me is that my wife's family has some bad teeth genes. Very suceptible to cavaties and needing braces.

You have to break the baby of hte bottle habit.. the baby will go to sleep sooner or later, and it only takes one or two nights to break them of the habit.. but one of you will have to listen to the baby cry and scream for all it's worth.. but it WILL go to sleep.. You've made a Pavlov's Baby.. baby screams it gets a bottle, you have to disconnect one from the other..

Every 1/2 hour if the baby continues to scream, you go in, leave the lights off, do NOT pick up the baby.. but pat him/her on the back or rub it's tummy to console for a minute or two, then leave for another half hour..

TRUST me this works.. my first was REAL bad, and it's what the doctor told us to do.. the first night was hell.. the second not so bad.. the third she went right to sleep..

Same goes for a baby that wakes up all time of night, and wants to be picked up or rocked to sleep, bad habits have to be broken or NOT developed at all..

 

[itsbob]

oh wait, she's not a baby, she's two years old.. but the same applies.. just no patting of the tummy i wouldn't think.. no picking her up...

She's old enough to understand no.. and keep explaining it to her until she goes to sleep.. 1/2 or an hour still applies, give her time to cry herself to sleep..

 

[RoseRed]

Have Mom turn on some soft music.

 

[mAlice]

Perhaps she could water it down until baby gets used to it being plain water.

Or just put water in the bottle. That's what I did.

 

[pixiegirl]

19 months and still getting a bottle? Take the bottle away PERIOD! Give the kid a sippy cup. My youngest turns 1 this Thursday and once the can of formula is done the bottles are gone. Period. He already gets a cup at meal time and only a couple bottles a day right before nap/bed time and never in the bed.

My oldest was off the bottle at 1 and was never allowed anything in the bed. He's 3.5 and has already had a cavity along the gumline that needed to be filled. The child LOVES to brush his teeth and is a Listerene addict. He did constantly walk around all day with a sippy cup. That's what did it; and crappy genes (his dad has horrible teeth).

Your wife sounds like she is stressed. I don't think you should be arguing with her or chastizing her parenting. Instead why don't you volunteer to take a couple days off work and help her get over the hump of breaking the bottle in bed habit. Parent together.

 

[Hot N Bothered]

19 months and still getting a bottle? Take the bottle away PERIOD! Give the kid a sippy cup.

Just beware of what some companies label "sippy cups" They've got these things out now with soft nipples on them that are good for transitioning, but some of those things are no better than baby bottles. The companies figure if they call it a "sippy" or a "straw" cup, parents won't notice that it has a baby bottle nipple on it. Sad thing is, they are right.

 

[mAlice]

The best way to break the bottle habit is to never let the habit form. Never allow a child to carry a bottle around. The bottle should be treated like a meal. When the meal is over, the bottle is removed.

 

[RoseRed]

The best way to break the bottle habit is to never let the habit form. Never allow a child to carry a bottle around. The bottle should be treated like a meal. When the meal is over, the bottle is removed.

Mine never did. She was never attached to her pacifier either.