At what age can a baby drink milk without a pacifier

When babies are young, they absorb nutrition by drinking milk, but when they reach a certain age, they also need to stop drinking milk with a pacifier. Generally, it is necessary to stop using bottles when the baby is about one year old, because long-term habit of this method will make the child very dependent, and it will be more difficult to get rid of it in the future.

When to stop drinking milk from a bottle

Bottles should be completely discarded around one year old, and should never be used again after eighteen months. At twelve months, the baby will be used to drinking milk and water from a cup and eating food with a spoon or hands, and will have better control at fifteen months. Just like weaning off breast milk, weaning off the bottle also needs to be done gradually and not too hastily. It is normal for a two-year-old baby to like sucking from a bottle. But you have to know that if your baby continues to use a bottle after 18 months to 2 years old, a problem is likely to occur: tooth decay. If your baby sleeps with a pacifier in his mouth, the unswallowed formula will remain in his mouth. The sugar in the formula can cause tooth decay, and the American Academy of Pediatrics believes that this practice also increases your baby's risk of ear infections. If your baby lies down while drinking milk, the milk may flow down his mouth into his Eustachian tube, forming stagnation and causing infection. Therefore, be sure to remove the bottle before your baby falls asleep. It is best for children of this age to drink some boiled water after drinking formula milk to dilute the milk in their mouths.

How to wean your baby off the bottle

Just like weaning your baby off breastfeeding, don't be too hasty in weaning your baby off the bottle. It's normal for a two-year-old baby to like sucking from a bottle. If you want your baby to use a cup sooner, get him a cup that meets his sucking needs. Bottles are the hardest to wean off at night. One way to wean your baby off bottles during nap time and at night is to add water to the bottle.

Let your baby practice drinking water from a training cup, but be prepared for his mouth to leak and spill water. In fact, this will also make him feel fun. After a few weeks, your baby should be able to drink. Then, before you know it, he'll be willing to drink anything he can from a cup.

The above is the knowledge about weaning from bottles. I hope it can help everyone. Babies need to be weaned from bottles and use cups when they are about one year old if they have been using bottles for a long time. It will cause tooth decay and overbite, and in severe cases it may even affect physical health. If you want to wean your baby off the bottle, you can first slowly adapt your baby to the cup, and then wean your baby after he or she has gradually adapted.