{"id":373,"date":"2023-02-21T16:43:12","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T16:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellesleydentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=373"},"modified":"2023-03-08T16:46:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T16:46:51","slug":"when-to-say-goodbye-to-the-baby-bottle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellesleydentalgroup.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/when-to-say-goodbye-to-the-baby-bottle\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Say Goodbye to the Baby Bottle"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wondering when to start weaning your baby from a bottle? From a dental perspective, this is an important topic as bottle use has a significant impact on the oral health of your baby. Although every child is different, there are some guidelines to consider to help transition your little one away from the bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Per the American Dental Association (ADA), children should switch to a sippy cup by their first birthday to help reduce the risk of tooth decay from excessive bottle use and sugar intake. According to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital<\/strong><\/a> a cup can be introduced as early as the age of 6 months old, or around the time your child is able to sit up on their own or they\u2019ve begun eating solid foods from a spoon. It’s important for kids to transition to a cup for many reasons. Children can be at an increased risk of baby bottle tooth decay, which is caused by excessive exposure to sugary drinks that remain on the teeth for long periods of time. For instance, giving your child juice in a bottle overnight for them to sip on can increase the risk of tooth decay and other dental issues. If you are to put your child to sleep with a bottle, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry<\/strong><\/a> recommends to only do so with water. The UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital also noted that long-term use of bottles can even lead to issues with dental development, proper feeding, and speech issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sippy cup can be a good temporary transitional cup before a regular cup is used but shouldn\u2019t be used long. It is only meant to teach your child how to sip and handle a cup, but once they have learned it is no longer needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital\u2019s recommendations for transitioning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n