- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting canada articles
- iparenting canada q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
A Hard Habit to Break
Part One Bring on the Cup
By April E. Clark
s around a baby's teeth during a nap or during the night. Also referred to as early childhood caries (cavities) by the American Dental Association (ADA), this condition is preventable.
The ADA notes that babies' teeth may decay when they first appear, as early as 6 months, so parents should never allow a child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquids such as sugar water and soft drinks.
Not only are dental conditions considered red flags to prolonged bottle feedings, but ear infections are of major concern to health professionals as well. The AAP warns against allowing older babies to drink from bottles while lying flat on their backs, as this habit can cause middle-ear infections. According to AAP reports, liquid may actually flow through the eustachian tube into the middle ear.
Modern science has also uncovered links between childhood asthma and bottle feedings in the crib before bedtime. Within the last few years, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) in Boston, Mass., have found that the risk of persistent wheezing and asthma later in childhood can be raised significantly, by up to 50 percent, in toddlers with a family history of asthma or allergies.
"For infants in a high-risk group, we found that when and how they are fed influence the onset of wheezing and asthma," says Dr. Juan Celedon, of Brigham and Women's Hospital. "There is a significant relationship between the number of times children are bottle-fed in the crib or bed prior to sleep time and the occurrence of wheezing during their first five years."
According to Dr. Celedon, there are several precautionary steps parents can take to prevent these incidents and help decrease the prevalence of asthma, which has doubled worldwide in the last 15 years, according to the National Institutes of Health. "Finding modifiable risks factors for wheezing in childhood are a key to asthma prevention," he says. "Avoiding large-volume liquid meals in the bed or crib before sleep time, and avoiding placing a baby on his or her back immediately after bottle feeding may reduce the risk of wheezing in early childhood."
Whether it's a possible health condition or a less risky "security" issue concerning your child, the reasons for weaning from bottle to cup after 12 months are apparent. So bring on the sippy cups and recycle those baby bottles – no matter what color – today. The earlier, the better.
