Goodbye Bottle!

Goodbye Bottle!

So you decided to say goodbye to your baby’s bottles. Although the journey may be hard, your baby is growing up which requires new transitions. Here are a few tips to make the process a little better for you and your baby.

1.   Choose fun Sippy cups with characters that your baby will love. Allow your child to pick his or her own “special” cup.

2.    While weaning your baby off of the bottle, try switching the bottle for a Sippy cup and put their favorite drink in the cup.

3.   Get rid of all of the bottles. Yes all of them. :-) By seeing the bottles in the house it will create confusion and possible tantrums as your baby will demand them back.

4.   As you get rid of the bottles make sure that your child sees you do it. Pack them in a bag and tell your child that you are sending them to another baby who needs them.

5.   .Stay motivated mom and dad! Once you have made the decision, stick with it. It’s going to be hard, but well worth it.

Congrats! Your child is moving forward by achieving new milestones. 

Just Say No!

Just say No!

Many of the juices that are on the shelves for children contain high levels of sugar. Due to the increase in sugars a baby may experience baby bottle tooth decay. Baby bottle tooth decay is when a baby drinks juice from a bottle which allows the sugars to sit slowly as it is sucked from the bottle. The sugar turns into a bacteria as it sits in the child’s mouth, and transforms into an acid. Once it is in the form of an acid, it breaks down the enamel of the teeth which causes them decay. Now this can create tooth problems at a young age but the good news is that it’s 100% preventable!

If you choose to allow your child to drink juice, choose 100% juices that contain a minimum amount of sugar. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables is the best source for children and adults to get the nutrients that they need without the extra sugar. Avoid letting your baby drink juice out of a bottle. By putting juice in a sippy cup the sugar can flow past the child’s teeth which avoids tooth decay. Last, do not let your child drink juice before bed. This process allows the sugars to sit on the teeth while they are sleeping.