Table of contents:
- What are the risks of drinking bottle-fed milk while sleeping?
- 1. Develop a relationship between a bottle of milk and sleep
- 2. The baby is choking
- 3. Risk of tooth decay
- 4. Risk of ear infection
- How do you reduce your baby's habit of drinking milk with a bottle when he wants to sleep?
Drinking milk while sleeping may have become a habit for most babies before going to bed. Maybe you think that drinking milk before bed is good for the baby so that the baby is full during sleep, so that he sleeps better. However, be careful, the habit of drinking milk while sleeping can actually harm your baby. Various things can happen when your baby is used to drinking milk while sleeping, from choking to ear infections.
What are the risks of drinking bottle-fed milk while sleeping?
Some of the things that can happen to a baby while falling asleep with a milk bottle are:
1. Develop a relationship between a bottle of milk and sleep
Always giving a bottle of milk before the baby falls asleep can form a baby's habit. Many babies are used to sleeping with a bottle of milk. If he is not given a bottle of milk before going to bed, it will be more difficult for him to fall asleep. This may be a habit that will be difficult to break until he grows older. And, this is not good for the baby's behavior or the baby's health. This habit can prevent babies from learning to complete activities on their own. In addition, it can also make the baby want to add another bottle of milk at night until he falls asleep. This can indirectly create excess baby intake.
2. The baby is choking
Babies who fall asleep while drinking a bottle of milk can choke because the milk can get into their lungs. This is more dangerous for babies than adults. Babies can not be as good as adults, where when something disturbs them while sleeping, adults can immediately wake up, while the baby's reflexes cannot be this good. Maybe the baby will immediately cough and feel uncomfortable. However, it is better to avoid this completely.
A study published by Asia Pacific Allergy in 2011 has even shown that drinking milk by bottle while lying down for a long time can cause chronic respiratory symptoms in babies. This seems to further strengthen the evidence that drinking milk while lying down can harm the health of your baby.
3. Risk of tooth decay
For teething babies, bottle feeding before bed and until they fall asleep can develop a risk of tooth decay. The sugar in milk can be held in the baby's mouth for a longer time, so that the sugar can stick to the surface of the baby's teeth. This sugar will then be converted into acid by the bacteria in the baby's mouth. This in turn can result in tooth decay in the baby.
To avoid this, you can add more water to your baby's milk, so that the sugar concentration in the baby's milk decreases. This can reduce the risk of the baby experiencing tooth decay. If the baby refuses it because it tastes different, try adding a little at a time. You can do this only at night when the baby asks for milk to sleep, so that the baby's intake is still fulfilled.
However, it is even better if you clean your baby's teeth after he feeds and before he falls asleep, so as not to reduce the baby's intake. Clean baby teeth by gently wiping the baby's gums with a cloth. If the baby is teething, then you can clean the baby's teeth using a special baby toothbrush. If your baby has started to grow (3 years old), you can add toothpaste when cleaning baby's teeth. Teach him to brush his teeth twice a day, namely after breakfast and before bed. This can help prevent your baby from various tooth decay.
4. Risk of ear infection
When a baby is bottle-fed while sleeping, the milk can flow through the ear cavity, which can lead to ear infections. Babies who are bottle-fed are more likely to develop ear infections in the first year of life, compared to babies who are breastfed.
How do you reduce your baby's habit of drinking milk with a bottle when he wants to sleep?
If the baby is used to drinking milk with a bottle while sleeping, try to give it in a sitting position. Put your baby on the bed while giving him a bottle of milk and when the baby is asleep, then move him to the bed without a bottle.
If the baby has started to eat solid food, you can fill the baby's stomach with food before the baby begins to fall asleep, so that the baby is also less dependent on a bottle of milk when he wants to sleep. You can also start trying to limit the amount of bottle-fed milk per day and feed it more. This can help reduce the connection between a bottle of milk and sleep.
