The Right Way to Use a Nursing Bottle

There are right and wrong ways to use a nursing bottle.

Pediatric dentists agree that the best kind of bottle is the kind most closely resembling the human breast.  The key is to get your infant to exercise the muscles in his/her cheek and tongue.  This helps prevent malpositioned teeth by developing strong muscles that guide teeth into proper position.

Use bottle nipples that make your baby work to get milk.  Never enlarge the nipple opening in an attempt to increase the flow of the milk.  Bottle-fed babies also should be fed sitting upright – not lying down – so that the muscles work against gravity as nature intended.

Another important recommendation:   

DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY A BOTTLE AT BEDTIME, UNLESS IT CONTAINS ONLY WATER! 

There is an epidemic of tooth decay in children who were given bottles as pacifiers at bed and during the day.  This problem of rapidly advancing dental decay develops when a child is given a bottle with a liquid other than water (i.e.:  apple juice, kool-aid, soda, cow’s milk, mother’s milk, etc.)  This problem is called “Nursing Bottle Decay.”

Children with “Nursing Bottle Decay” may have a mouthful of cavities.  These cavities are caused by the sugar naturally present in the fruit juice or milk contained in the bottle.  This sugar is turned to acid by the bacteria in the child’s mouth.  Because the liquid is in constant contact with your child’s teeth, the acid works to dissolve the enamel portion of his/her teeth.

The effects of “Nursing Bottle Decay” may not be noticeable until your child reaches the age of 18-24 months.  But the damage starts as soon as the first tooth erupts into his/her mouth.  For this reason, pediatric dentists recommend that a child’s first dental visit be between his/her 12th and 18th month of age.  It is not uncommon for a child who uses a bottle as a pacifier to have ten or more decayed primary (baby) teeth, requiring extensive repair.

The best way to avoid “Nursing Bottle Decay” is not to give your infant a bottle at bedtime unless it contains only water.  And do not allow your child to carry a bottle around during the day.  Ideally, the bottle with milk or juice should only be given to the baby at feeding time.

If the bottle serves as a pacifier, then fill it with water only!  Water will not harm teeth as other liquids do and its natural amount of fluoride will strengthen your baby’s teeth.