My Baby Uses His Bottle as a Pacifier

Hi,

I am the mother of a nifty almost two-year old (will be 2 in March) who admittedly refuses to drink his milk in annihilation other than a bottle and still must chomp on his pacifier in order to go to sleep (night or nap). Honestly, this doesn't bother me all this much, merely I'yard getting THOSE looks from other moms.

James has had several issues with sensory integration (he had a small-scale stroke while we were in labor and has limited use of his correct hand) and I feel like I'd be a monster of a mother if I forced him to give up something that he loves and that makes him feel safe.

His Occupational Therapist (who is female person) agrees with me and thinks we should let James decide to requite these things upward on his own. His Physical Therapist (who is male person) disagrees with me and thinks that we are setting James upward to exist teased. His doc gave me the whole "information technology's bad for his teeth and speech" speech, merely didn't really address the issues I have.

Simply it's the other moms who are bugging me the most almost it. Those moms who always know what is best for every kid.

What do you think? I know he'south a large kid and should have outgrown these things, but should I insist that he do then?

Give thanks you so much,
L

Oh goodness, what a tough situation. Although I am a teensy chip glad to read that I am non the only parent who has gotten the conflicting advice from the "experts."

Prime case: Carrygate. Noah's one-time OT yelled at me about conveying Noah in the large bad overwhelming outdoors and was all, "TIME FOR TOUGH LOVE, SENSORY Male child." His current ST is all, "Why are we putting crazy demands on BABIES, for chrissakes? Snuggle that footling bunny head all you desire."

My bespeak in bringing this topic up (AGAIN!) is non to brand this all near me, but to signal out that simply because y'all hand your kid over to Early Intervention and therapists and whatnot does Non mean Y'all personally check out of the process. (There was a annotate on my initial post, somewhere, that seemed to recall otherwise, and I've encountered that mindset earlier also. That considering one OT [who had a looooong history of expecting too much, too soon and had only recently moved from uncomplicated-age clients to toddlers] told me something, it was irresponsible that I overlooked her advice.)

Trust your instincts. Take everyone'south advice (including mine) with a good for you shake of common salt. If yous believe your son has enough to deal with right now and will cull to give up his oral comforts when he is ready, put this thing on the dorsum burner for a few months. Practice some snappy comebacks in the mirror to whip out at the playground. "I'm sorry my son'southward developmental challenges are bothering you and then much, hoe-bag" would probably work merely fine.

The pacifier, in item, strikes me every bit a non-issue. I mean, how many kids suck their thumbs or stroke a blankie well into elementary schoolhouse to help them sleep? I've known a couple "large kids" whose parents reluctantly allowed pacifiers in bed (and ONLY in bed) well beyond the toddler years. And y'all know how many of them are STILL asking for the pacifier correct at present? Zero. They started preschool, somehow picked up on the "pacifiers are for babies" vibe and abandoned it. If you oasis't already, I'd probably get on the just-in-bed bandwagon, since information technology's really not that hard of a concept for a 2-yr-old to grasp AND will salvage yous some of those muddied looks out in public. (I know I still do double-takes at four-twelvemonth-olds running around with pacifiers at the playground and I KNOW all about the sensory stuff and oral-aversion problems and should know meliorate.)

The bottle is kind of another story, since this IS causing you stress out in public and your physician DOES take a point most your son'south teeth. (Although bottle rot is mostly brought on by putting them to bed with a bottle, thus letting them suck on a semi-milky nipple all night. So that's another concern yous can probably quibble with.) A trip to a pediatric dentist might not hurt — either to clear your censor with a clean beak of dental health OR to discover out that in that location is a trouble and make the cracking-down on bottles feel less cruel.

You could possibly effort to implement a similar dominion about the bottle — inside the house only, perhaps, or only at seated meals in the high chair. (And I'm guessing yous've probably tried every sippy cup nether the sun, just only to encompass this from every angle…the Nuby cups are extremely bottle-similar with the squishy rubber spouts, but more than socially-acceptable looking.)

Nosotros've noticed Noah has adult a bottle/blankie/lovey-type relationship to his sippy cups. He carries them around in his oral fissure, constantly sucking and chewing on the rubber straw, long after they're empty. Juice boxes and regular cups are met with weeping (although he will eventually take a juice box), so nosotros're trying to adjourn this a piffling flake. No sippy cups away from the high chair or table. If he needs a drink of water in betwixt meals, he gets information technology in a non-straw hard-spouted loving cup (which he actually volition simply sip from and discard).

I'm trying to be better out at restaurants too, since Noah even refuses to drink from those kiddie cups with lids and bendy straws. He knows I probably have the love Diego Munchkin loving cup in my bag and will transfer his drink in order to avert a scene. This ane nosotros're still working on. Considering I suck and like to avert scenes. Just y'all know what? In the fall he'll start preschool and will be presented with juice boxes and regular cups and Mama will not exist there to dump his milk into his preferred type of cup. And I suspect he will deal with it.

And eventually, so will your son. I can practically guarantee that fifty-fifty if you lot do nix correct now, you will non be packing a bottle in his first-grade tiffin box. Once more, trust YOUR instincts and balance out what's best for BOTH of you. Certain, he loves his bottles, just it's too okay if yous are over the judgment and the dirty looks.

(Don't even get me started on all the photos of Suri Cruise even so walking around with a bottle. Who the eff practise I think I am?)

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Source: https://alphamom.com/parenting/baby/bottles-pacifiers-when-do-i-really-need-to-take-them-away/

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