Should I Put My 15 Week Old to Sleep with a Bottle Every Night?

I put my daughter to sleep every night with a bottle (never in her crib, I feed her then put her down). It is fine, it is good to have some sort of routine before bed and if a bottle is part of it then great. Around a year you should either wean or only have 1-2 bottles a night. I'm a firm believer of whatever works for you.
All the best

I would not leave a bottle in the bed with the baby. My children are three and one and I used to do each of their last feedings before bed. This definitely helped them to sleep through the night. I agree that it is a bad habit to leave a drink with them, and it could be dangerous to leave anything in a crib with a baby. Best of luck!

Never with a bottle after they get at least 2 teeth.. it causes bottle rot.. unless it's plain water. Other stuff will cause you child to have rotten teeth.. big brown spots by age 2 or 3. Pacifiers are really no good either and shouldn't be used after 10 months old.. when their teeth are really coming in. Try giving a bottle.. while awake... and sitting up.. then gently wash teeth with soft baby tooth brush.. then let baby fall to sleep. Good luck.

at 15 weeks babies need to be nursed or fed a bottle before bed. i nursed my baby to sleep until he was 4 months old. After that, i changed the routine slightly so that he gets nursed, then i wake him up a little by burping him to read him a story and sing a song, and put him in his crib when he's sleepy. you should never put a baby to bed with a bottle. i think that if you can, dont use a pacifier either. but you have to pay attention and do what is best for you and your baby.

Typically babies up until about 2 years old will require some type of formula or milk (in either a bottle or sippy cup) to keep them full throughout the night. I, along with every other mom I know, has a consistent bedtime routine that ends with a bottle or cup of milk/formula and then you put your baby to bed while he is still awake or somewhat awake so that he learns to soothe himself to sleep. My son's routine is bath, massage on changing table, sippy cup of milk while singing a lullaby and then I put him in his crib. And my doctor said that it's normal and okay for a baby to have a drink before bed for years....usually potty training will guide how much he'll drink before bedtime.

hope this is helpful.

At 15 weeks he still may need a bottle/feeding before bed. As he gets older and starts eating solid foods he may not need as much milk in his bottle before bed. The day will come when he doesn't need any milk and just wants a sip or 2 of water.

But under no circumstance should you ever let him take a bottle to bed with him. Try to keep him awake while he drinks his bottle before bed so he gets used to going to sleep on his own and doesn't depend on the bottle to help him sleep. This is a great time for some "one on one bonding". You could read him a story while he drinks his bottle. Or even just some "cuddle time".

At this age a pacifier is okay, but keep in mind he will get used to it and as he gets older may not be able to sleep without it. The same goes for a nightlight, blanket, stuffed animal or music/white noise. These things are always hard to "take away" later. But that's a long way off so don't worry about it now, but you should know it may be an issue some day and a little planning for it now is not a bad thing.

My opinion is similar to what others have posted -- I have a 7 mo old and I have always fed him right before sleep. He always fell asleep either during or immediately after feeding until he was about 5 months. The last two months he has stayed awake longer after the feeding but once he rubs his eyes I put him down and he eventually falls asleep. I avoided the pacifier as I didn't want him to become addicted to it, but I am of the opinion that if it works for you and the baby then it is fine.

at 15 wks arent you giving the baby the bottle yourself for a feeding? after the feeding put the baby in the crib to sleep i would not lay him/her down w/the bottle no not a good habit give the baby the pacifier if he/she takes it and thats about it

I would not give your son a pacifier in bed. He will get attached to it and it will be hard to break. I would feed him, burp and then ok to put him into his crib. Don't get into the habbit of putting a bottle or pacifier in the crib with him, it might help him go to sleep now, buy you'll pay later.

Mom of ages 6,5 and 3.

Hi Susan,

Most peds will tell you never put a baby to bed with a bottle. It's bad for their teeth as there's lots of sugar in milk and it sits on their teeth all night. Best not to get him in this habit also for when you want to ween him of the bottle. It will be tough when he associates a bottle with comfort. Good luck!

R.

Hi Susan~
Without a doubt, water or a pacifier. First of all, water is good for all of us. Secondly, if he knows he's going to get milk, that's what he'll expect all the time. Do keep in mind this, milk has natural sugars in it and those sugars will rot the teeth when they start to come in, and that'll happen before you realize it. Try water or a pacifier, but not milk or juice. Those sugars will rot his baby teeth before long and that's not a good thing.
Good luck with your little one...
J.~

You should try to teach him to fall asleep with the pacifier, in his crib. If he always falls asleep with a bottle in his mouth, in your arms, it will be a habit you need to break later. The earlier a baby falls asleep independently the better sleeper he will be. Good luck.

Never put a baby to sleep sucking on anything but water. Milk especially is bad, the child is lying down and the milk collects in the back of their throat and bacteria forms, which can cause ear aches. In my opinion and also in the opinion of many doctors this is the leading cause of ear aches.
A pacifier is better since the baby will wake up dryer in the morning.

No bottle in his mouth during sleep! He will continue having a bottle of milk or drink in his mouth even when his baby teeth come out, and that will give him higher tendency of cavities. Can you imagine watching your baby under the dentist drill? Start with a pacificer as a temporary replacement of the bottle, gradually remove the pacifier, and slowly train him into sleep without anything in his mouth.

I think he is too young to safely feed himself with a bottle. While many people have their own opinions on using a bottle at bedtime, this is usually with older babies- 9-12 months and up. And a little guy like yours needs you to feed him, and hold him, and cuddle him, and sing to him while he eats. That bottle time is precious, and it's such a short time that you two have together!

Also, there is a serious choking hazard with such a young baby. He can spit up, and you won't be there to help turn him over and clean out his mouth.

Susan,

As long as you are not letting him lay down in the crib with the bottle I do not think it is a problem. What I would suggest is not letting him fall asleep with it because once you have to take the bottle away he will not know how to go to sleep without a bottle. Try to feed him the bottle and put him into his crib awake you can sing to him, give him his pacifier if you want to. Try to let him put himself to sleep. When a child uses a bottle, pacifier, rocking etc. they will not learn how to put themselves to sleep independently. I did use a pacifier with my daughter, but she kept it in their bed. To tell you the truth that ended up being something else I had to take away. Routine is key, we would do bath, a story, and then night night. My daughter would run to her crib we would put the music box on she would get her blanket and pacifier and go right to sleep. My son did not like a pacifier he just used music and a blanket. I did have to do sleep training but it was a pleasure every night to have sleeping children. I was a stay at home mom and I know for me I needed the break of them sleeping through the night.

im not sure what you mean. if your baby is fed his last bottle, and happens to fall asleep, of course put him in his crib. if he eats his last bottle, and is still awake, see if the pacifier works. but when you say put him in his crib, then leave the room, does he still need that bottle? when then is he getting that last bottle. are you going to give him less than he is getting now?

aside from that, things are only a "bad habit" if you yourself are defining them as that. letting your baby cry themselves to sleep is not acceptable at all before 6 months. imo, you should never let your child cry themselves to sleep. it is cruel and you are never teaching your child to trust. there are actually quite a few negatives about CIO, but only positive results from comforting a baby to sleep.

Don't give him a bottle in the crib.

If you feed him a bottle and he goes to sleep, put him in the crib (with the bink if he wants it) and let him sleep. A little brief comforting if he stirs much, but otherwise let him sleep.

Most children will fall asleep while or directly following eating, it's normal and you won't create a bad habit by allowing him to fall asleep while eating at this age. I would only become concerned with that after the one-year mark, where the bottle should be transitioning into cups and mostly solid foods.

Best of luck!

If you want to give him a bottle before you put him in the bed that is one thing, but do not put him to bed with a bottle. Even milk will rot his teeth. They fall asleep with liquid in their mouths and it rots their teeth right out of their head. My mom worked for 20+ yrs in an oral radiology department and she use to see this all the time. I would start a bed time routine. Something you can do every night. For example, my kids go up stairs, we get in our pj's, we read a book and it's hugs and kisses then lights out. I turn on their music (it helps set the mood) and that's about it. I do offer a cup of milk to my daughter while we are reading the book, but not once she's in bed. Only the binky in bed. If you do give anything in a bottle in bed, I'd only give water. Anything else is not a good idea at all.

Try to feed and then put her down. But, there were nights that she fell asleep right after the bottle and we put her in her crib. She is one now, and sleeps on her own in the crib for all naps and 10 hours at night. So for us it did not matter. Do what works, they out grow a lot. He/she may not be ready to go on her own yet. The night was the easiest for us to let her go to sleep on her own. It was about 9 months for us when it all came together. It takes time and she will cry, so when your ready do it.

Hi Susan,

It is normal for a 3 month old to have a feeding before bed. It is meant to be for food, not for comfort. At this age, they still need nourishment pretty much around the clock. What is not recommended is putting older babies to sleep with a bottle in their crib with them. Most babies still require a feeding before bed until at least 6 months of age and eating solids regularly. Good luck!

Hi Susan, Congrats on motherhood. I think you can feed your baby and put him to sleep. I do not see this as a bad habit at 15 weeks. If he goes to sleep without feeding he will wake up when he is hungry. Don't worry too much about rules, just respond to your baby's needs. Follow your heart and good sense and you cannot go wrong. Many blessings, Grandma Mary

My daughter is 2yo and still gets her milk bottle before bed. She then takes water to bed with her. We are trying to get rid of the bottle but put the milk and/or water in a sippy cup but if her belly is "topped of" she sleeps better. I will probably get told to throw out he bottle, shes 2 but we are doing it so no one has to suffer. Slow but steady!!!! A.

My son is 9 months old and I still breastfeed him right before bed. It helps him get sleepy and keeps him filled up for the night so he doesn't wake up. There is nothing wrong with it. I would not suggest putting him to bed with a pacifier though because he will wake up the second it falls out of his mouth and you will have to keep putting it back in. That will create a habit.