Parents and carers should avoid using a bottle to put toddlers to sleep, say experts, after new Australian research reveals the practice is linked to dental cavities and overweight in early childhood.
The research, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, was led by the University of Sydney, using data from over 700 toddlers involved in Western Sydney University’s Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids (HSHK) study—a cohort study that followed children from birth.
Researchers analysed the results of a survey of mothers, as well as dental checks and body measurements, and considered other factors that could influence dental hygiene and weight.
The authors found that:
- More than 30 per cent of children were still bottle-fed to sleep at two years old;
- Children who were bottle-fed to sleep at two years old were almost twice as likely to be overweight in early childhood;
- Children who were bottle-fed to sleep at three years old had nearly twice as many teeth affected by tooth decay in early childhood.
“Australian recommendations advise parents to start introducing cups at six months of age and stop using baby bottles at 12 months,” University of Sydney lead author and PhD candidate Heilok Cheng said.
“Bottle-feeding in bed is not recommended at any age. Our research now provides a much more robust evidence base for that advice.
“Common toddler drinks, including cow’s milk and formula, often contain either natural or added sugars, increasing the risk of tooth decay. When a bottle is offered at bedtime it’s often being used by carers to calm an unsettled child or encourage the child to drift off to sleep. Because the bottle isn’t being offered in response to hunger, it can lead to overfeeding, putting children at risk of unhealthy weight gain.
“We need to do more to support families and help them avoid getting into the habit of putting a child or baby to bed with a bottle, so that our future generations are set up with a healthy future from the start.”
