What is Baby Bottle or Nursing decay?
Babies may get early childhood tooth decay from going to bed with a bottle of milk, formula or juice and falling asleep at the breast with milk still in the mouth. In order to prevent the occurrence of Baby Bottle decay in your child, 1) NEVER PUT YOUR CHILD TO SLEEP WITH A BOTTLE CONTAINING MILK, FORMULA OR JUICE. ONLY PLAIN WATER IS ACCEPTABLE. 2) CLEAN YOUR CHILD’S TEETH AND GUMS IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH FEEDING AND ESPECIALLY BEFORE BED If you give your child a bottle of milk, formula or juice at bedtime, stopping all at once will not be easy and will almost always result in a few nights of lost sleep. Here are some tips to help you through: • Put plain water in the bottle. • If this is turned down, give your child a clean soother, a stuffed toy or a blanket. • If your child cries, comfort him or her but do not give up. • If this does not work, try watering down your child’s bottle over a week or two, until there is only plain water left.
