Is Bottle Feeding Toddlers Bad For Health?

TOP OF MIND

99 bottles of warm milk on the wall
In the land down under, where basically any animal can kill you, researchers are more concerned with bottles.

A new study coming out of Australia claims toddlers who were bottle-fed at 2-years-old were more likely to be overweight at three to four years of age. They also had a much higher risk of developing tooth decay.

According to their research, which looked at over 700 children in Sydney, around 30% of kids are still bottle fed to sleep at 2-years-old.

The important bits
Similar studies have been performed in other countries with comparable results, but some researchers thought Australia might score better, especially when it comes to dental health.

Experts recommend you start encouraging your baby to learn how to drink from a cup starting at 6-months-old. This is because prolonged bottle feeding often leads to overfeeding, especially when you give them the bottle at bedtime.

In addition to overfeeding, leaving the bottle in bed can cause toddlers to suck on it throughout the night, increasing their exposure to sugar. That's where the tooth decay comes in.

What's it all mean?
Get those babies off the bottle! It's important to note though, doctors don't recommend going cold turkey with it. Instead, reduce the amount of milk in the bottle every couple of nights. Get all the tips and tricks here.

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DOSE OF GOOD

@user302902096

Didnt Realize This Was Something I Had To Teach Him. 😂😂##fyp #foryoupage #dubai

BITES WITH KIYAH

This week’s quick tip: Kids who cook (or help with cooking) are more likely to taste what they’ve made.

So if you want to encourage your kids to try something new, invite them into the kitchen with you! Not sure how to do that? Here are the toddler tips we shared last week.

You can also read about other strategies to support healthy eating habits (that don’t involve making a mess of your kitchen) here.

HERE’S A QUESTION

Last week, we asked you if you'd be giving your kid a spoonful of butter before bed, and nearly 90% of you said, "No way!" while a few butter-curious parents said, "Maybe!"

RECALLS

Stop chomping on Chomps!
The manufacturer behind the popular ready-to-eat beef stick brand, Chomps, is recalling nearly 30,000 beef sticks.

Why? Because at least two customers chomped down on pieces of metal. The company is worried more sticks might be contaminated, which is why they're expanding the recall to include their Turkey sticks as well.

More here.