Why Wean From Bottle to Cup

Prolonged bottle-feeding can lead to iron deficiency in toddlers.
Parents should transition their child from the bottle using the cup at nine months of age, so that by 12 months of age, their child is completely weaned from the bottle and drinking only from a cup.

In general, children can try a cup at 6 months and be weaned off the bottle around 12 to 18 months.
Why is it important to wean my child off the bottle?

• Children using bottles are more likely to develop tooth decay.
• Children who drink from a bottle may have improper dental development.
• Children who depend on bottle feedings may not consume enough solid foods to meet their nutrient needs.
• Children who are not weaned from the bottle may not develop appropriate feeding skills.

Tooth decay can occur as soon as a baby’s teeth appear. One of the risk factors for early childhood caries (sometimes called “baby bottle tooth decay”) is frequent and prolonged exposure of a baby’s teeth to liquids containing sugar—including milk, formula and fruit juice.
Because decay can destroy the teeth of an infant or young child, parents should encourage their children to drink from a cup by their first birthday.

From six months of age infants should be introduced to drinking from a cup, and from age one year feeding from a bottle should be discouraged.
Department of Health/British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.
For further information contact your local Oral Health Promoter. Details can be found at www.nohpg.org