What Are the Dangers of Propping Bottles in a Crib?

Earache

• Propping a bottle to feed a baby can cause milk from the bottle to drain into a baby's ear if the baby stops eating and milk keeps flowing. The milk that gathers in the baby's ear combined with the warmth of the ear creates a breeding ground for germs, which could lead to an earache.

Choking

• Choking is another danger when propping a bottle in a crib. A baby is not able to talk, hold or move a propped bottle. That means a baby can't push the bottle away if he is getting too much milk at one time because of a faulty bottle nipple, causing a baby to choke because you are not there to remove the faulty bottle. A baby who falls asleep during the propped-up bottle feeding might not swallow the milk right away and could choke on it later, too.

Trauma

• A falling bottle could hurt a baby. In addition to getting milk in a baby's eyes and ears if a bottle falls, a falling bottle could traumatize a baby if it lands on his face, causing a baby physical and emotional trauma. The baby may become afraid of bottles and become more difficult to feed as a result.

Tooth Decay

• Propped bottles containing milk will have sugar and other ingredients that eat away at tooth enamel if left to linger in a baby's mouth overnight, resulting in tooth decay. Decaying teeth can impact a baby's health adversely at a time when they are more vulnerable to infections.

Allergic Reaction

• A baby could experience an allergic reaction while a bottle was propped. Allergies can surface at any time with babies, and just because a baby hasn't displayed an allergy to a certain type of food doesn't mean that allergy can't suddenly appear. The only way you would know a baby being fed by a propped bottle was having an allergic reaction would be if you heard the baby cry, which would be difficult for the baby to do because he couldn't move the propped bottle. The allergic reaction could cause a baby to panic and choke.