Toddlers Using Bottles as Pacifiers

Tooth Decay

• One of the most important reasons for weaning a toddler from his bottle is to prevent tooth decay in baby teeth. Milk and juice from bottles given at nap time or nighttime bathe the teeth in sugar. Bacteria in the mouth convert it to acid, which destroys the tooth enamel and leads to decay, according to the Children's Physician Network. Although baby teeth might not seem important, since they're going to fall out anyway, they serve as placeholders for permanent teeth. "Severe bottle mouth," the term used for decay associated with prolonged bottle use, can lead not only to pain for your child, but also to extensive and expensive dental work, including capping or pulling teeth.

Falls

• Carrying a bottle around poses a risk to your toddler that you may never have considered: the risk of falling with it in his mouth. According to a study published in the June 2012 issue of "Pediatrics," around 2,270 toddlers each year go to the emergency room for treatment after injuries related to bottles. Approximately 86 percent were caused by falls, and 70 percent of injuries were lacerations, with 71 percent affecting the mouth. It can actually be dangerous to let your child walk around with his bottle.

Malocclusion

• It's never too soon to anticipate the day your dentist tells you your child needs braces. You might be able to reduce the chance of facing a large orthodontist bill in the future by taking your toddler's bottle away before it permanently affects the shape of his teeth. Both prolonged use of pacifiers and bottles used as pacifiers past age 3 can push the teeth out of place, the National Institutes of Health warns.

Nutrition

• Toddlers don't need nearly as much milk as infants do. If your toddler uses his bottle as a pacifier, fill it with water rather than a constant supply of milk or juice. Neither provides the iron that your growing toddler needs. Toddlers should drink no more than 16 ounces of milk per day, the AAP advises. Toddlers who still take a bottle over age 24 months have nearly three times the risk for developing iron deficiency anemia, a Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Research Institute article published in the November 2005 issue of "Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine" found.