re: mjt♥

Most kids wean between 3-4, and they would likely stop using a bottle even earlier since it wasn't comfort and connection from a loving person. My son was a very frequent nurser and he was down to nursing 1-2x in the day at 2.5.

I also wouldn't argue with my 5 year old. I'd discuss the health implications and listen to their needs and support them to find the healthiest way to meet them.

<blockquote><b>Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:</b>" How do you know what age they would self wean at  "</blockquote>




I wouldn't care. They would stop eventually. Some kids have a greater need than others.

I drank a bottle until I was about 6. In fact I would fix them myself.

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" Most kids wean between 3-4, and they would likely stop using a bottle even earlier since it wasn't comfort ... [snip!] ... old. I'd discuss the health implications and listen to their needs and support them to find the healthiest way to meet them."

I guess all those parenting shows Ive seen on the issues of 'children' being stuck on bottles/paci's/sippy cups were just made up for marketing.

Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:" I guess all those parenting shows Ive seen on the issues of 'children' being stuck on bottles/paci's/sippy cups were just made up for marketing. "

All those parenting shows (or the ones i've seen) are usually based on permissive and or unconnected parents and they're advised with conditional coercive parenting tactics. So it's a totally different way of parenting, and yes, it would be more likely that that would increase a child's insecurities and desire to have a bottle for longer. They do indeed perpetuate this myth that children can't self regulate and that you must force them to do things and the general lack of mutual respect and great distrust for our children.

<blockquote><b>Quoting ~~My Pet Wussy~~:</b>" <blockquote><b>Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:</b>" How do you know what age they would ... [snip!] ... eventually. Some kids have a greater need than others. I drank a bottle until I was about 6. In fact I would fix them myself."</blockquote>




My cousin drank a bottle till he was 8 and that led His mom to bath him and wipes his ass. Because she thought he was a 'baby'  

<blockquote><b>Quoting Venus Penis Trap.™:</b>" <blockquote><b>Quoting ~~My Pet Wussy~~:</b>" <blockquote><b>Quoting A ... [snip!] ... cousin drank a bottle till he was 8 and that led His mom to bath him and wipes his ass. Because she thought he was a 'baby'  "</blockquote>




That's sounds like a lot deeper of an issue than a simple bottle.

Quoting Venus Penis Trap.™:" <blockquote><b>Quoting ~~My Pet Wussy~~:</b>" <blockquote><b>Quoting A ... [snip!] ... cousin drank a bottle till he was 8 and that led His mom to bath him and wipes his ass. Because she thought he was a 'baby'  "

Having a bottle didn't mean she had to still bathe him and wipe his butt. She chose to not let him grow up. There is a big difference in being aware of your child's needs and encouraging them at their own pace, and babying your child. Babying your child can crush their self esteem and hamper development and is all about the parent NOT being aware of their child's needs or doing what is best for them.

In stark contrast, being aware of their needs mean they feel confident and secure and are supported to be independent as soon as they want to be and naturally are. It's an important difference to understand.

Just because a young child has a bottle does not automatically mean they are immature or 'behind' in any way.

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" All those parenting shows (or the ones i've seen) are usually based on permissive and or unconnected ... [snip!] ... regulate and that you must force them to do things and the general lack of mutual respect and great distrust for our children."

Exactly.....

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" Having a bottle didn't mean she had to still bathe him and wipe his butt. She chose to not let him grow ... [snip!] ... to understand. Just because a young child has a bottle does not automatically mean they are immature or 'behind' in any way."

There is a big difference in being aware of your child's needs and encouraging them at their own pace, and babying your child

This is why it is OKAY to use a sippy cup after 1 and lead away from the bottle. Encourage you child to grow, not keep them stuck on 'baby' things.

Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:" There is a big difference in being aware of your child's needs and encouraging them at their own pace, ... [snip!] ... to use a sippy cup after 1 and lead away from the bottle. Encourage you child to grow, not keep them stuck on 'baby' things. "

A bottle isn't a 'baby' thing. A bottle has an artificial teat in order to replicate a human teat. Humans are born designed to suckle a human teat, a biologically normal child would usually do so until are 3-4 years old (of course some would stop earlier or later, but i'm talking the average). Thus a bottle or paci are used to try and meet this need instead when the mother isn't breastfeeding.

The difficulty occurs mostly because the physical action of sucking a bottle is different to that of suckling from a human nipple. The latter encourages healthy oral development whereas an artificial bottle does the opposite. As i said previously, nature hasn't gotten this memo so the child will still seek out a sucking action as is biologically normal. When children are breastfed and have their comfort needs met they don't often latch on to inanimate objects for comfort. So they wouldn't walk around with a paci in their mouth all day at 3 years old like you often see, they would just nurse at bedtime for example as their need is met. When needs aren't met they can be transferred and dragged on for a long time, hence why lots of kids use bottles and paci's at an older age.

Like many others we never had any need for a sippy cup. It's a monkey maker and not a necessity for a child at all. When a child no longer gets their liquids from a teat they can drink from a normal cup. I would class sippy cups, if anything at all, as something babyish and unnecessary. It doesn't meet the need for suckling, it's bad for the teeth and it isn't a regular cup. Going back to the biological norm, children would get all their liquids from the nipple and then as they begin to suckle for other reasons than basic nutrition they can drink from a cup. Using a sippy doesn't encourage this, it could even be said to be holding them back and it's mixed up with the need to suckle and only because their bottle has been removed before they were ready so they are still looking for something.

A child given a bottle for milk and water and who has the opportunity to drink water from a regular cup too would be likely to progress to only wanting milk from the bottle and prefer having water at meal times etc out of a regular cup. Again people seem to distrust their child's ability to know what they need and think parents must force everything otherwise it will never happen when it's just not the case.

Quoting Mama*AtoZ:" A bottle isn't a 'baby' thing. A bottle has an artificial teat in order to replicate a human teat. ... [snip!] ... to know what they need and think parents must force everything otherwise it will never happen when it's just not the case."

Im not reading all this cause I know what it will say "a kid will wean between 3 and 4 blah blah blah".
I think a bottle is not needed. Thats pretty much the end of my arguement. We do things as parents to help our children grown. If you want to keep your child attached to an object like a bottle till they are in high school or until they decide not to have one anymore, by all means, knock yourself out.
If there was one perfect way to parent we would ALL be following that one way. I know you, all your posts are the same, and they are all about what you have read about, its a form of parenting you passionately agree upon but that does not mean your way is the 'right' way.

It's simple biological norms and normal child development.