Giving your baby a
bottle of
breastmilk or
formula milk just before bed is an easy way to soothe him. You can do this before he goes to
sleep at night.
Just make sure he has his milk before he's lying down. Drinking while he's lying down increases your baby's risk of
ear infections.
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If your baby has started
teething, leaving the bottle in your sleeping baby's mouth may cause
tooth decay. This can happen even with expressed breastmilk in the bottle, once your baby has started solid foods.
To help protect his teeth, encourage your baby to drink from a
cup once he’s started solids. If he’s more than a year old and is drinking
cow’s milk, offer his milk to him in a cup rather than a bottle.
You should
clean your baby's teeth after his last bottle feed and before he goes to
sleep.
Bear in mind that always settling your baby with a bottle may also mean that he'll get used to you feeding him into a
sleepy state. It may discourage him from learning to
settle himself. He may also expect more bottles during the night.
To help him settle at night, try setting up a
bedtime routine. This could include a bath, followed by his bottle of milk and teeth brushing. You could then snuggle up to read a story, or sing a
lullaby, before laying him in his cot for sleep.
Check out our tips for
setting up a bedtime routine for your baby and
helping him learn to self-settle.
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