Do you know ways to prevent tooth decay when baby has juice at night?

I don't need a lecture here - I'm the one giving the lecture. My friend discovered that her 15 month old will not cry for milk at night (she is weaning her from the breast) if she gives her a bottle of juice to keep in her crib for when she wakes up. Milk and water didn't work - but the juice does.





I am wondering if there is any advice I can give her to protect her baby's teeth other than the obvious - DON'T GIVE HER A BOTTLE OF JUICE AT NIGHT. She has decided it works, and she's going to do it. All I can do is find some advice that she might take as to what she can do before/ after bedtime that might help. I already told her to brush her teeth as soon as she wakes up, is there anything else I can say?

Do you know ways to prevent tooth decay when baby has juice at night?
You are right - nobody needs a lecture and Noone responds to criticism, you are on the right track to just get solutions.....





In the night It may help if your friend takes a washcloth and wipes out her mouth maybe when she(the friend) is going to bed, it will at least help to get the residue off her teeth which is the culprit....sugars breaking down on the enamel of the teeth....


Your friend would be wise to know regardless of what is in the bottle she is trading off one dependency to another...at 15 months there is no need for any bottle...otherwise she will just have 1 more thing to wean from....but in the meantime tell her to at least dilute the juice - 1/2 and 1/2 and tell your friend to keep adding more water every couple of days until eventually the mix is water...It may also help to start a bedtime routine as opposed to a bottle for comfort....like bath story bed every night at the same time....something the child can count on every night...even her own baby doll to "put to bed" - it can help make changes easier to adjust to as that is really what the kiddo is after...comfort and dependability....it was the breast - now it is the bottle...the child may night wake but that does not mean she "needs" to drink - it's habit - you could always encourage your friend to check out websites on weaning and night time waking in toddlers....(see below)





Good Luck~
Reply:Maybe try diluting the juice with water.
Reply:I would defitely try to find juice with the least amount of sugar content or dilute the juice with water.
Reply:Two things.


1) Water down the juice by at least 50%. The baby still gets the sweet taste he is longing for, but the sugar and acid are reduced.


2) Never put the baby down with a bottle. This means you can give the baby the bottle as much as she will take-- and then put her in the crib without it. Many folks put their baby in the crib with the bottle where the baby can sip on it throughout the night. The sugar and acids are only active for about 30 minutes after taking the bottle -- but if she can sip on the sweet juice all night then the acids and sugar are working all night and bottle rot is much more likely.
Reply:there really isnt anything. use half juice half water. and have the kid brush her teeth in the morning.





she really should find a different solution to getting her to sleep. talk to a dentist, they will tell you. even a pacifier would be better.
Reply:Maybe dilute Gerber's Fruit Splash with equal part tap water. That will reduce the sugar from almost 30gr to about 4gr.





Tap water has fluoride in it. Since she is insisting on using the bottle so that she can get some sleep, perhaps the diluted with no extra additives will help.
Reply:Hi. You may want to check out this link. I do know too that when you mix juice with water it is supposed to help lessen the sugar intake but you may have already known that. Just a bit of advice...I have learned the hard way to let other mommy's learn the hard way. You are a great friend for carring so much, but she may start to be resentful if you push too much. Good luck!
Reply:Give the baby fresh juice instead of bottled or tetra-packed and dilute it.