Drinking milk while sleeping may have become the habit of most babies before going to bed. Maybe you think that drinking milk before going to bed is good for the baby so the baby is full while sleeping, so he sleeps better. However, be careful, the habit of drinking milk while sleeping can actually harm your baby. Various things can happen when your baby is used to drinking milk while sleeping, from choking to ear infections.
What are the risks that can be caused by drinking milk with a bottle while sleeping?
Some things that can happen to babies while sleeping with milk bottles are:
1. Develop a relationship between milk bottles and sleep
Always giving a milk bottle before the baby falls asleep can form a baby's habits. Many babies are used to sleeping with milk bottles. If he is not given a milk bottle before going to bed, it will be more difficult to fall asleep. This may be a habit that will be difficult to eliminate until it grows bigger. And, this is not good for baby's behavior or baby's health. This habit can prevent babies from learning to complete their own activities. In addition, this can also make the baby want to add a bottle of milk at night until he falls asleep. This can indirectly make excess baby intake.
2. Babies choke
Babies who fall asleep while drinking milk with a bottle can choke because liquid milk can enter their lungs. This is more dangerous for babies than adults. Babies cannot be as good as adults, where when something is bothering them when they fall asleep, adults can immediately wake up, while baby reflexes cannot be as good as this. Maybe the baby will immediately cough and feel uncomfortable. However, it is better to avoid this altogether.
A study published by Asia Pacific Allergy in 2011 has even shown that drinking milk with a bottle while lying down for a long time can cause chronic respiratory symptoms in infants. This seems to reinforce the evidence that drinking milk while lying down can endanger your baby's health.
3. Risk of tooth decay
For babies who have gotten their teeth, suckling with a bottle before going to bed and until he falls asleep can develop the risk of tooth decay. Sugar in milk can be accommodated in the baby's mouth for a longer time, so that sugar can stick to the baby's tooth surface. This sugar will then be converted to acid by bacteria in the baby's mouth. This can then result in tooth decay in the baby.
To avoid this, you can add more water to your baby's milk, so that the sugar concentration in baby milk decreases. This can reduce the risk of a baby having tooth decay. If the baby rejects it because it tastes different, try adding it little by little. You can do this method only at night when the baby asks for milk to sleep, so that the baby's intake is still fulfilled.
However, it is even better if you clean the baby's teeth after he suckles and before he falls asleep, so as not to reduce the baby's intake. Clean the baby's teeth by wiping the baby's gums using a soft cloth. If the baby has teething, then you can clean your baby's teeth using a special baby toothbrush. If your baby has started to grow up (already 3 years old), you can add toothpaste when cleaning baby's teeth. Teach him to brush his teeth twice a day, namely after breakfast and before going to bed. This can help avoid your baby from various tooth decay.
4. Risk of ear infections
When a baby drinks milk with a bottle while sleeping, milk can flow through the ear cavity, which can cause ear infections. Babies who drink milk with bottles are more at risk for ear infections in the first year of life, compared with breast-fed babies.
How to reduce the habit of babies drinking milk with a bottle when they want to sleep?
If the baby is used to drinking milk with a bottle while sleeping, try to give it in a sitting position. Your baby's lap while giving him a milk bottle and if the baby is asleep, then move him to the bed without a milk bottle.
If the baby has started to eat solid food, you can fill the baby's stomach with food before the baby starts to fall asleep, so the baby is not too dependent on milk bottles when he wants to sleep. You can also start trying to limit the amount of milk consumed by bottles per day and give it more food. This can help reduce the connection between milk bottles and sleep.