Drinking from a bottle

[fluffysocks]

Hi I have a bit of a dilemma.

I am currently looking after an 8 month old who refuses point blank to accept a beaker cup. Both mum and I have tried possibly every childrens cup on the market, The dilemma being she also refuses to drink water to the point where we are having to pour it in as she gets constipated and her soft spot on her head still dips with dehydration.

Where do we (as childminders) stand with allowing them to have very weak juice in their bottle, she has no teeth yet. I know we have to strongly advise parents the dangers of tooth decay etc but when express wishes are now coming from parents to allow their child juice in a bottle do we oblidge??

Gut instinct says get them to sign a disclaimer to state they have been advised of the risks/dangers but they give permission for juice in a bottle?

thanks, i know i have rambled a bit. xx

[barbarella68]

I don't understand why she can't have water in a bottle? or does she not drink water full stop?
If she won't drink water I can not see a problem with very weak juice better something than nothing and she has no teeth and she is still only a very young baby.

[clio0602]

I used a doidy cup for dd as she wouldn't take bottle or cup water from 6mths although water in a bottle with a stage 3 teat maybe? X

[alwaysright]

the child is still very young and i wouldnt even be worried at this stage that she wont have a beaker, many children are later to use them, its much more worrying that she isnt drinking so if she will drink from the bottle then i would certainly give it to her and wouldnt see why there is any need to get a disclaimer signed

[fluffysocks]

thanks guys,

lo has been a bit hit/miss with drinking water since birth, she had issues with transfering from breast to bottle and still cannot handle a stage 3 teat.

I have been liasing with Sure Start Centre here through their play sessions and obviously they have done the whole anti juice thing etc, we've tried doidy cup to no avail.

Thing is I only buy sugar free juice anyways and always have, and its the weakest possible too so I agree, some is better than none at all especially with the summer coming up.

thanks again

[sweets]

if parents are happy with it then its fine.

ive finally relented and started giving my mindees very weak cordial too, they just weren't drinkning enough and one particular suffers with constipation, parents all give them juice and by the end of the day they were all just gagging for a drink and one LO started asking parents at pick up time for a drink which was awful!

i only offer it once or twice a day, the rest of the time they have water or milk, but its more important they get properly hydrated and i believe in everything in moderation!

[marnieb]

Yes, I'd give juice too!! 1 of my los wont drink at all, so mid morning he has a beaker of juice, which he downs in about 30 seconds!!! Then I refill the same beaker with water - I dont wash it out, so it looks and smells like it contains juice, and he'll slowly drink that for the rest of the day.

hth!

[Dragonfly]

better to be hydrated than dehydrated, weak cordial isnt going to hurt anyone. but then you can go on to think, sugar free or non sugar free? sugar free is a chemical drink ( the sweetners?) non sugar free natural

Water is best but if they wont touch it(alot of children have cordial at home) cordial.Same as manieb

[mushpea]

I dont see a problem with weak juice especialy if it means they are drinking somthing in this hot weather,, just check with mum and as long as shes happy its not aproblem
My own children drink fruit juice or water and so I have stoped buying dilute juice, the mindees all have water here now, most of them because thats all mum wants them to have and 1 through his own choice .

[onceinabluemoon]

Juice can rot their teeth even before they're through the gums (no idea how but I read that on one of the 'look after your teeth' type websites.

One of my 5 YO mindees has stubs for teeth where her mother gave her juice from a bottle (I know she wont mind me telling you this as she's given me permission to tell other people to prevent the same thing happening to their children, she was unaware of the danger when mindee was little).

Sugar free juice often has aspartame in it (if you dont know about aspartame, google it, its nasty stuff and has been linked to infertility and cancer).

If, knowing all this , you want to give baby a bottle with juice in it I would ensure you get a written REQUEST (not permission) form parents so it is their decision not yours. That way if baby's teeth do rot its at the parents request not yours IYSWIM.

Personally I'd keep persevering with water in the bottle, but it's your mindee so up to you xx

[PixiePetal]

Both my children were the same - they only sipped at water and once I changed to weak 'baby' juice they were no different (so I didn't waste my money but stuck to water!) - but when the weather got hotter, they seemed to drink more so felt they were getting what they need.
At that age they were having milk from a bottle morning and night - they went off that by 1 yr though.

They are teens now and still only drink water or fresh OJ - neither have my diet coke habit - thank goodness!

[Dragonfly]

I did mean weak cordial from a beaker not a bottle For those that remember being given 'Delrosa' as a child, liquid sugar its a wonder we have any of our own teeth!!!!!!!
p.s fruit juice can rot the teeth too if given too much, the acid in it?

[snufflepuff]

My son used to drink water from a bottle and then from a cup, but then he got ill around his first birthday and started drinking just a few sips through the day, so he got constipated. I started giving him diluted fruit juice and it really helped. He's 2 now and will drink water no problems but if we have a day where he doesn't seem to want to drink it i'll give him a bit of juice just to make sure he stays hydrated.

[Flisspaps]

I remember Delrosa! My teeth are knackered now, although I think that's more to do with my brace than any drinks.

DD drank virtually no water at 8 months, but was still on 6 bottles of milk a day. She had a doidy of water to play with and eventually started taking small sips of that herself.

My mindee used to get constipated and mum provided a bottle of prune juice for her each day - that way things kept moving, she was getting liquid in, and it was parental choice as to what she was drinking

[hollyberry]

Sorry to be dim, but what's a doidy?!!!!!

[pinky33]

My sister always gave her daughter orange juice thinking it was better for her teeth.
Poor thing has 8 teeth removed when she was 4 and was informed fresh juice is no worse or better than cordial , the natural sugars are a killer.

So whatever you give just brush teeth after

[dusky777]

My mindees will only drink juice and mum would rather they did (weak) then be dehydrated. Saying that mum was giving 15month old full fat coke in the back of the car the other day as she had spotted mums drink!!

[Helen79]

I would just persevere with the water in a bottle or offer it on a spoon. Does she eat purees? make them really watery if she does so she's getting extra water then. Make frozen lollies with just water to let her suck on, or let her chew on some juicy melon or orange slices.
8 months is still young to be using a beaker so I wouldn't be worrying about it yet. Is mindee still bf? She'll be getting most of her liquid from that if she is.

If you do decide to give juice I would just give some pure fruit juice diluted instead of squash. Normal squash is better than sugar free which is full of nasties.

[blue bear]

A doidy cup is an open cup that is slanted, one of mindees has one as she has never had a bottle, it's great but you can't leave it out for free access unless you want you floors washed lol

I would ask parent to send juice in cup/ bottle that is the way nurseries get round it. My DS has trouble with constipation and we have found fruit juice watered down to the max ( just enough to taste where lo will take it) works best not squash as it has aspartine in.

[The Juggler]

i would never put juice in a lidded cup or teat cup now since learning what it does to teeth - a cup with a straw is better when kids are older as it goes straight down the throat rather than between the front teeth and swilling around mouth but better in open cups.

I don't think bottles are too bad a thing at 8 months but if baby won't even take water in these then that could be a problem Milk will dehydrate but baby will fill up too much on the milk and then will probably rely on this rather than eating food

you could try watered down milk maybe or offer juice in an open cup at the table with help?