Do I do this cold turkey?

isabella22

I am about on the verge of tears, worried that DD's brown spot is a cavity.  I made the mistake of google and am reading about people's 2.5 yo having 6 fillings and 4 root canals etc.

How do I wean DD from drinking milk after reading books before falling asleep and when she wakes up during the night?

Cold turkey?  Just give her a little bit and then 1 sip and then none?

She gets REALLY upset if you try and say no... we have tried.

hero

I've seen some kids with really bad bottle rot. Generally, when it's that bad, the child is sleeping with a milk filled bottle. Is it comfort thing for your dd? Would she accept a bottle with water in it?

lizlemon77

I don't want to freak you out anymore than Google has already done, but I was 4 when I had to have gold caps put on my front teeth because I was the exact same way.

I would start by changing your tooth brushing routine.  Read books, have a bottle but brush teeth after that.  My DD brushes her teeth right in bed since she doesn't use floride toothpaste anyway.  Second, does your DD take a sippy of water to bed with her?  My DD goes to bed with a full one every night and it is almost empty every morning so I know she is waking up to drink from it. 

I'm sure there will be people on this board who disagree with me, but I think that after a certain age, giving kids milk in the middle of the night is just training their bodies to think that 1am is a regular feeding time. 

I hope you find something that works for you!  Teeth stuff always freaks me out too!

Temp108743750006959

two thoughts

1. bring up a lot less milk. when she is done, quickly brush her teeth. We still bring up milk -- we just brush his teeth before bed.

2. dilute a bit each day till its water.

They ALL get upset when you say no. It's good, healthy and normal. It's also good to sometimes stick to 'no'.

has she ever been to the dentist?

Temp108743750006959

also, we switched to flouride toothpaste even though he cannot spit it out. Just a bit. DS's teeth look a lot better now...

Zenya

I would just brush after the milk before bed. 

Middle of the night - how much is she drinking?  If it's like 10oz then i'd cut it down gradually.  If it's 3 or 4 then I would probably go cold turkey.  Not mean though.  Just resolute and kind.  Cuddle, comfort, offer water to drink.  

isabella22

Thanks ladies

I've been looking at pictures online and DD's is no where near what they are showing.  You have to get a really good look to notice it.

She doesn't have a bottle, it is a sippy and she drinks and then I take it away, she doesn't sleep with it (I stay with her until she is asleep at night). 

She already isn't a big fan of brushing her teeth, but I will try to brush them after she drinks the milk and work on saying no.

We tried watering it down before and she starts getting upset and saying 'NO MILK!'.  stinker

Hm... maybe I should try just a tiny bit of regular toothpaste before bed?

Zenya

I would definitely use real toothpaste.

I have to say that toothbrushing is one thing I really stand firm on.  I'd rather hold my son down to brush his teeth than to hold him down while a dentist drills a tooth out.  It's just a non-negotiable.

Temp108743750006959

hey isabella - try giving her two (or even three) cool toothbrushes -- fun ones with music, etc. insist that "you go first" and really brush them (try singing a song to her while you brush) and then she can play with them and play in the water, etc. My DS also likes to try and floss. get a cool stool for the sink so she can get up. DS grabs our toothbrushes too and we're fine with it -- anything to make it fun.

Purrrfect433

We *just* went through this with Ben. His two front teeth had to be filled and crowned because we were letting him have a cup of highly diluted apple-juice in the middle of the night. I can't imagine how much worse it could have been if it was milk or full-strength juice.

He did GREAT at the dentist appointment--he let the dentist count and inspect his teeth and really liked going. She told him ONLY water in his cup from now on, and gave him a cool new tooth-brush that inspires him to beg me to brush his teeth several times a day:) Definitely make her an appointment with a pediatric dentist to have the brown spot checked.

His second visit, to have his dental work done was...well, I won't get into that! Thankfully, the medication they gave him to sedate him had an amnesiac quality so he doesn't recall it being negative. It was difficult enough for my husband and me to bite the bullet and INSIST that he no longer gets anything but water once his teeth have been brushed before bed.

I am definitely the sort of mom who will take the path of least resistance when it comes to getting them to go to bed peacefully, so I understand your hesitation. It was hard the first few nights, but having the dentist to be the one to introduce the rule helped Ben follow it, despite his displeasure. Now, he doesn't even ask for juice at bedtime.

isabella22

I was going to get her this cool spinning one, she currently has a Dora one and one will little balls in the handles.

I brush her teeth 95% of the time, morning, after breakfast and at night before bed, but not before the last drink of milk.

OK, starting tonight - limited milk, half milk half water, and brushing her teeth in bed (with the non-fluoride stuff) and brushing before bed with a little bit of fluoride.

She had a dentist appt last week, but they had to cancel it.

Temp108743750006959

It will be ok! and seriously, do two toothbrushes -- it will distract her so you can get a good brush in.

isabella22

We tried 2 before, it worked for 2 sessions

Lately she  has been pretty good, ever since she learned 'happy face' at daycare