Many pediatricians recommend that you begin to think about taking away the bottle at around the age of six months for most babies. By introducing the cup at this age the child learns to drink from something other than a bottle and often by eight to nine months the baby is often willing to give up the bottle completely with the exception of bedtime. If your baby is one that sleeps through the night by this age even bedtime bottles may be eliminated by this age.

One of the key reasons that the process of weaning a toddler at such a young age is recommended is because of the negative effects a bottle can have on a baby’s health both physically and emotionally. In the physical aspect there are several issues that can develop with prolonged use of the bottle. The two most serious can include tooth decay and other dental problems as well as the possibility of obesity. As a child begins to form teeth the motion of sucking on a bottle can become detrimental to their health especially if the child is one that carries a bottle around all the time. This can cause the teeth not to come in properly thus creating numerous other problems. When a child routinely takes a bottle to bed with them it can also cause tooth decay especially if the liquid given contains sugar because it settles on or around the teeth in effect causing the teeth to decay at a fast rate. Excessive bottle feeding at this late age can also lead to obesity because of the caloric and sugar content of many beverages including fruit juices and especially drinks such as kool aid or the like.

The emotional aspects of a child of this age continuing to use the bottle consist primarily of the development of security attachment. As the child gets older they see the bottle more as a familiar object that makes them feel secure and less as a way of obtaining nutrition. As the child progresses in age this attachment grows making weaning a toddler increasingly difficult over time.

If your child is over the age of 8-10 months you should seriously consider beginning the process of taking away the bottle or at the very least reducing the number of bottles your baby consumes each day in an effort to preserve not only their health but their emotional state of mind.

In most likelihood, several babies could easily manage to be their nastiest self prior to having ever uttering a word, all of it basically boils down to science.

Mendaciousness

It appears extreme that a scarcely functional human baby could be wily enough to be lying for evading trouble, however this does hold true. Researchers have noted that six months age onwards infants are already putting up fake cries and made-up hilarity for garnering attention. Infants are that proficient deceivers that they would even take a breather momentarily, listening intending for checking whether they are getting the requisite response to their crocodile tears prior to commencing with renewed vigour.

Perchance, an even more astonishing aspect about babies is they are able to comprehend when they are at fault, the little mongrels would divert parental attention for foiling being caught. Shedding tears as an attention-grabbing endeavour is not that dreadful, as getting positive attention only instils feeling better about oneself. However, employing diversion techniques indicates that the slick, yelping infant is aware of being off beam and wants to conceal it. Prior to even having learnt how to pass motions without help, infants are familiar with how to form alibis.

Lying is deemed a crucial element of an infant’s development. No sooner does a child decipher speaking, thus commences the on-going process of lies becoming more intricate, and plausible, early non-vocal endeavours to lie assist in comprehending their kinds and an understanding on being able to squirm out of sticky situations is perceived.

Being Prejudiced

Outcomes of a 2004 conducted, UK-based trial, during which duo pictures – one of an attractive-looking woman and the other of a not-so-appealing looking woman were shown to a number of infants born just a week back. Researchers observed that nearly all of them appeared to be gazing considerably at pictures of nice-looking individuals in comparison to those who were not attractive-looking. Furthermore in the initial months following birth, infants were noted to gaze at an attractive-looking individual from another ethnicity for just as much time as an analogously eye-catching individual of their ethnicity. However, in a period of some month’s time, the infant would totally overlook pictures of an attractive-looking model from a diverse ethnicity. In case duo images of Asian-origin individuals irrespective of the level of charisma are shown to a fair-skin infant, it was observed that he/she would gaze at them the analogous amount of time then losing interest and looking away. For that white-skinned baby, Asian-origin individuals all appeared similar.

Thumb-sucking is a normal occurrence among babies and young kids. An innate sucking impulse causes some infants to engage in thumb-sucking during their initial few months following birth, or even while they are in the womb. Babies might additionally suck their fingers, hands or other objects like pacifiers.

What are the reasons behind infant thumb-sucking?

Babies have an innate urge to suck that generally reduces subsequent to six months of age. However, several babies persistently suck their thumbs as a means of soothing themselves. Babies and young kids could become habituated with thumb-sucking when they use it as a means of pacifying themselves during hunger, when they are petrified, edgy, quiet, drowsy or are plain bored.

Majority of infants and toddlers suck their thumbs, however eventually between three and six years majority of them stop by themselves.

Would thumb-sucking lead to any problems?

Long-lasting thumb-sucking might lead to dental problems in the child. Thumb-sucking could lead to improper teeth alignment (malocclusion) or protruding teeth and at times cause malformation of the roof (upper palate). Malocclusion normally self-corrects when thumb-sucking is stopped. However, the more prolonged thumb-sucking persists, the greater is the likelihood of imminent orthodontic treatment being required for correction of any resultant dental problems.

Speech difficulties might also arise like mispronunciation of the letters ‘T’ and ‘D’, lisping and the tongue constantly jutting out while speaking.

When does thumb-sucking become problematic?

Thumb-sucking among infants lesser than four years of age is not considered as a problem. However, those kids above the age of four or five who constantly and with greater intensity suck their thumbs are at increased risk of developing imminent dental or speech problems.

In atypical cases, thumb-sucking observed past the age of five years is associated with an emotional turmoil or some disorder like anxiety. Such children need to be medically examined and subsequent to simplistic treatment measures being followed, thumb-sucking could be halted.

Treating problematic thumb-sucking

Several experts suggest overlooking thumb-sucking among preschoolers and younger aged kids. Majority of young kids stop thumb-sucking on their own.

Thumb-sucking among children requires treatment when:

• Additionally hair pulling is involved, particularly in-between 1-2 years of age.
• Persistent thumb-sucking or with heightened intensity even after four to five years of age.
• Assistance is demanded for halting the behaviour.
• Speech or dental problems arise due to the outcome of this behaviour.
• When the child feels self-conscious, or is mocked or ridiculed by others due to this behaviour.

Normally, treatment could be carried out at home with the parents charting out rules and offering means to distract the child. It might be beneficial to curb the frequency and the places where the kid is allowed thumb-sucking and to hide away blankets or other objects that the kid tends to associate with thumb-sucking. Praising and rewarding the child during all the times he does not suck his thumb, might aid in breaking the habit. With the child eventually maturing, by five years of age, he/she might be able to play a more active part in the treatment.

• Speaking frankly with the child regarding the ill-effects of thumb-sucking.
• Covering the child’s hands with gloves or wrapping the thumb using a sticky bandage or a piece of cloth. Explaining to the child that the glove, bandage or the piece of cloth is not meant as a means of punishing him/her, but merely a reminder for not to thumb suck.
• Developing an incentive system like attaching stickers on a diary or otherwise keeping a track of the number of days the kid went without thumb-sucking. Subsequent to a decided-upon number of days passing by without thumb-sucking, having a kind of celebration organised for the kid.
• Using a special toxin-free, tart-tasting nail coating like ‘Thum’ that could be applied on the finger nails firstly in the morning or prior to bedtime or whenever the child is spotted thumb-sucking proves to be immensely beneficial. This form of treatment has high success rate if coupled with an incentive system.

In case, these treatments are proving unsuccessful, other treatments comprising of behavioural therapy, thumb devices or mouth devices might be employed.

During the study conducted by scientists at Bristol and Warwick universities probed all unpredicted infant fatalities that transpired among up to 2-year-olds in the south-west England from the time periods from Jan 2003 – Dec 2006.

They drew comparisons on the reasons behind the deaths in the two control sets – one being that of the ‘high risk’ bracket comprising of young mothers that indulged in smoking and were socially rundown, and an arbitrarily picked set.

In both the control sets, the section that co-slept with the child was 20%. From the eighty cot deaths that were investigated, 54% happened when sharing a bed.

A major part of the risk might be explicated by the lethal combo of parental alcohol or drug consumption prior to going to bed – that was thirty-one percent in comparison to the three percent noted in the control group.

About 305 cot deaths were cited in the UK during 2007 that is lower than that in 2000 when 374 cot deaths were recorded.

Nearly a fifth of cot death babies were spotted with a cushion and nearly a quarter of them found wrapped in some form of clothing, signifying potentially novel risk aspects surfacing.

The scientists stated that few of the safety pointers seem to be implemented by many parents like placing babies on their backs when putting them to sleep.

However, several other safety messages seem to be disregarded by many parents inclusive of one that advises about the safest place for the baby to sleep is in the cot that must be ideally placed next to the parent’s bed.

Helming the research, Professor Peter Fleming, Professor of Infant Health and Development Physiology at Bristol University stated that they have been able to understand the conditions which make bed or sofa sharing with a parent perilous. He further added that many comprehend the risk associated with drinking and driving and many of them seem to be following that advice. He stated that in analogous manner if parents drank or consumed drugs – they must not co-sleep with their baby.

Professor Fleming stated that several parents wake up in the thick of night for feeding their baby perched on a sofa or armchair – considering it safer as compared to feeding on the bed, though this is a falsity.

He said that it is imperative that parents must not fall asleep with their baby in tow on a sofa as it could be a very risky practice. It is considered to be twenty-five times more risky when compared to falling asleep on the bed with the child. It is vital that parents after feeding their baby must place their baby back in the cot.

The maximum risk of being exposed to cot deaths is the very young age bracket mothers, mostly single mom and teenagers that are more likely to neglect this advice.