Reviewed by Rosey Davidson, Sleep consultant from Just chill mama

Is your toddler drinking milk before bed ? Then it may be time to stop. It is very comforting for babies and toddlers to drink milk before bedtime and it can become a sleep association. However if you are unsure about whether to stop your toddler drinking milk before bed and how to do this then this blog is for you. 

This blog discusses what drinking milk before bed does for toddlers and how it can be hard to stop. It will give you some advice on the recommended times to gradually wean them off and exactly how to do this. So you can make an informed decision about when it is right for you and your toddler.

Bedtime milk for toddlers- good or bad idea?

You may be wondering, should toddlers drink milk before bed? Could this be affecting their sleep or appetite? Am I doing the right thing? It is only natural to worry and feel the pressure to get things right. So what do the experts say. I asked a children’s sleep consultant – Just Chill mama. 

What do sleep experts say about milk before sleep? 

“It is absolutely fine to include a cup of milk before bedtime for your toddler. This could be given before the bath, or with a bedtime story. We want to make sure they are brushing their teeth afterwards and that it should be given in a cup rather than a bottle, which tends to reduce overall volume”.

What does drinking milk before bed do ?

There are many reasons why drinking milk before bed is liked so much by babies and toddlers but there are also alot of reasons why it is best to not to carry on for too long and to slowly wean them off milk at bedtime. I have listed them here so you can understand more about them and make an informed decision. 

• Nutrition – milk provides a great source of nutrition including calcium, vitamin D and other nutrition to support your baby. 

• Comfort and calming – the routine of drinking milk before bed is very comforting for babies and often becomes an association with falling asleep and bedtime. This is fine in the early days of feeding your baby. However once your baby gets older and beyond 12 months, intentionally giving them milk to fall asleep and getting into that habit can make it harder to break free from. 

• Adding calories to make them feel fuller and hence more sleepy
  
• Dental health – milk at night can harm teeth, especially if teeth are not brushed or it is given in the night and milk is left on the teeth, increasing the risk of tooth decay.. Brushing your toddlers teeth after milk is very important to reduce the risk of tooth decay. 

• Sleep disruption – if they start to get into a routine of waking and getting milk then it becomes more difficult to move away from this and also become more dependent.

• Warm milk and the sleep myth – is it true? 

Limited evidence suggests that warm milk may help you sleep better. I asked Rosey (sleep expert) to comment on this. She said “I don’t know of any evidence around the heat of liquids (milk) affecting sleep. We should focus on overall diet rather than milk being sleep inducing”. I would just focus on warm milk being comforting.

When to stop milk before bed

By 1 year of age your baby should typically be getting enough nutrition from meals and maybe snacks so they don’t require milk before bed. If they are having formula then it is time (from 1 year) to wean them off formula and they can have cows milk instead. 

You can transition them slowly though rather than just cutting it out altogether suddenly. These recommendations below are a guide and it will be dependent on how well your baby is taking to solids,  how many meals they are getting and other factors. 

Between 6 – 12 months – 

You can still give milk before bed from 6-12 months, either way is fine. Some people find moving it a little earlier in the bedtime routine can break the feed to sleep association, which can be tricky! They might do it before a story for example, or a lullaby/cuddle then clean teeth.

From 1 year – You can cut the milk from the bedtime routine altogether but again gradually transition to this. Have the milk at the evening meal – either with the meal and straight after.

How to stop toddler drinking milk at night

• Transitioning – starting to transition them away from milk at night can be done by introducing the milk at the beginning of the bedtime routine so you are leaving a wider gap between milk and bedtime. So it could look something like this:
• Milk after dinner
• Playtime
• Bath
• Brush teeth
• Story and bed

However you may want to do this gradually so its not such as big change. Reduce the milk time by 15 – 30 mins each week until it reaches dinner time. For example if you were giving them milk at bedtime (7pm) reduce it 6.30, then 6pm, then 5.30 and 5pm. So it is done over 4 weeks. 

• Introduce a new ritual to bedtimes – this can help to replace the comfort of milk. This could things like a bedtime song, introduce a soft cuddly toy or blanket. 

• Build a consistent toddler bedtime routine/sleep schedule – without milk and once you start this routine, keep it going and keep it consistent so they start to accept their new routine.

What If my toddler refuses bed without milk?

• Stay calm and reassure them – first and foremost, keep your cool! And reassure them that they are still cared for and this will be the new routine. 

• Gentle transitions – see above on how to transition slowly. Doing it gently and gradually will hopefully prevent toddler tantrums and any further problems.

• Emotional comfort vs hunger need –Try to assess whether it is emotional comfort they want or are they actually a bit hungry.  This is often a tricky situation because you wouldn’t want to put them to bed hungry, especially if they haven’t eaten much all day. So determining if it’s hunger or not will help you decide on the best route to take. 

If you feel they are a bit hungry then you may want to offer them milk and work on why they are hungry. Maybe look at their mealtime routine and how that is working. 

If it is likely emotional comfort then you could offer water instead if they really need something to drink or some other form of comfort other than milk. For example, a nice soothing cuddle, wrapping them up snuggly in bed etc.

Is your toddler drinking too much milk ?

If you are wondering how much is too much milk for a toddler during the day then the recommendations are:

12 – 24 months

You can give breast milk, dairy milk such as cows, goat, sheep) or a fortified plant-based alternative. Always seek advice If offering a milk alternative. It is recommended to give about 350-400ml per day of animal milk. 

2 years +

You can offer cows milk or an alternative milk of about 350-400ml per day OR 3 portions of dairy.

If they drinking alot of milk and above this guide then it can affect their appetite and which can be why some toddlers are then saying they are hungry at bedtime. 

Toddler drinking milk from bottle

If your toddler is still drinking a bedtime bottle then it is recommended to wean them off by 2 years of age. They can be started to be weaned off from around 1 year. Transitioning off a bottle is important to prevent milk pooling around their teeth and increasing the risk of tooth decay. 

“When they drink from a bottle they often drink higher volumes of milk which can impact appetite for other macronutrients. It can also cause constipation, and sometimes low iron (which can have a knock on impact on sleep)” says Rosey.  

Conclusion

Should my toddler be drinking milk before bed? is not a straightforward “yes” or “no,” but what works for your child and you. I have given you the recommendations based on proven strategies from a sleep expert and Nutritionist. It is up to you to make informed decisions. If you are worried about your child then please get it checked out with your GP or health visitor in the first instance.

Need help improving your toddler’s eating mealtime routine and eating habits? Book a free discovery call.