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Suri Cruise, celebrity daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will be four years old this year and was recently photographed partaking from a bottle.
It seems to be that there’s a general double-standard going ’round surrounding bottle feeding versus breastfeeding. Many women who see Suri drinking from a baby bottle, at four, are automatically outraged and cry that a child of that age is entirely too old to be drinking from a bottle. However, some of those same people would condone breastfeeding at the same age of four, so where’s the difference, I implore you?
There are generally dental concerns surrounding extended bottle-use, such as tooth decay and orthodontic issues possibly arising down the road — and these are natural worries when bottle-feeding. Some entities even recommend discouraging bottle use at all around 12 to 14 months because of these issues, in addition to other behavioral questions.
My daughter, personally, who’s just about two and a half years old, still uses the bottle as a supplement to “big girl” cups (regular adult-sized cups) and her safeguard sippy cup. In my personal case, I allow my daughter to continue using the bottle because she’s in a finicky stage where the only time she’ll drink a large amount of fluid — which, obviously, is necessary — is from a bottle. There are days where she’ll have a half-bottle and drink primarily from other sources, but there are days where she’ll have no interest in using sippy cups and will only drink from a bottle. The former scenario is much more prevalent than the latter, but she still has other options.
Some might consider the concept of my daughter waffling back and forth between bottle and “big-girl” cup intermittent regression, but I don’t — and I wouldn’t judge anyone else for doing what they feel is in the best interest of their child, either.
To all moms, dads or caretakers out there — or hell, anyone, really — is a bottle at four years old okay or is it merely a matter of interpretation?
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It all depends on the child, I asked and my siblings and myself were off bottles from 1-2 years old, I remember my friend was using a bottle at 3-4 (I remember this because I was so proud to be using adult cups as I moved past even the sippy cup stage) but then my best friend who I practically lived with for a couple years had a much younger sister, and they had to hide all the bottles before getting rid of them because if the girl saw one she wouldn’t drink out of anything else and would throw a tantrum and this was at 4-5.
I think 4 is too old for a bottle. There’s no comparison between still breast feeding at 4 and still using a bottle. Anything you could give a child in a bottle you could give them in a sippy or a regular cup whereas breast milk only comes from one source. Sure you could pump it and serve it in a cup but that’s really just a waste of time IMO and it ignores the bonding benefits of breast feeding.
I disagree, what you called bonding I call comfort, the same comfort that goes with bottle feeding, to me there is a clear comparison.
Look at the picture above. Do you see any snuggling going on? Is she being held by her mother as she drinks? When you’re feeding an infant from a bottle you almost always hold them in a similar position to a nursing baby but once they’re able to hold the bottle by themselves feeding is rarely a cuddly and nurturing event any more. I’m sure she gets hugs and such at other times but I’m speaking purely to breastfeeding versus giving pumped milk in a cup here.
Breast feeding at 4 isn’t purely for nutrition it’s a comfort thing too, yes hugs are comforting but so are bottles, blankets, stuffed animals or a favorite storybook. You may disagree but I don’t see a huge difference between breastfeeding for a soothing purpose and a bottle for the same purpose.
I would argue that using a bottle for comfort may lead to ‘comfort eating’.
this is just my personal theory, but i have spoken before about being breastfed until 3 myself, and I have often wondered if there is a correlation between this and the fact that I have never ‘comfort eaten’ and have no emotional attatchment to food, when so many, many people I meet will eat when upset or sad, and therefore can have weight problems.
I could see that being a link also goo, personally I was breastfed for 3 days but bottle fed a bit over a year and the only time I ever get food cravings are the day before my period when I could eat the entire world then move on to the next planet for dessert.
the only time in my life I have had cravings was when I was pregnant, and I really didn’t like that food was that important! and even so, if it was 3am i would just go to sleep instead.
I was having a conversation with two friends the other day about getting up in the middle of the night for various reasons (toilet, get a drink etc) and they both told me they get up and eat.
I have NEVER in my LIFE woken up because I am hungry, and I have never wanted to eat in the middle of the night! Is that normal, to get up and be hungry? i admit I am a very small eater but surely my lack of appetite is not that abnormal.
It doesn’t sound normal to me as I’m never even vaguely hungry for a couple hours after I do wake up, let alone waking up in the middle of the night to eat, that just seems weird. However I do wake up to get water in the middle of the night sometimes so it can’t be that different right?
That’s really bizarre. Getting up at 2 in the morning to eat? Seems like a good way to gain weight since they’re probably not all that concerned about what they’re eating–I certainly wouldn’t be if I had woken up in the middle of the night.
I can only think of one time that I’ve gotten out of bed to eat in the middle of the night and that was when I was pregnant. I woke up one night about, totally ravenous and queasy so I got up for a banana then went back to sleep. I couldn’t imagine doing it on a regular basis. Apart from anything else I always feel a little uncomfortable sleeping just after I have a snack, even if it’s just a small thing.
This is a personal preference issue.
Myself – I weaned all of my kids between 18 months and 2. It was different with every child, they themselves chose to be weaned, I never pushed the issue – I never even thought about it.
I don’t like to see any 4 year old using a bottle because I kind of feel that learning to drink from a cup is a skill best learnt young.
If I stop to examine that – I have no idea why I feel that way!
How about we just accept that it’s none of our business and go on our merry way?
While I agree with Blurry that it’s really none of anyone’s business, I’m going to go ahead and stick my nose in this for the sake of argument. Bottles, like stuffed animals, blankets, etc can become too necessary for security; it’s one thing for a kid to have a favorite teddy bear that makes them feel better under stress. It’s entirely a problem if she needs it to function (although with all the paparazzi following her, it wouldn’t surprise me that she needs some sort of security blanket).
This has to be a scientology thing. I remember several years ago Leah Remini was on the Rachel Ray show (I think) and her 3 year old daughter was a mess-still on bottles all day and like 6-8 bottles of water per night, not potty trained in the least. The parents had to sleep with a waterproof pad on the bed because they let her have so many bottles at night just to placate her because she fussed for them that she would soak thru her diapers and would wet the family bed.
Suri seems to be a comfort type of kid. You always see pics where she has a blankie or stuffed animal of some sort.
Yeah, to each their own. Both of my boys were 2-1/2 years old when the bottles went. Santa came and took all of the baby bottles for the baby reindeer and left big boy toys. It worked like a charm. Never a tear shed. Potty training then went really easy too.
I have pictures of the bottles lined up by the front door for Santa.
You are a genius!
That is so cute! baby reindeer! I want one!
My aunt did that with my cousin’s pacifiers :D
Her mother is a breath-taker,I hope she’s smart enough not to take that scientology bullshit too seriously.
[...] Someone else thinks this is weird: Commentary on Suri’s bottle [Zelda Lily] [...]
Maybe it’s just me, but I think I’ll make sure that my kids will have moved on to solid foods entirely by four.
I think it’s a personal choice, we all feel different about it, and nobody’s gonna change our minds either.
In my opinion, there is a huge difference between bottle and breastfeeding at the age of 4. Using a bottle makes it convenient for the parent, they don’t even have to be there whit the kid they just give them the bottle and that’s it. But breastfeeding at 4?? That, TO ME, is absolutely fucking sick, the kid couldn’t care less, it’s all in the mom, the mom can’t let go and understand that the kid is not a baby anymore. It’s just really sick to me. And i know that most of you will disagree, and i don’t really give a shit, this is MY opinion, and i’m entitled to it.
In your opinion, how would a mother force a child to breastfeed at 4?
I don’t think a bottle is anymore appropriate at age 4 than Baby Einstein is. Yet the previous poster makes an excellent point: this is not real life. This is life as staged by mom and dad with paparazzi. The kids needs a little safety blanket before venturing out into that mean world. It is unlike any we know.
at 4, most kids are trying to emulate older adults and other kids. obviously poor suri has no role models other than her mom and her gay dad
Hmm, Judgy McJudgersons strikes again.
oh please, this is ridiculous. i was breast fed until at least age four when my youngest sister was born, and i turned out fine. people are so weird about breastfeeding these days.
[...] crunk + disorderly † the adorable suri cruise is still using a bottle … at age four! zelda lily † ‘rock star nude’ is another great editorial from BELLO magazine oh la la [...]
hi guys i can’t wait 4 the expendables the movie to come out! Its gonna be awesome!