Why should babies be weaned off bottle at 12 months and not later?

It has come to my attention that many infants and toddlers are left on the bottle till early childhood.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this for the following reasons.

1.Dependency: When kids are allowed to keep their bottles past their first birthdays, they quickly develop a strong dependency on them and it becomes harder and harder to wean them off.

2.Dental Health: Tooth decay occurs when continuous flow of formula pools and bathes the teeth. Ensure your baby's dental health-wean at age one.

3.Better solid food intake: Weaning reduces Baby's dependence on the bottle, and ensures better nutrition for age with food variety.

4.Developmental skill: Weaning advances Baby to the next developmental step in feeding and teaches new muscle movements.

5.Anemia: A child who drinks more than 24 ounces of milk each day may be too full to eat important iron-rich foods.

6.Weight problems: Too many bottles may mean either too many total calories or not enough calories or not enough calories from food.