Friday, November 06, 2009

What Do You Think?


US Weekly brought in some doctors to ask whether Katie Holmes should still be feeding Suri from a bottle. The picture above was taken Wednesday and Suri is at least 3. I say at least 3, because she might just be a wee bit older.

Anyway, one doctor said that Suri should have been off the bottle by 9 months and using a sippy cup or straw by one. To me that seems a bit quick. Again though, I am asking you because I am ignorant when it comes to these things. The other doctor they interviewed said it was fine as long as she wasn't using it for hours and that it might just be an emotional security device. The doctor did say they need to find a device though that doesn't cause cavities. Three years old and a bottle does seem too old especially if you are putting formula in there.

I'm more freaked out by that look from Katie. Has anyone noticed that she has changed over the past six months or so. She doesn't look as passive or as tranquilized as she has in the past and I think she might be a full on convert. She gets to leave the house more by herself and doesn't look scared anymore. Just my two cents.

59 comments:

.robert said...

I thought that was a fairly freaky look but it is just a snapshot.

3 is too old.

Cheryl said...

Scientology says that children are allowed to decide what they want to do, so if Suri wants a bottle, Suri gets a bottle.

Of course she is too old and I doubt it's formula, they use some kind of barley concoction or it could be milk, yogurt drink, etc.

In Hollywood, you also see kids with pacifiers that are way too old and big kids in strollers. Celeb kids are out late at fancy restaurants too. Not good in my opinion, but they are not us and they are not like us.

Merlin D. Bear said...

Bottle issue aside, could it be that whatever they've (theoretically) had her on been a course of treatment designed to subborn her will and make her into a "convert"?
Frankly, I'm not above saying they'll do that to keep their flock subservient.

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

I used to use my bottle until I was 5 for tea. Nothing else, but tea on Sunday morning until it got "lost" and then I had to drink from a tea cup like a "normal person". I was so unhappy about that. It was a Barney Rubble bottle for Godsakes!

But anyway, she's probably getting too old, especially in public.

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

I forgot to add:

Katie looks like someone who has officially lost their will. Dead about the face, no?

Alice D Millionaire said...

My dad and his wife still let my half sister drink from a bottle. She is 7. I think it is ridiculous. They should have thrown them out a long time ago and just said "We don't have bottles anymore, you have to drink from a cup". I am sure there would be a lot of screaming and crying but kids get over stuff eventually. YOU ARE THE PARENT NOT A FRIEND. Why is that so hard for peole to grasp.

redhotpepper said...

Waayyyy too old for a bottle. Just toss it and use a sippy cup.

I also have a problem with kids who are old enough to talk walking around with a pacifier in their mouth. I always make a point of saying, I can't understand you with that in your mouth!

Yes, I have children.

Christine65 said...

In my experience, my son was exclusively on sippy cup in the daytime by 1 and off bottle completely by a bit less than 2.

Suri is far too old for a bottle, but that would be in the 'normal' people realm, not the CO$ realm, so what do I know ;)

Poor Katie, someone save her please!

Linnea said...

I had three younger siblings and I drank from a bottle when they did for a long time. It hasnt done any serious damage...

witwritergirl said...

Mine stayed on bottles, pacifiers, etc. till they made the choice to stop. No fuss, no fighting. Well adjusted college graduate with straight teeth. Katie's got bigger problems on her plate than her kid with a bottle.

lyz said...

Poor Katie, my arse! The girl sold her soul to the devil. Why would we expect her to show any common sense now?

redronnie said...

Both of my granddaughters stopped using their bottles before the age of two, because they wanted to be "big girls" no prompting, no fuss. when I see children who are taller then a kneecap with soothers and bottles, I think of my youngest sister who would come home from kindergarten and dig out her su-su (baby bottle) and blanket and hide under the bed. No one pressured her to lose the baby stuff and she turned out nearly normal..

Alice D Millionaire said...

she is even holding her like an infant.

Suzi3 said...

I agree with Withwritegirl. I have a daughter Suri's age. If she is not feeling well and we need to get liquids into her, we get her to drink water by putting it in a bottle. She thinks it's fun. Who really cares if Suri does this. At least Tom Cruise's kids aren't out partying/smoking like a bunch of the celebs' kids are. The fact that she has a bottle is irrelevant.

witwritergirl said...

SO FUNNY redronnie- "nearly normal"! Hell, we're all just nearly normal.

ItsJustMe said...

3 is way too old for a bottle.

BigMama said...

My 14 month old stopped getting a bottle by 12 months. I had already been giving her a sippy cup by 9 months. This was not deliberate, just the way it worked out. My 17 year old who is gifted, had to "lose" her bottle when she was 15 months but again, didn't hurt a thing. I think 3 is excesive. I personally am glad my 14 month old is off the bottle and is about to be off the pacifier especially since the next one is due in another few months. When people have just the one, they tend to let the child hold onto these things a bit longer.

Lisa Joanie said...

My daughter is nearly the same age as Suri, and she still likes to "play baby", and WANTS to drink from a bottle. I usually tell her know, she's a big girl, blah blah blah, but my mom is a SUCKER and holds her like a baby and let's her drink from a bottle.

However, my daughter wasn't attached to her bottle even when it was appropriate for her to be using a bottle. We packed them all away on her first birthday, and she never even put up a fuss.

Coloratura said...

It's too old. I'm about to have my first baby and breastfeeding is okay through two years; many women stop earlier. Many babies go off the boob earlier, too.

It does say something about the emotional maturity of the child, not to mention the mother.

I can't imagine how weird their life must be. As Tyra Banks herself said recently, 'you pay a price for fame.'

I'll take my small but privatea and happy life, thank you.

kimmypie1 said...

My daughter is Suri's age and stopped a bottle by her 1st birthday. My son is 6 months old and I plan to do the same thing.

However, it is not my place to judge what is right for another family, that is just what I did for mine. I may do other things as a parent that can be judged so I choose not to judge others.

BigMama said...

@ Colortura Well, breastfeading is a whole other issue. LOL Glad to hear your going to try it. Most babies will put their own stop date on that as well. First child, 9 months, second 6 months.


btw, I have a sister who sings opera. By chance, is that the basis of your name?

Tara said...

The sippy cups that they make now days can have a soft tip to make them more like bottles, so I don't see why kids can't just be given those. I have four and all bottles were taken away by 13 months of age. None of my older 3 took pacifiers, but the baby still has his and he is 15 months. I plan to have it gone hopefully by 18 months and definitely by the time he is 2.

It seems a little silly for a 3 year old to have a bottle. I can understand blankies and all that, but not pacifiers and bottles. I knew this one lady who continued to breast feed her daughter until she was 5 or 6. It was weird.

Drcocks said...

Too old for a bottle and too young for high heels. And thats all I got to say about that.

nancer said...

if you just stress the 'this is what big girls use' and don't make an issue of it, most kids will get themselves off the bottle well before age 3.
but i agree with whoever said this is the least of her problems. she's got a psycho for a father and a zombie for a mother.
if i were suri, i'd demand some jack daniels in that bottle.

captivagrl said...

it's not what i would encourage but every child is different.

Anonymous said...

I think she's too old. My kids were off bottles and using cups by the age of a year. No harm in the occasional bottle for comfort, I suppose, but they treat this kid like an infant half the time anyway, cradling her like an infant and wrapping her in blankets. The other half the time she's got on sequins and high heels and is found climbing into ice cream vats in ice cream parlors.

Y'all think Britney and Lilo are messed up? Wait until Suri Cruise is 18!

And yes, Katie is looking manic like Tom usually does.

strawberrygirl said...

Okay, so I sucked on a pacifier until the age of five and the reason I stopped was because I was starting school so my mom decided it needed to stop. I think I used a bottle until I was three, too. I'm completely normal in case anyone is wondering. I'm a fully functioning 24 year old. I honestly don't see why people freak out about it. It's not like the kid is committing a crime. But hey everyone is different.

jax said...

this kid is going to be a holy terror, i can just see it.

too old. and make that kid wear a damn coat already.

Unknown said...

I'm with Drc.... on this one. Mine was off the boob at 7 months, and off the bottle at 15 months. I have issues with people who send crossed signals to their kids this way... "oh, let her be a baby a little while longer, let her have her bahbah... but let her wear her high heels while she's at it..."
What we are looking at right here, is a train wreck in the making...

Unknown said...

My daughter has just turned 2 and has her morning milk from a bottle. But I don't hold her in my arms like a baby - she just sits in my lap, drinks her milk, and then throws her bottle to the side and gets on with her day. All other liquids are drunk from a cup. I see no problems in Suri still using a bottle for milk. Holding her like a baby and letting her wear high heels and not allowing her to socialise with kids her own age? Those are the bigger issues.

looserdude said...

In my humble opinion, we should leave people's kids alone except maybe to comment on how cute they are. Childhood is hard enough without the scrutiny of cynical adults.

Ms Cool said...

Personally, my son was off the bottle by 1 year to 14 months - can't remember. It isn't good for the teeth. But, perhaps she has a reason to need that little security. I let my son stay on his pacifier at night until after he had heart surgery at age 3. We moved twice that year and it was so stressful that I didn't hurry to take him off it if it gave him a little comfort.

Cheryl said...

Speaking of weird, I know a woman who still carries her 6 year old in a sling and has a front pouch carrier for her very large three year old. I'm surprised Katie doesn't have one.

strawberrygirl said...

@Cheryl HAHAHA no way!

notachance said...

Really? The doctor says off a bottle by 9 months? I swear, I have to wonder if some of these docs or experts really had their own kids. Mine was off the bottle by 2.

Suri does look a little old to be using a bottle, but Tom still carries her around like she's one sooooo.....

Selock said...

Eh, every kid is different, I try not to judge. My daughter never used a bottle or drank even an ounce of formula...but she was technically on the boob until 2 1/2 (not for all her nourishment or in public, but occasionally). She went from frequent nursing to not so much around 14 months.

On the other hand...I think I was attached to my bottle until I was around 4. I was just that kind of kid. We're all different.

Ice Angel said...

Got all my kids off the bottle by their first birthday. Yay!

Merlin D. Bear said...

Y'know, I'm with Looserdude on this one.
Lets leave the kids out of it until they do something stupid, like Frances Bean (Don't You Know Who I Am!) Cobain or Michael Douglas' son the (alleged, no trial yet) drug dealer.
Honestly, their childhood is going to be rough enough given their parents.
Can't we give them a little leeway until they show their own ass?

Aunty Janey said...

OMG @ Sue Ellen Mishkey - I can't believe I'm admitting this but I was EXACTLY the same. I had a bottle until I was 5 and it was BARNEY RUBBLE. My dad used to make me milky tea in my bottle. When I started Kindergarten they sat me down and told me that I couldn't have the bottle anymore because I was going to school. I broke my dad's heart when I said that I wouldn't tell anyone that I still used a bottle. They took it off me anyway...!!

altar boy said...

Could someone enlighten me as to what "she might just be a wee bit older" means? thanks!

mikey said...

altar boy, some of believe there is a better than average chance that Suri is actually "a wee bit older" than the age T&K say. We're deep thinkers and we have decided that something is a bit off.

I used to work with a COS guy, fortunately he left the company. Anyway, they believe children are just little adults and should be permitted to make basically the same decisions the big adults get to make. He and I disagreed on childrearing - imagine that.

whole lotto luv said...

altar boy, that refers to speculation that Suri's biological father isn't Cruise, that Suri was born several months earlier than April 2006.

I think the look on Katie's face has to do with the realization that she's halfway through her contract, because I can't believe she would have signed on for more than 5 years.

Julie said...

My son hated bottles and was fully on cups by 7 months. Then my daughter was so against cups, and still using bottles at 21 months when she had her stroke.

Now, at 3, I wish I could get her to even take a bottle. Her stroke was in the sensory core of her brain (left thalamus, basal ganglia) and she has a major oral aversion.

I mean, its not the best for their teeth at all. But if her teeth aren't perfect, they'll be bought for her.
Not good parent rolemodeling...but oh well. Hopefully they have a good oral care/hygiene regimen.

mygeorgie said...

Julie- I was going to say something snarky, but you just put the whole thing into perspective. Bless you!


I do think if the kid is old enough to wear heels, she should be off the sucky.

sunnyside1213 said...

Once a child has teeth, a bottle, especially at night, is not good for the teeth. Causes decay.

Patty said...

Bottles (and the mandatory nipple) were such a pain to wash. I had twins and the bottles were everywhere. Once the formula stopped at 1 year, so did the bottles.

I second the comment about the coat. Katie can be seen in a down parka on set, and Suri is dressed like Summertime. What's up with that. Very weird family, to say the least.

Nicole said...

Neither of my kids took bottles often (I breastfed till they were 13 months), but they were definitely using sippy cups by one year. Both of mine also transitioned from sippies to real cups between 2 1/2 and 3, unless we're in the car.

That said, it doesn't bother me to see a 4 or 5 year old with a sippy cup, but seeing a kid Suri's age with a bottle is weird.

Privacy said...

i agree with drcocks (sorry, but that felt dirty typing your name)

Tara said...

My stepmother had my sister drinking out of a sippy cup up until she was 9 or 10 years old! It was a little ridiculous. If she doesn't trust her not to spill, then don't let her drink anywhere but the kitchen. Ugh.

The Goon said...

Ha, you people think this bottle business in bad, I know someone who was breast fed until she was five and even after she was 'weaned' still somehow convinced her mom to start pumping and to send her to school with a sippy cup full of breast milk, right up until second grade!

VelvetStaccato said...

Yes, pediatricians recommend weaning your child off the bottle around 9-10 months, with one year old being the usual, across-the-board cut-off. I've always loved seeing pictures of Suri; think she's absolutely THE cutest kid in H'wood, but I've been wondering why the heck she still has that bottle. Same thing with Jennifer Garner and Violet and that freaking pacifier she's allowed her to keep for so long. Both are horrible for their teeth at their ages!

lana said...

my friend breast fed her son till he was 3. he was like asking her for more booby. eww.

Kinderteacher said...

Wasn't Suri wearing 3 inch high heels the other day... and now she is drinking from a bottle?
Something is weird here, ya think?
And Katie...your hair...double ugh

Anonymous said...

My sister knows someone who was still breastfeeding their son at seven! How gross.

I grew up with a girl who drank from a bottle until she was six. She was horribly spoiled to compensate for the highly dysfunctional environment she lived in. That woman is now a nightmare to be around. She will do anything short of murder to get her way.

And as for Suri, bottles, heels and a big red mark on the forehead. I'm scared for this poor child, in spite of her privileged lifestyle.

Unknown said...

It's bad for your teeth in terms of sugar eating them away, it's also moving the gums so there is a chance of buck teeth or that fish mouth that you see, that's from sucking really hard for too long.

I don't think anyone adult in that family is normal so how can we expect a child to reach normal emotional milestones - she's friendless and doesn't understand why strange men are always following her and taking her photo. I can imagine that makes her feel very insecure. I would keep her at home and have play groups set up, let her grow up with out all the outside scrutiny but I think for Tom it's a positive photo op and all he wants is some more big pay days like it used to be. Suri is a vehicle for him to look normal. Katie sold herself and that kid off, let her try to leave Tom and take that kid. You will see some real ugliness.

Firecat said...

How come, seeing Suri with a bottle, we should berate her parents about that ?

Is that the main topic of raising a kid ?

Seeing Suri climbing on a ice-cream parlor counter, and dipping her fingers in yet unsold ice-cream - that's a real problem.

Seeing her with designer cothes being paraded for all to see - that's another big problem.

But a bottle ? Come on.

Anonymous said...

I thought perhaps people would appreciate a comment from a dentist about this.
Nursing carries or cavaties from baby bottles are a serious problem. If Suri is nusring from even one bottle a day she is probably causing harm to her teeth. If her baby teeth decay, her adult teeth are over 500 times more likely to have decay as well.
While Tom and Katie can afford the restoration bills, I see kids every day with serious harm from bottles. I also see kids who have no decay at all, and without fail parents tell me these kids stopped bottles around 12 months.

potatoholic said...

It's different for every parent, but my doctor told me that by 15 months, he should be weaned. (We finally got him off at 14 mos). The problem is that Scientology tells them that the children are like little adults and that they should decide when and how to do things. It sounds like a parenting disaster to me. Children need boundaries and need to be told what to do. They should be allowed to make some decisions, obviously, but at 3 years old, there should not be a decision about whether or not she gets a bottle. She's too old for that, honestly.

shakey said...

My son did a mix of both bottle and glass (he hated sippy cups) for a while. She won't have that bottle in her mouth forever. Let her Mom cuddle her like this for a little while longer because that time will be gone very soon. Katie only has 5 years left to be her mother. At least she isn't climbing ice cream parlour counters. Maybe that explains the look on Katie's face.

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