Holding their own bottles

icedcoffeeluv

What age do they really start doing this? I remember a friend of mine bringing her baby over around 5.5 months old and he was holding his own bottle.

My girls have no interest in trying to feed themselves. They will take it from me but then they just play with it and don't try to eat. Feeding them would be eons easier if they would hold the bottles! haha

bonjourbelle05

DS will be 6 months Sunday and he still doesn't....I've been trying to encourage it, but he does it for like 2 mins and then starts playing around.

Cheenomae

icedcoffeeluv:

What age do they really start doing this? I remember a friend of mine bringing her baby over around 5.5 months old and he was holding his own bottle.

My girls have no interest in trying to feed themselves. They will take it from me but then they just play with it and don't try to eat. Feeding them would be eons easier if they would hold the bottles! haha

I feel like with twins you have to be counting down the days until one or both of them hold their own bottles! My LO is just over 5 months and not even close to doing so. I don't actually remember when my DD held hers on her own either!

MomtobeNJ

She does it occasionally, but I would use the term "hold" loosely. She puts her hands around it for a minute or two a few times throughout her feeding, but she never really supports the bottle on her own. I let her do it though to practice, and I steady the bottle at the end.

angeleighhh

I don't know the average age? but Liam has been holding his for almost 2 mo. I saw a 7mo old not holding it too. so I think it varies.

icedcoffeeluv

swseals:

Like PPs have said, it varies.

Do your bottles have grippies on them? (Handles of some sort?) We got a Nuby that has handles and changes from a bottle to a sippy cup. LO had noooo issue getting it to her mouth, but 1. we had to put the handles in her hands, 2. she had issues tipping it up.

They don't. We have Dr. Browns. They will put their hands on them while eating but don't hold it.

If I hand them the bottle they take it and get the nipple in their mouth but they don't tip it to be able to drink from it.

cmiller0623

https://www.amazon.com/Ba-Baby-Bottle-Holder-Blue/dp/B006LKX0Y6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361985960&sr=8-1&keywords=ba+baby+bottle+holder

I got this for DD and it seems to help.  She's figured out how to hold it, but she tends to put the bottle in her nose/cheek/ear everywhere but her mouth but once it gets in there she can keep it there for a bit.  Plus, I use the bottle holder as a toy when she's not eating and she loves it.  I only paid I think about $10 for it a couple weeks ago, and you might be able to find it cheaper than what its listed for now.

hmp1

James would sometimes hold his bottle but not consistent at all until maybe 6.5mo and I don't remember when he started picking up his bottle from the tray, drinking, putting back down. We started with handles on his bottle and that helped since he was always holding my hand instead of the bottle. I need to get some handles for Leo's bottles since he is doing the same hand holding thing.

kjskjs

DD is almost 7 months and she doesn't hold hers. She'd rather play with our clothing or get kisses than hold her bottle.

BeebopandBuddy

My DD never did.  DS doesn't seem that interested either but he has limited control over his hands right now, that is still progressing, so I'm not sure that he could even if the desire was there.

kelbel527

Like everything, it varies.  LO is 5 months and holding his own.  I have mommy guilt though (as a working mom, without twins), so he's only doing it in the mornings we're getting ready for work/daycare.  That said, our mornings are soo much easier now that he can hold his own bottle.

We find that he holds the 6oz bottles better than the 9oz bottles.  So even though I have them filled to the brim, it's better for him to hold.

Also - he only holds it for 4-5oz and then once he's full-ish he plays with it.  But when he's hungry, he's motivated to hold it. 

INmommy871278

DS will be 6 months Saturday and holds his bottle at most feedings. I started working with him on holding his bottle when he was a few weeks old, I would put his hands under mine holding the bottle, now he holds it on his own.

MeatballEsq

kjskjs:

DD is almost 7 months and she doesn't hold hers. She'd rather play with our clothing or get kisses than hold her bottle.

Same here. DS would rather hold my hand or stick his hand in his mouth at the same time as the bottle.

Megcheer2

DD1 never held anything til sippy cups around 11 or 12 months. DD2 holds her bottle occasionally now but doesn't really have control over it. I do think she will end up holding it herself sooner than her big sis.

juliane2004

DD1 did around 9 months.

DS never ever did.

DD2 just started sort of doing it now (7 months).

Nita2603

Aidan has been able to for a while, but he doesn't want to. So he'll hold it for a while and then drop it on his chest and yells for more food.
His brother was the same. Just now at 16 months he wants to hold the bottle. Before he could but chose not to.

Pokedot

DS does it once in a while but never for me, always for DH. I think he's telling Dad, "No like this!" It's too funny! I love feeding him so it'll be a sad day when that happens. On the flip side getting ready in the morning will be much easier eliminating that task!

juliane2004

cmiller0623:

https://www.amazon.com/Ba-Baby-Bottle-Holder-Blue/dp/B006LKX0Y6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361985960&sr=8-1&keywords=ba+baby+bottle+holder

I got this for DD and it seems to help.  She's figured out how to hold it, but she tends to put the bottle in her nose/cheek/ear everywhere but her mouth but once it gets in there she can keep it there for a bit.  Plus, I use the bottle holder as a toy when she's not eating and she loves it.  I only paid I think about $10 for it a couple weeks ago, and you might be able to find it cheaper than what its listed for now.

Ordered! Thanks for the rec.

Shazzie116

It depends, honestly. Sometimes she likes to hold it, sometimes she's a lazybones. I think once she has a bit more arm strength she'll do it more regularly. I might try a sippy cup with handles in another month or so.

icedcoffeeluv

I hope this didn't sound bad either.

I love feeding them. Just when I need to feed both of them it would be nice if they could hold their bottles when the other needs to burp. Trying to burp one and hold the other bottle at the same time is not so easy!

mrsbhk22

Neither of my boys ever held their own bottles. Like EVER. DD is 5 months and trying to hold it when she gets one. It's dependent on the kid.

melody921

I feel like DS held his own at this point, but I can't really remember. DD is nowhere near interested enough to feed herself when she has a bottle.

mrsjenni

You usually have to "force" most babies to learn how to hold it.  Basically, if they don't hold it themselves, they're not going to be eating. (To a point, obviously, I'm not starving my kid into hold their own bottle.)  But I usually let them try by themselves for 10 minutes or so before taking over.  It only takes a few days of this before they have it down.

But they're smart little buggers... if they know you're going to take over right away once they let go, why would they hold it when they have you to do it for them?  

To answer your question... no Reid isn't hold his bottle full-time yet, but I usually start my full-on "you better hold this yourself or you won't eat" (again, to a point, I promise I don't starve my children... they're all in the 100%tile for weight, ha!) training around 6 months.

msualum96

Dang, my DD sees that bottle, practically LUNGES for it, and when you put it in her reach, grabs it and stuffs it in her mouth so fast you'd think she's literally starving!!!  LOL  Like Jenni said, we worked at having her hold it herself, and she just really started doing the above a few weeks ago.  And like a PP said, it does help that I can put her in her seat in the morning and let her feed herself while I get ready (she's in the bathroom with me so I can keep an eye on her obviously). 

sweetiebird726

Ds is capable of doing it, I have seen him do it. He will start, then just chooses not to and throws his hands over his eyes like some melodramatic thing.

Lazy kid.

Kidding. Kind of.