Should LO be holding their own bottle?

laurapaine2003@yahoo.com · July 2016

LO will be 10 months in a week. I still hold the bottle every time she needs one - she will nurse only in the mornings when she's super hungry but doesn't seem to want to after that so I just do a bottle the rest of the day. What's the general "rule" or expectation of when babies hold their own bottles? Is it ok if you don't make them do it themselves? I love holding it for her, it's the only time she will snuggle and hold still. Am I delaying her at all by not letting her do it? What about transitioning - around 1 year of age I was told to cut out the bottles - do u just put milk in a sippy cup and let them do it themselves at that point?

tlc11934 · July 2016

Every kid is different. My LO also won't hold her bottle at home but her teachers tell me she holds it at school all the time for about a month now.

Also, the whole bottle vs sippy cup transition isn't always easy. DD1 was 2 before she would drink milk out of a cup. She just drank water during the day in we sippy at school and had a bottle of milk in the morning and night. DD2 weaned from the bottle around 18 months. This DD likes drinking out of a glass so I'm wondering if she'll be easier yet.

In short, don't worry about what's supposed to be. One day soon she'll grab the bottle from you and feed yourself and you'll realize she's growing up.

Plumeria1214 · July 2016

Following. We've tried getting LO to hold her own bottle but she refuses. We've also started using sippy cups, which she can hold on her own, but she wants us to hold those too.

blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby · July 2016

I'm not sure DS ever held his own bottle. DD has been holding hers for months. Every baby is different. I don't think it's a huge deal. We transitioned DS to a soft spout sippy at 1. He then moved on to a straw cup from there. DD will be 11 months on the 24th and I plan to start transitioning her to a sippy then. She does great with a straw cup already but don't much care for a soft spout. We may just go straight for the straw this time.

amp61470 · July 2016

He's been holding his bottle for months, he doesn't want me holding it. He's been at least grabbing it since about 4 months and been holding it himself since 51/2-6 months. Every kid is different.

TeacherMom210 · July 2016

DD#1 never held her own bottle and had no problem transitioning to a cup (which she always held!). DD#2 won't hold her bottle if I'm giving it to her, but will do it if my sister is holding her. Go figure.

LoveLee85 · July 2016

My Ten month old refuses lol

ForeverEverAfter · July 2016

We haven't used a bottle, but my 10mo (tomorrow) holds her own soft spout sippy cup for water or pumped milk.

ForeverEverAfter · July 2016

I only use sippies while learning to drink. By a year she'll switch to a wow cup for water, and an open cup at the table (continuing to nurse when I'm home though).

LoveLee85 · July 2016

I guess I should add he holds his water cups just fine and doesn't need help, but refuses with his bottle. LOL

vibarra27 · July 2016

My boys stopped letting me feed them(wouldnt eat if i fed them) @ 7 months & theyve been holding theyre bottles & sippy cups ever since. . I will start to transition them @ 11 months to sippy cups for their milk as well so by the time theyre 1 they will no longer want/need a bottle.

I agree with every baby is different. DD did hold her own bottle @ 7 months as well but left her bottle @ 10 months. My boys are more attached to their bottles than DD ever was.

jen83mn · July 2016

My 10.5-month-old does both and has for the past few months. Sometimes he'll grab it away and hold it himself, other times he'll let us hold it but will still put his hands on it. I don't think it matters either way!

We introduced him to a cup at 6 months old with a little water in it. We have the Munchkin 360 trainer with handles, so he just has to suck anywhere on the rim of the cup to get water out. He loves it! We plan on stopping bottles at a year and he'll drink out of those after that point.

missliz53 · July 2016

DD also refuses to hold her own bottle. When I try to put her hands on it, she tucks them behind her head to hide them. I don't mind though, I love the extra snuggles and her OT said it's not a big deal unless we think it is

shelbydd · July 2016

"Should" is a blah word. Every kid is different and I don't feel like holding a bottle is really a milestone to worry with if they're doing other things with their hands.

that said, my son does hold his bottle but it happened by accident. Basically he was getting to crazy with the hand flailing a few weeks ago so I propped his hands on the bottle and let go- and he's been holding it ever since.

lmbrandt · July 2016

Our son can hold it, but after a few sips he wants to flip the bottle all around and look at it, turns it upside down, etc. So it makes this big leaky mess all over himself and the couch! It just becomes much too messy!

I still hold the bottle, and sometimes he'll put his hands on it. He doesn't really seem to care either way. He will hold onto and drink water out of his sippy cup by himself though.

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