Holding their own bottles ...

I was wondering when your LO's started to really hold their own bottles and any tips/tricks you used to teach them how. Right now our lo's don't like it when you put their hands on the bottles so I'm not trying to push it but it would be a great help for me if they learned how in the next month cuz DH will be working nights and they don't fit in their bouncers anymore ; so needless to say it will be difficult to feed both boys their bedtime btl.

Thanks!

 

I know what you mean. Mine didn't fit in their bouncers after about 8 months as well. Here's what I did.. Put them in their car seats [with folded up blanket over the buckles as 'butt pads' ] and place something hard/sturdy [i.e. a hard plastic toy, tv remote, hard cover book, etc..] under the front edge of the seat so it tips it back a little [I always made sure either the couch or the coffee table was behind it in case it fell backwards]. Then I'd put the baby in it and put the bottle in their mouth. Then I'd roll up a wash cloth and 'prop' the bottle up so it wouldn't tumble over sideways during the feeding.

Eventually [I'd say about 2-3 wks later] they started holding their bottles. That sounds long and drawn-out so I've included a photo slideshow for ya And I have to admit that I still put them in their car seats for 1-2 feedings a day Although they've been completely holding their bottles since they were about 9 months old, if I just give hand them their bottle, they'll usually just drink about 2 oz, get distracted and either leave their bottle to do something else or tip it upside down and fling formula everywhere! I recently ordered comfy chairs for them so I can get rid of the car seats.

Photo slideshow:
http://s66.photobuck...nt=ed09c3cc.pbw

Hope this helps! GL!

 

BK holds hers now but Aurora has no interest. You'll probably get a multitude of various responses. My girls have just learned to take turns if there's only one of us available to feed them.

 

i always feed mine in our svan bouncers. i'm so glad i got them because they aren't anywhere near growing out of them.. anyway, i have never really bottle propped but i do feed them at the same time and hold their bottles. for months Nico has been trying to hold his bottle, but recently he can hold his full bottle and will do about 4oz on his own before getting distracted.

 

My girls were around 6-7 Months old when they started holding their own bottles. One day they just "Got it".

 

I'm not sure it's something you can teach, I think it just eventually "clicks" and they get it. I do remember getting really frustrated with L&L before they finally learned, but I don't remember how old they were at the time.

 

5 months. Every time I gave them a bottle I would cup their hands around it, and let it fall a couple of times, so they started to understand that they had to hold onto it if they wanted to drink it!

 

Mine started maybe 2 weeks ago, but it makes it worse. They drink a couple oz and then get bored. They will really only eat if I am holding it, even though they have the motor skills to do it.

 

Mine were between 4-5 months when they started and it was nothing I did on my part, they just kind of got it. It was easier for them to start off with the 4oz bottles, then they got the hang of the bigger bottles later.

 

That's what I'm afraid of ... them gettin the hang of it and then not really wanting anything to do with drinking it. HMPH ... guess we'll just have to see what comes!!

Thanks for all your responses!

 

Well if my older two kids are any indication, they won't get the hang of it! :laughing:

They just had no interest in holding the bottle, never made an effort, even up until I quit the bottles at 1 yr old!

I do hope the babies will decide otherwise, but I'm prepared to snuggle them until they are a year old, because these are my last babies! :wub:

 

My babies are nine months old and still don't. I would love to find out how others taught them to hold their own bottles!

 

DS started working on it around 7 months and would do it hit and miss on his own by 10 months. DD never did.

 

Amber will hold her bottle but only when she is not in the mood to really drink any milk! Ruby isn't there yet, she helps her Mummy out by cupping it with both hands, she does this when she is really hungry :wub:

 

My son still has issues holding his bottle or sippie cup!! They are spoiled and re very capacble of holding it. SO I just put the bottle in his mouth and hold his hands up to it. I repeat this as many times as i need to until he will hold it. He gets mad at me and cries. Also I used to just fix bottles and sit on the floor back against couch twins between my legs leaning back on me and a bottle in each mouth. My husband works night too so I was the only their for bedtime. Well I still am!!

 

My boys will not hold bottles, nor can they use sippy cups, even though we've been offering them for several months. I guess they figure why should they do they work when they have willing servants to do it for them!

 

My boys didn't start holding their bottles until the week before we stopped them all together. We haven't had a problem with sippies though.

 

Mine never really did. They could, they just chose not to.

 

My 6 yr old dd could hold it at 4-5 months-I would put her to bed with it and her night time routine was so easy-I hoped my twins would be similar.

My twin dd exactly the same. 4-5 months and she would even take it from you with no help and I could lay her down with it and she'd go right to sleep and has been sleeping all night since. She is just liek her big sis. I really didnt teach them how-they just understoiod the concept I guess and wanted food.

My twin ds has just started to hold his without dropping it and playing with it at 7 months old and now I can put him to bed with it to. He could do it partially last month but would always get distracted and play with it or throw it down on accident. With him since he didnt catch on on his own, I always would put his hands on the bottle and when he'd drop it I would just do it over and over again. I refuse to sit and hold their bottles so I guess they ahve no choice.

Its 1am and they have both been asleep in their room since 9pm. Love it But ds will wake up by 3 am to BF. Boys are different arent they?

Since I knew the potential of my kids knowing how my first dd was, I always encourage things like that b/c its a very helpful thing with twins.

 

Photo slideshow:
http://s66.photobuck...nt=ed09c3cc.pbw

Hope this helps! GL!
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OMG Suzy! You are too awesome!!!

My boys showed interest when they were about 6mths and we stupidly discouraged it because it made it more difficult, and I told my husband this as it was happening, that we were going to regret it one day! YUP! but they do drink from their sippy cups, but like pp have mentioned, only a couple of ounces at a time and then they loose interest.

I'm going to start giving them their sippy cup on a more regular basis and when they are hungry...
GL!

 

Mine did it at 9.5 months.

 

Ours started holding their bottles at 7 months. At that time they could only hold the smaller plastic bottles but now they are pretty good with holding a full 6-7 oz glass bottle. We just prop them up in their boppy pillows and let hold the bottles themselves. They do still drop the bottles from time to time, so there is a fair bit of giving the bottles back to them, and occasionally someone might be feeling needy/tired/fussy and want us to hold the bottle for them. But for the most part it makes bottle feeding a lot easier!