Tandem Bottle Feeding

I have always had help (lucky me) but, i want to know that I can do it on my own if I have to. How do you feed two babies who are more interested in exploring than drinking with one pair of hands. If you prop, how do you do it?
Where do you put them. I need the reassurance that I can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mine were holding their own bottles by that age, so I laid them on the floor on a pillow and gave them their bottles.

 

I had two Fisher Price infant to toddler rockers, and I would put my girls in those and sit inbetween them and hold the bottles. I used those rocker forever, they were the best purchases we ever made. I can't remember when mine started actually holding their own bottles, but I did that until they were holding their own bottles. Sometimes, I would take towels or burp clothes and fold them to prop the bottles if I needed extra hands.

 

QUOTE(Utopia122 @ May 14 2009, 11:11 AM) [snapback]1313410[/snapback]
I had two Fisher Price infant to toddler rockers, and I would put my girls in those and sit inbetween them and hold the bottles. I used those rocker forever, they were the best purchases we ever made. I can't remember when mine started actually holding their own bottles, but I did that until they were holding their own bottles. Sometimes, I would take towels or burp clothes and fold them to prop the bottles if I needed extra hands.


Did they try to squirm out of the seat, mine do that.

 

QUOTE(Utopia122 @ May 14 2009, 11:11 AM) [snapback]1313410[/snapback]
I had two Fisher Price infant to toddler rockers, and I would put my girls in those and sit inbetween them and hold the bottles. I used those rocker forever, they were the best purchases we ever made. I can't remember when mine started actually holding their own bottles, but I did that until they were holding their own bottles. Sometimes, I would take towels or burp clothes and fold them to prop the bottles if I needed extra hands.

We have 7 month olds and if they both are hungry at the same time I prop them on our couch side by side - I take the back cushion off to make the space deep enough and sit in front of them and feed them at the same time. I use boppies or pillows to prop them up, we have bumbos too that work great when feeding them food.

 

QUOTE(halicktwins @ May 14 2009, 10:22 AM) [snapback]1313425[/snapback]
Did they try to squirm out of the seat, mine do that.


If I was having a particularly hard day with them, then it was survival mode...baby einstein or classical baby always worked for me Kept them occupied until bottle time was over.

 

QUOTE(Utopia122 @ May 14 2009, 11:28 AM) [snapback]1313440[/snapback]
If I was having a particularly hard day with them, then it was survival mode...baby einstein or classical baby always worked for me Kept them occupied until bottle time was over.



Did any of you warm bottles or were they given cold?

 

I put them in their SBS stroller and give them the bottles. For the most part they hold their own bottles. I sit in front of them through the feeding and assist with the bottle-holding.

 

QUOTE(halicktwins @ May 14 2009, 10:41 AM) [snapback]1313458[/snapback]
Did any of you warm bottles or were they given cold?


I spoiled my girls, they had warm bottles forever, so at that time I was still warming them. I didn't stop warming them until we switched to whole milk I'm terrible...but they were my last babies and I enjoyed every minute with them.

 

I also rarely fed mine on my own, but at that age if I had to do it, I would prop them both on the couch (they could sit on their own, but the couch helped keep them comfy) and hold one bottle in each hand. If one of them was more interested in doing something else than in eating, I'd just put her in the exersaucer or superyard and let her do her thing while I fed the other one. On the whole it was way easier to feed them one at a time.

Sarah started holding her own bottle at 10 months, which was nice -- Amy never did.

 

I have these cool highchairs that attach to my dining room chairs (space saver highchairs). I recline those backward and they have like three point harnasses attached to them. I belt the girls in...tight...and sit in a chair in front of them and hold the bottles. I keep them turned away from the TV and whatnot. For some reason it helps if I don't make eye contact or talk to them during a feeding. If I do, they just get all giggly and want to talk to me and not eat! It's cute, but not very productive. If one decides to get snotty and push away the bottle or look at something more interesting, I stop feeding and ignore her. Within five minutes of her watching her sister eat and Mommy give attention to her, she shapes up and will latch on again and finish. I also spoon feed them this way. I never warmed their bottles. I ready make them and use nursery water that is left out on the counter, so they are always served room temperature )

 

QUOTE(Lizzybo @ May 14 2009, 11:55 AM) [snapback]1313479[/snapback]
I put them in their SBS stroller and give them the bottles. For the most part they hold their own bottles. I sit in front of them through the feeding and assist with the bottle-holding.


How do you get them to hold their own bottles, does EI help with that?

 

QUOTE(halicktwins @ May 14 2009, 10:34 AM) [snapback]1313674[/snapback]
How do you get them to hold their own bottles, does EI help with that?


I'm lucky. They've been practicing holding their own bottles since they were 4 months old and perfected it a few weeks ago. We use light-weight Gerber & Evenflo bottles, which helps.

What's EI?

 

I was fortunate, mine could hold their own bottles at 8 months but what we did was lay on them on their boppies and put on Sesame Street ( we can get episodes on Sprout on demand) and let them drink. Before they could hold their bottles on their own, we would prop the bottles using bunched up burpie cloths. If you have two swings (and they still fit in them) I would put them in the swings facing something distracting and you in the middle of the two swings holding the bottles for them. I've done that a couple of times too. Good luck!

 

One word here...Podee! This is the only way my ds will drink his bottle. He is way too busy to be bogged down with a bottle. Dd still prefers a bottle.

 

We used the bottle sling it helped to teach them to hold their bottles. I warmed all of their bottles however recently we started giving cold bottles no the last one for bed

 

I used bouncy seats and propped with receiving blankets. I had done that since they were born. I think they were around 9 months when they started holding their own bottle.

 

Has anyone had any experience with the Bottle Genie (http://bottlegenieinc.com/index.shtml)? Our twins will be 4 weeks tomorrow and we are looking for a way that will allow us to alternate feeds rather than having both of us present at every feed (which can be quite hard on our 3 year-old who also wants time)

 

I would put them both in a bouncy chair and face them back to back and rest my elbows on the sides of the chair. I couldnt prop at that age since they would just bat it away. I also gave them their bottles right out of the fridge. I made up bottles the night before.

 

I would also suggest using Boppy's. I wish I had done that from the beginning, because as they got older and held their own bottle, that's how we fed them. I had used bouncy seats up until then and then they tried climbing out of them.

 

QUOTE(gustketwins @ May 14 2009, 10:36 PM) [snapback]1314444[/snapback]
We used the bottle sling it helped to teach them to hold their bottles. I warmed all of their bottles however recently we started giving cold bottles no the last one for bed


What us the bottle sling and where do you get it?

 

QUOTE(gustketwins @ May 14 2009, 10:36 PM) [snapback]1314444[/snapback]
We used the bottle sling it helped to teach them to hold their bottles. I warmed all of their bottles however recently we started giving cold bottles no the last one for bed

 

QUOTE(christie76 @ May 14 2009, 10:39 PM) [snapback]1314450[/snapback]
I used bouncy seats and propped with receiving blankets. I had done that since they were born.


Ditto.