what age did your babies hold their own bottle?

my 7yo and 5yo while not nearly as helpful as DH will sometimes hold a bottle for me, that's a big help when they'll actually do it! but they start school at the end of August and I'm hoping my twins will hold their own bottle by then so that I can at least have 1 free hand durring feedings. my oldest actually held her own bottle at 3 months, but she did everything early, and these guys aren't ahead on anything really. so I'm just wondering if it's all in vain for me to hope for them to hold their own bottle when they're 7 months old or not?

thanks
Michelle

 

Mine didn't until they were 8.5 months BUT there are twins in my playgroup that started, I think, around 5 months. So I think like anything else it's very individual. I had an EI therapist recommend placing their hands on their bottles repeatedly to try and teach them. She also said to move their elbows toward their bodies. She said that also helps teach them.

 

My twins were 5 months.

 

My twins didn't get bottles until I went back to work two days a week when they were 6 months. By the time they were 7 months, they were holding their own bottles.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Jun 13 2007, 04:18 PM) [snapback]291220[/snapback]
I had an EI therapist recommend placing their hands on their bottles repeatedly to try and teach them.



That is what I did, every bottle around 6 1/2 months, I said to them "holdy'. So weird but it was my short version for hold it. Anyways, if they would drop it, I would open their little fingers and place them around the bottle as I said, 'holdy'. They were able to do it solo by 7 months.

 

My twins were late at about 8 months. But at least they did learn.

 

Mine hold their own now, but it's basically just balancing. They can't tilt it up far enough to fill the nipple.

 

There is no option for me, mine didn't hold them but it had nothing to do with them refusing. I never taught them because I didn't want them to do it. It was such a short period of time when they actually allowed me to hold them while I took care of one of their most important needs that I wanted to do it for as long as possible.

 

My girls never figured it out. That's probably because we were using Podee Hands-Free bottles and they didn't need to. I had to teach them when we moved to sippie cups at 13 months old. It took them a couple of days to get the hang of it. Dax has been trying to hold the occasional bottle I give him since about 2 months but he doesn't have the strength and dexterity to do it well yet.

 

My babies are just starting ... they're 6 1/2 months. I voted 7 since that will be more likely. My oldest took a lot longer ... I think she was just lazy ... I kept holding it. Stupid me!?

 

I voted 7 , but is was more 7 1/2 months. How weird, but I specifically remember the moment when each of mine did it on their own for a whole feeding. It was within 2 days of each other and we were on vacation.

 

i voted 5, but actually dd started at 4 & ds started at 6, so i averaged!

 

Mine are just now getting the hang of it.

 

At about 6 months but we have the platex kind with bags and a hole at the bottom so they hold it by the bottom and it doesn't have to be tipped up. My guys suck all the air out to get to the milk.

 

well I didn't offer a bottle until they were 7 months old but the first time I did they held it themselves.