My son is so smart he has surprised everyone....my son has everything down from rolling-walking but will not hold his own bottle. It gets hard when he is hungry because I can't just make the bottle and watch him drink I have to hold him and feed him. I have tried to lay him down and set the bottle there but he just leaks the whole bottle to where we need emergency bath time. I have seen 6 month old babies hold their bottles but my son will walk for you and amaze you but he will not pick up the bottle to eat. Help!
Thank you to the moms that didn't grip at me and just told me there experiences and now I know that I am not the only one. To the moms that made me feel like crap it isn't that I want to just do my own thing and feeding him is getting in my way but it would be nice while my husband is away that he can hold it for a min while I pee, or answer the door or get a drink without crying bloody murder because the bottle fell. I love holding my baby but also I want him to eat other things and it isn't helping that he knows I am going to feed him and he doesn't eat anything eles...so I am up at night three times feeding our child. So Yes I adore holding him and know that he will not be on it for long and also I would never lay my child down to eat that is very bad for him but I want him to feel like he doesn't need me to eat! Anywhoo he held it and I still hold it so situation solved!
Hold that baby. Believe me they grow up so quickly you will miss all of the cuddles and bonding time.
Laying him down with a bottle is also an open invitation to an ear infection.
It's funny that you should post this! Funny because I was just telling someone that my straight A, violin & volleyball addicted 7th grader would never hold her own bottle when she was a baby. I just finally resided to the fact that I would just enjoy that little bit of time together. Good thing because my second kid wanted nothing to do with us holder the bottle.
Just enjoy it....kids are funny!
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It's funny that you should post this! Funny because I was just telling someone that my straight A, violin & volleyball addicted 7th grader would never hold her own bottle when she was a baby. I just finally resided to the fact that I would just enjoy that little bit of time together. Good thing because my second kid wanted nothing to do with us holder the bottle.
Just enjoy it....kids are funny!
Why do you want him to hold it on his own? That should be your cuddle time to bond... think of nursing babies and other mammals, don't rush him.
Yes, many or perhaps even most babies hold their own bottle at 9 months but I don't think that is such a good thing. Your baby still needs the nurturing that happens when you hold and feed him. I suggest that he's a smart baby in this way as well as all the other ways you've noticed.
My sister who had children before me gave me some advice. Never let them hold the bottle and it won't be a problem when it's time to give it up. If you are always the one to hold it- then it's just a feeding tool and not an attachment/comfort item. Also, as another poster said- that one-on-one time with your son is special- use this time to talk and sing to him. In 3 more months it will be time to say bye-bye to the bottle and your little infant will start growing into a toddler before you know it- SAVOR each moment- it happens so quick!
No biggie. My son was never a big "bottle holder" either. He's 7 and he's fine. :-)
Don't compare your child to other children or you'll be in the nuthouse by the time he's 3.
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No biggie. My son was never a big "bottle holder" either. He's 7 and he's fine. :-)
Don't compare your child to other children or you'll be in the nuthouse by the time he's 3.
I think you should hold your baby when you feed him.
Mrs. P., he is too YOUNG to hold a bottle. It has nothing to do with being smart. Walking and rolling-walking have nothing to do with being smart either. The 6 month olds you see holding a bottle are quite the minority.
Laying a baby down to drink a bottle is a huge invitation to ear infections because an infant's eustachian tubes are short, narrow, and straight, rather than slanted like an older child's or adult's. The milk goes into the tube and bacteria sets up, causing otitis media. (Middle ear infection.)
Something to think about when you are asking for him to feed himself is that your baby is growing up very fast. Most peds say to take the bottle away at a year and put baby on a sippy cup with whole milk. That would give you 3 months to actually get to hold this little guy in your arms and feed him. When he has taken his last bottle, that's it - he's no longer that little baby you brought home from the hospital.
Be glad if he can learn to hold his sippy cup. That's what you should start teaching by the time he's 11 months old.
Dawn
Some do, some don't. He does other stuff. I assure you, there will be many other things to stress out over down the road....this is just a minor inconvenience. And in a few more months he should be off that bottle anyway-so maybe this isn't one of those things you really want to encourage!
Good luck!
Both my boys (now 5 yrs and 8 mos) began holding their bottles close to 4-5 mos old. Then by 6 mos they would squirm and wriggle out of our arms when we'd try to hold them & feed them when we still wanted to snuggle with them during that time.
Our nanny's boy (now 11 mos) wouldn't hold his bottle until about 9-10 mos when she started working with us. He saw our little guy doing it and figured out he could too. She couldn't believe my baby was holding his own bottle already at 5mos when she was over for hubby's bday (she's an old friend). It's so funny how the two little ones totally play off each other going both ways with different skills.
We had this same discussion... while it is rather convenient that you can just give the kid his bottle and fold laundry or whatever you need to do, you also miss out on those precious snuggles. My boys are both very independent by nature, so I love it when they give me the chance to snuggle with them once in a while!
I should note that all 3 boys are doing well developmentally as far as other skills go, usually on the early end of the projected spectrum and often before the age range even hits.
My daughter would drink from a sippy cup at 9 months, but NEVER held her own bottle. Some kids just refuse to do it. Don't stress about it.
we set our son in a infant to child rocking chair and let him have at it. it was easy for him to hold on to the bottle and he didnt have the freedom of play time. i think we always fed him his bottle like this untill he was old enough for a sippy which by that time we already had transfered to all milk. (at one yr).
I would suggest that you start giving him a sippy cup. I would give it to him at meal times when he is sitting up.
At 9 months neither of my kids held their bottles either. My son was about 10 months when he started. I wouldn't worry about it. I know it's kind of annoying and I totally felt like both my kids were "behind" with this skill but soon he will do it. You can try a cup, but my son wouldn't do that either. I can't remember, but I don't think my daughter did either. Once they start holding the bottle they will do the cup too. I honestly doubt you have much longer. I didn't even "try" to make it happen, one day they each just started holding it and my life got easier! ;)
My daughter did that, too. If you were holding her and let go of the bottle to reach for something, she would pick it up and hold, but as soon as she saw your hand come back, she would drop the end of the bottle for you to pick it up. I think the bottle is a relaxing thing for them, and they would just prefer that you do it. Also, they know if you are holding the bottle, you can't get up and walk away.
Hi,
My daughter's church nursery worker told me my 9 month old would not hold her bottle and she was the only one in the whole nursery. I asked why a worker was not holding her or at least the bottle as that is what I do.
They don't do that. I asked the doctor about it and she encouraged me to keep rocking my child during the feeding. My daughter COULD hold the bottle, but she didn't want to. She liked the attention.
Perhaps this is what your child is doing.
My first was like that, didn't really get the hold your own bottle thing till a little later. I just started giving it to him in his highchair and if it was messy, I didn't worry about it. Also, now with my new lil one who is just about to be eight months, I give him small little bottles and that works better. I also give him sippy cups and let him go at it and he does really well. I just give him different stuff and let him try and he does pretty good, but if alot of it comes out I don't worry about it. So just keep trying and he will get the hang of it, all kids are different, I have big boys and sometimes just figuring out their coordination to move those big bodies is a great accomplishment. Don't know if this is your first, but my second is definitely doing things faster because he is seeing his big brother do things. He grabs his big brothers sippies and stuff like that, so maybe some of the six month olds you have seen have older siblings, makes a big difference!!! Just keep trying and he will get it:)
I have to chuckle because my baby didn't hold her own bottle till after 12 months. She could totally do it, and did it on very rare occasions, but was too lazy to actually do it at every feeding. She wanted mommy to hold her. Just give it time, they grow too quick!
My son never wanted to hold his own bottle. And he was a very smart baby and is a very smart boy. He started holding his own sippy cup when he was older - 1 and a half? My daughter who is 11 months now just started holding her own bottle a month ago. I say don't worry about it.
Maybe you should try getting a cup with handles on it...My baby loves his cup like that and its still a nipple as opposed to a sippy cup..
Don't ever look at a baby holding its own bottle as a positive thing. Pity the poor child that they don't get that cuddle time.
That is an awesome suggestion about never letting them hold it so you can take it away at the right time a whole lot easier.
