Holding the Bottle

It may be time to start a sippy cup. I transitioned my little boy to a sippy cup at 9 months by just sitting him in his high chair and giving him the cup (with handles - easier for them) and a little finger snack. Good Luck!

A baby shouldn't have to feed its self. That is why they have parents!

um, in my opinion, any baby drinking from a bottle shouldnt have to hold it himself. that is time you should be connecting with him and talking with him. he should know that the nurishment comes from you through the interaction you have when he is feeding (or a caregiver) not from the bottle.

you do what you have to do.

In his own little non-verbal way, your son is communicating with you. He would like some addl. mommy cuddle time!! Take a break from what you're doing and enjoy it while it lasts!! Before you know it he'll be wanting you to drop him off a couple of blocks before you reach school...

He's not being "lazy" he just wants his mommy. Hold it for him, cuddle him and enjoy your time together.

Aw don't make him hold his own bottle! He's just a baby, its your job to feed him, use this time to snuggle and love on him.

We never used bottles (only breastfed) but I wouldn't expect my child to hold his own bottle. I've seen too many of my friends and family just toss a bottle at their baby and walk away, and thats really sad to me. (not saying you do, but someone below posted thye just walk away while their child is eating... thats so sad!) They grow so fast, use this time wisely.

In my experience, if you never let them hold their own bottle, it is much easier to wean them from it as they do not think it is theirs, but just an extension of you. So maybe if you just go with the flow for another couple of months, when he turns 1, you can easily switch from bottle to sippy cup.

Good Luck!

My daughter is the same way. DOB 9/30/08 if she's to lazy to hold it I either walk away from her or prop the bottle which I know is a no no but ......

I my daughter was the same way (she is almost 3 years old now)... she use to hold it but it seemed she really wanted the bonding with me holding it for her. If she did not want to hold the bottle I did. At 12 months she moved right to sippy cup and held it herself so it was never turned into an issue of me holding the bottle for her for almost a year.

Hi,

When he starts playing with the bottle, say "no" and move it up to his mouth. If he doesn't latch on, take it away for a few minutes, and then offer it again. If he still doesn't latch on or sits and plays with it, he's not thirsty. Try again later.

Semi-related note... Since he is physically able to hold his own bottle, now might be a good time to introduce a sippy cup. Maybe he would play with it less? I introduced a sippy cup to my son at 9-10 months and he transitioned over in a week, no problems.

It seems to me that the concern here is a developmental one- he used to hold it, now he doesn't. I think to say that he should be held only while feeding, etc. is a bit harsh. I nursed my first child (now 2 1/2) until 1 year, and he's such a cuddler. He was always rocked to sleep or fell asleep nursing, and I had all the time in the world so I took it.

When he was 21 months old, we had twins (boy/girl). I tired to nurse them as I did my first, but between chasing a nearly 2 year old and trying to keep up with eating and drinking enough to produce enough milk, I finally gave up when they were 4 months old after a middle of the night trip to the ER for dehydration. While they were small enough, I held them both and fed them at the same time, but as they got bigger, it was impossible to do. My son started holding his own bottle at around 8 1/2 months, and my daughter about 2 weeks ago. I've always wanted to rock and cuddle them, but they're different. My son is too busy crawling and exploring all over the place- trying to keep up with his big brother, not wanting to miss a thing. (My daughter will lay and drink her entire bottle, and my son over 4 or 5 sittings as he "can't be bothered" it seems. I am home with them FT, and there is NO issue with or lack of a bond in any way. They're very loving, happy babies- and I bond with them all day every day.

I say don't worry about it- you could mention it to your Pediatrician at the 9 month checkup, but he'll probably be doing it again by then again anyway.

Good luck!

My daughter never held her own bottle. My husband and I found it to be our precious moments of bonding and nurturing her that lasted only a short while. Once your son is off the bottle, there won't be many reasons to sit down and hold him anymore. I would cherish the time while it's here. Very, very soon he will be feeding himself and drinking solely from sippy cups.

My oldest daughter went through the same phase. She figured it out and then all of a sudden "decided" she would grab it, put it in her mouth, and then let go so I had to hold it. No more "multi-tasking" for mom! Hopefully it's just a phase!

My son didn't hold anything on his own until about 13 months because when I let him try it before then, he would play with it and he figured out how to unscrew the top and also how to push the nipple down so that it would drop into the formula....I think 8 months is a little early to leave him with a bottle, but if you are holding him and just want an extra free hand I can see why you would want him to hold it. When my son could hold it, I would often hold him in my lap and let him hold onto the bottle while I ate with my other hand since it was so hard to fit my meal time in.
Maybe he isn't really hungry when he starts to play? Or if he is just curious about the bottle itself, maybe let him explore his bottle while it is empty? Or put him in the bath and let him experiment with it so that he gets bored with it and realizes that it isn't so interesting...