Won't Hold Own Bottle?

I have three kids 6,5 and 17 months and none of them ever held the bottle. I used to think it was because I breast feed for the first 6 months but now i think it maybe just because they liked the cuddling and intimate time with mom, so did i!! i am actually just stopping my 17 month old, she only gets it in the morning, because i love that cuddly time with her and i will absolutley hate to give it up. Looking back, i love that none of them held the bottle, it may have been a little tiny bit more work but in the end it gave me the lovey, snuggly time with my babies that is sooo short-lived!!

Actually, she is not behind. Camden, my son, didn't hold his own bottle right away, i think they like letting you do that for them. Don't worry it won't be much longer and she'll be holding it.

HI M.,
Relax--I think all kids are different and you should never compare your child to another. If you start that doing that now, you will be insane by the time pre-school comes around! LOL
My son ever had much interest in doing much on his own because he always had either me, my husband, my mom, or his grandpap at his beck and call! We laugh about his "Little Prince" ways!
Always encourage independence, but it will come in it's own time.
Good luck to you!

I agree. Our society pushes our kids to be independent....enjoy these "snuggles"..and be flattered that the baby wants you to hold her to eat...it is a very special time for both of you..and trust me, it goes by so quickly! :)

My son held the bottle at first at 3 months then after that he never did. Probably because he got used to me holding it. He loves his sippy and carries that around and holds it well. I would not worry. I never gave it a thought when he didn't hold it. I just attributed it to Mommy feeding (or Daddy) and that he didn't 'have to.' Like I said, No Worries! Have you introduced a sippy yet? We did at 4 months and he held onto that (with handles-Gerber brand, never leaked) with no problem.
Chris

Honestly you don't want her to hold her own bottle. The reason, it will be easier to get her off of the bottle that way. Introduce the sippy to her and encourage her to hold that, but really don't push her holding the bottle. When the time comes to switch her completely to the sippy it will be easier. My daughter never held the bottle and she gave it up very easily. Now my son is ten months old and he also does not hold the bottle. We have started to give him sippy cups because we plan on taking the bottle away around a year to fifteen months. I was always told to try and not let them hold their own bottles for fear they wouldn't want to give it up. Just because she isn't holding the bottle doesn't mean that she is behind in any way. Trust me you don't want her to hold the bottle, you want her to hold the sippy cup. Hope this helps.

My daughter did the same thing and I ended up putting the bottle in her lap or close enough for her to pick it up and then she would decide she wanted it enough to hold it by herself.

M.,

I have two children. One age 8 and one age 10. Neither one of them ever held their own bottles. At times it seemed inconvenient, but now I miss those days when they say on my lap and drank their bottles. Enjoy it while you can.

J. L.

M

I wouldn't worry too much yet. Every child develops differently, so as much as you would like to, don't compare your child to someone else's. My first started holding it around 7 months, but my other 2 were lazy. As long as her doctor feels she is developing normally, don't sweat it. Besides, the sooner she can hold it herself, the sooner she learns how to launch it!

M.,
It looks like you have received some great advice. I just wanted to share my experiences. None of my children (there are three of them) ever held their own bottle. I have a six month old right now and he has no interest at all. It is so hard not to compare our little ones and I do it constantly but I know he will make all those milestones when he is ready, although at six months we are still not rolling over or sitting up which is driving me crazy(: I am sure your little girl is perfect!!

Both my kids wouldn't hold the bottle. I thought it made it easlier to wean them off of it just after they turned 1. When I started my kids on cereal I'd place a sippy cup of formula or water in front of them. My daughter drank from it right away, but my son took longer.

Hi M., My daughter when she was at that age she was the same way. My daughter would never hold her own bottle. I held it for her up until she was a year old and then I broke her of it. So your little one is not behind at all. My daughter also didnt start on a sippy until a year old. So I dont think you have anything to worry about. Well I hope this helps.

Funny, my son did the same thing. Couldn't have been bothered holding the bottle for himself. He took fine to sippy cups but loved having someone cuddle him and hold the bottle. Enjoy the time because soon their independence WILL take over. We still do one bottle right before bed (still can't get him to drink enough milk through the sippy cup) and once in a while, when he's really tired, he'll let me hold it. Good Luck!

Dear M.,

It sounds to me like your little one still enjoys the closeness of being held when taking her bottle. Enjoy this time with her and stop worrying if she's behind. Sounds like she knows what she still needs. That's pretty smart in my book! Babies grow up so fast. This is a special time that never repeats in their lifetime. Take the time to enjoy it.

Sincerely, M.

My 7.5 mo won't hold his either (well, not his glass ones, anyway, and if he gets a plastic bottle he isn't really interested in holding it, though I think he can) and HATES the sippy cup. It is SO easy to worry, but don't. They will get there!

Hi M.!! Quit worrying!! Each and every baby is different! What ever you do don't compare your baby to another...some babies walk at 9mo old, some just start learning to crawl at 9 mo. I recommend the books "What to expect the first year" and "What to expect the toddler years" they are both great and just like the book "What to expect when your expecting" they give you bench marks to look for and lots of good suggestions about EVERYTHING! I used these books with my three and now that I babysit I am referring back to them. Always remember to relax and let your common sense be your guide as your child grows! Good luck and best wishes!

My little one never held her bottle, I think she enjoyed our time together and never had a desire to do it on her own. Some children are independent from the beginning others are not. I would guess its her personality. My daughter has always been ahead of her age for physical development. As long as your daughter doesn't seem to have any developmental problems I wouldn't be concerned. Also, children will either develop physically or verbally, they can not learn both at the same time, thats why its hard to compare children, especially at such a young age. Enjoy being able to help her, before you know it she will be off on her own.

Hi M.! I have an 11 month old who just recently started to hold his own bottle. He just LOVED us holing him and having us give him the bottle. It's a comfort thing, I knew he COULD do it he just didn't want to. I put him down now and give him the bottle and he reluctantly drinks himself. But by a year they should definitely be doing this on their own. So, I am sure your little one just loves the comfort of you giving the bottle to her. My son also JUST started taking a sippy cup when my older one did this on his own at 7 months. They are all different and so special. Don't worry your daughter is fine. take care. enjoy your weekend!!! leah

My friend had twins and the little girl would hold her own bottle and the little boy never did. It wasn't that he couldn't, he just really like someone being there and doing it for him. It was actually pretty cute to see their different personalities emerging like that. My son did hold a bottle at six months but I always thought that was really early and people would comment to me often about how little he was to be holding it by himself. My Mom's theory was that he never got enough milk from breastfeeding so he was starving all the time so that when I finally gave him the bottle he devoured it! (Don't you just love Mom's advice?) Anyway, now he's almost 2 and I cannot get him to drink milk from a sippy. He's great with juice in a sippy but refuses milk. Go figure - they're all different!

M., I wouldn't be worried. My daughter is 9 month old and when she was 6month she didn't hold her bottle either. Is there a lot of people who hold her bottle for her.(Mine has 4 older siblings.) We had to tell people not to hold her bottle. I know it sounds cruel but she could do it, she just didn't have to. Most of all trust your instincts. If it is really bothering you just mention it at the next doctor appointment. Remember, every baby/child does things at their own pace.

Who cares if a child EVER holds a bottle? They are only supposed to have it until they are 12 months old so what does it matter? Mine never held it, they preferred that I hold it and frankly I enjoyed it. They are now 6 and 7 and have never needed the skill of bottle holding since infancy.

I wouldn't worry at all. Don't measure your child's progress becuase another child is doing something first.. I am sure there are other things your daughter has mastered before other children her age. What kind of bottles do you use? Some companies sell little handles that click onto bottles. Avent does and they have sippy attachments to replace the nipple so they can practive with a familiar bottle. Check out sippy cups with handles. She doesn't have to use a bottle at all if she can use a cup instead. Good luck and with patience, your daughter will surprise you I'm sure. My son wasn't holding his by 6 months either.