AP FF moms!

[MommyJogger]

So I just got back my son's 4 mo assessment from daycare and I wanted to ask this question to a large group of moms with experience themselves bottle feeding, with the hopes of getting a few attachment parenting perspectives:
One of the "what we plan to work on in the future" bullets was for his caregiver to teach him to hold his own bottle, which struck me as strange because I had no clue babies could even hold their own bottles. I was very up front with this daycare that we were AP and that I had no intention of putting him somewhere that disagreed or thought they couldn't/wouldn't follow our childcare philosophy (it's how I got rid of some of my mommy guilt). Do AP parents teach their babies to hold their own bottles (is it commonly done)? I think if I were bottle feeding him, I would still want him to be taking his meal with eye contact and the loving embrace of a familiar adult caregiver. Am I over-reacting/would it be crazy for me to bring this up with her next time I see her and tell her this isn't okay? I can't find much about this online. Thanks for any replies/votes!

 

[CoffeePuffin]

I would never let my baby hold her own bottle, but that's just me. It's different for her, because she has special bottles because of her cleft palate so I have to feed her a certain way, but even if she didn't have a problem I still wouldn't want her holding her own bottle. By the time I'd be happy with her taking drinks herself, I'd want her to not be using a bottle anyway.

 

[Bunnikins]

Sorry I don't know what AP is but no I won't be "teaching" her this. If she wants to hold it, she can. If not, I'll hold it for her. I love feeding her and watching her looking up at me and am not in any rush to stop that

 

[socitycourty]

My niece wanted to hold her own bottle starting at 12 weeks, she wouldnt' let anyone do it for her.

My LO won't hold her bottle which is fine, she will play with it sometimes but not really feed herself. I do almost all of her feedings. She will also hold and drink out of a sippy cup but not her regular bottle.

 

[harveydog]

My LO chose to hold his own bottle one day (approx 5-6mth old) but I still got the eye contact and cuddle too

I think LO's tend to decide what they would like from a very early age, and I just went with what he wanted to do, even if I wasn't ready mentally.

They grow up so fast, when all I wanted to do was keep him little

 

[Celesse]

AP(ish) ex combi-feeder. DS gave up the bottle at about 10months his choice, but started holding it of his own accord at around 6 months. It was kind of a team effort. Can't say its something I would encourage and he has only held the bottle whilst I have been holding him.

Ofc since about 9 months he has been giving himself a drink of water from a sippy cup. If he's having a bottle for nutrition with a care giver its going to be different for him to bottle/breast and cuddles with a parent. Therefore I don't think it would worry be too much him giving himself a bottle at day care as milk feeds would still mean cuddles with mummy outside of daycare.

 

[Lady_Bee]

I find the idea of "teaching" a baby to hold their own bottle a little weird... in my experience it's something they want to do eventually. There was a point (around 8 months I think) at which my LO always wanted to hold his own bottle and would not drink it unless we let him do it. He wanted to pick ot up himself too, rather than be given it! I still cuddled him while he drank it. Now at almost 12 months old he would rather drink it on his back in the pram! I just go with it. I think the bonding while feeding thing is most important in the very early months. There are so many other ways now to bond and cuddle and show him he's important in a way he understands.

 

[x Michelle x]

i definitely wouldn't teach it, i think babies have enough going on without adding additional things into the mix..
My son is 11 months and has no interest in holding his bottle, but is brill with a sippy cup.
My Daughter was only on a bottle at bedtime from about 18 months and it was only about 2 months ago that she held her bedtime bottle herself, she obviously enjoyed us feeding her and i wouldn't have taken that away

 

[080509]

I have never taught mine to hold their own bottles, in fact my eldest didn't once hold his, only when he started drinking water froma cup at 10 months is what he held. my 8 month old doesn't hold his, feeding time = snuggly time, they hold their own drink in their own time, why rush things? I'm not fully AP but mainly we follow it, we do babywear, have BF now FF, do co-sleep and never do CC or CIO, but even if i wasn't AP i would still feed my babies, they soon grow up.