How do you encourage

[KatelynsMummy]

you baby to hold their own bottle?
My LO is 6 months and if you hold her bottle in front of her and say "what is it?" she will grab it and lead it to her mouth but then she lets go...
How can I encourage her to keep hold of the bottle? Is there positions i can feed her in? etc...

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I never did, I'm being nosy here but why do people encourage this? I could always manage to use a TV remote or whatever with the other hand while holding Ruby's for her

 

[KatelynsMummy]

I want to encourage it as I feel it helps her learn, I can manage to do things whilst feeding her but I like the idea of seeing her holding her own bottle and being able to feed her self

 

[KittyVentura]

I've just started with this.

Claire - For me I want Fin off bottles entirely by the age of 1. I want him to be able to take his morning and night time milk feeds from a cup by then. Not for selfish reasons (I plan on having him still sat on my lap or next to me for them) but because we're TTC now and I don't want Fin to remember using bottles himself when the next baby comes.

Fin LOVES his cups and has been drinking from them by himself from 4 months but has no interest in holding a bottle so I've started by adding the cup handles from his TT cup to his morning bottle. He still sits and cuddles but will hold it himself.

I'll keep it on just breakfast a few weeks, then lunch and then bedtime. From there we'll go through the same process again but this time adding the cup spout as well as handles. Once he's got the hang of milk from a cup spout we'll slowly go through the same process again but introducing a proper cup.

I don't want to rush him hence starting very slowly now. Part of me is a bit sad because he's the most adverturous and mobile little thing and doesn't like cuddles... he just wants to play so I'm gonna feel sad if he chooses to not sit on me for his milk once he's weaned off the bottle entirely xx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ah right. Ruby was off bottles shortly after she was one, anyway.

 

[KittyVentura]

Ah right. Ruby was off bottles shortly after she was one, anyway.

Oh really? Did you ease her off it or just switch?

I just want to make having another baby while he;s young as painfree as possible for Fin. I don;t want him upset because the new baby has something he remembers as his xx

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Ah right. Ruby was off bottles shortly after she was one, anyway.

Oh really? Did you ease her off it or just switch?

I just want to make having another baby while he;s young as painfree as possible for Fin. I don;t want him upset because the new baby has something he remembers as his xx

We just tried different cups until we found one she was willing to drink milk out of (it was the Tomme Tippe active straw cup.) I would have let her have a bedtime bottle for a bit longer if she'd wanted it though, but she didn't. She was never attached to her bottle nor did she ever get any comfort from it.
Also, I personally dislike seeing toddlers walking round holding bottles. I thought really that encouraging them to do it themselves would discourage them to wean off bottles, as if they have to sit on your lap to have a bottle, eventually they'll prefer to walk around and not want a bottle.

 

[ouchwithNo.2]

My son was of bottles by one anyway - his choice, but never, ever did he attempt to hold his own bottle. That was our job. Yet he was quite confident with a doidy cup.
LO is the same, she is almost a year, 3 weeks and she wont be having anymore bottles - she only has the morning one now anyway and I LOVE my cuddles with her swaddled up (yep - she is dopey enough to do that still and I love it) and snuggly.
I am enjoying it - usually she is fighting me off to run away.
Again, she has never bothered, I can prop it in her hands but she wont hold it.