When should baby learn to hold his own bottle? Read about it here.
What can you read in this article?
- At what age should a child hold his own bottle?
- Signs that your child is ready to hold his bottle
- Tips to train your baby to hold his own bottle
Part of the perks of bottle-feeding is the independence that it gives. Your baby doesn’t have to be attached to you to feed. You just prepare his formula milk or transfer your expressed milk in a baby bottle and he can feed.
We also want to teach independence at a young age, and teaching him to hold his baby bottle would be a good place to start.
But at what age can we expect baby to hold his own bottle? And how do we ensure that he will be safe while doing it? Let’s talk about it one by one.
When should baby learn to hold his bottle?
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My firstborn who had a lot of my expressed milk and was bottle-fed with fresh milk as a toddler learned to hold her bottle at 7 months. Her younger brother and sister who were both exclusively breastfed and rarely drank from a bottle (except on days when I had to give them my expressed milk) didn’t really master this skill and transitioned to sippy cups by age 1.
Like we always say, each baby is unique and they develop at their own pace. Some babies might be able to develop their fine motor skills (involves the use of their fingers) earlier than others.
This is why some babies learn to hold their bottles early, at around 6 months of age. While some learn to do it much later, at around 10 to 12 months.
According to Healthline, the average age that a baby can learn to hold his bottle is around 8 to 9 months, when they have the strength and fine motor skills to hold objects with their hands, as well as the hand and eye coordination to guide their fingers where they want it to go.
Transitioning from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding can also be a factor on how early or how late a child can learn to hold his own bottle. If they have just transitioned to drinking from the bottle, they may not express an interest in holding it right away, even though they have the skills to do so.
Likewise, a hungry baby will always try to grab a bottle. So an interest in food and developing independence for eating can also be another factor.
Why won’t my child hold his bottle?
According to theAsianParent Malaysia, there are several reasons why your baby might seem reluctant in holding his own bottle:
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You’re always holding it for him
If your baby has gotten used to someone holding his bottle for him at the perfect angle, with the perfect flow, he might not be too interested in doing it himself. It takes some practice before your baby warms up to the idea of holding his own bottle.
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They don’t know how to do it
If they’re trying to do it but it’s not working out for them, they might just abort the mission and go back to being dependent on you to hold his bottle.
Again, if you want your baby to hold his own bottle, you need to teach your baby the proper way to do it. Help him grasp his bottle first and show him the best position to hold it without falling off.
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He’s not in a good position to do it
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If you breastfed before, do you remember the times when your baby won’t latch because he wasn’t comfortable with his position? This is almost the same thing, except now it’s the baby who is looking for a better position to hold his bottle and feed properly.
Being in a flat position might make it difficult for him to swallow his milk, or the flow of his bottle might be difficult in that position. Make sure your child is in a comfortable position to hold and drink from his bottle.
Other reasons can be that he’s too sleepy and simply not in the mood to do it, or because developmentally, he is not yet ready to hit that milestone.
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Signs that baby is ready to hold his own bottle
When should a baby learn to hold his own bottle? Here are some things you can watch out for that may indicate that you can start training him:
- He one can sit on his own without any support
- While sitting, he can stay balanced while playing with a toy in hand
- He can reach for objects and picks them up while sitting
- He can reach for food and bring it to his mouth
- He puts his hand or both hands on the bottle whenever you feed him
If your child is not at this stage yet, don’t worry. They will learn to do it eventually, with a little help and encouragement from you.
Reminders before you let baby hold his own bottle
We all want our baby to learn to how their baby bottle (or sippy cup). But before we go to that, we should remember these important things:
Never leave your child unattended when he is drinking from a bottle. We’ve heard of too many horror stories about a baby in danger because he or she was left alone drinking from his baby bottle. For safety purposes, always keep a child on your baby when he is feeding.
Remember that the bottle is for feeding, not for comfort or falling asleep. Giving your baby a bottle then allowing him to sleep with the teats still in his mouth while he is asleep does not only damage your baby’s teeth, it’s also a dangerous habit that might lead to suffocation or choking on milk.
Instead, feed your baby shortly before putting them to bed (or let them do while you’re keeping an eye on them) and then gently wipe their gums and teeth free of milk. If your baby cries every time you pull the nipple out, try replacing it with a pacifier.
If your baby can’t hold their own bottle yet, resist the urge to prop it on something. We see a lot of products online that promotes “hands-free” holding of bottles. From pillows where you can insert the bottle in to metal holders that can be connected to strollers. But this is not a good practice and can cause accidents like choking or overeating.
We cannot stress it enough: never leave baby unsupervised when feeding, ever.
Tips to help your baby hold his own bottle
Image from Freepik
When should baby hold his own bottle? When you see that he is ready! When the time comes that you feel he has the necessary skills and the right attitude to feed more independently, here are some pointers that can help you train baby to hold his bottle:
- Build baby’s strength by giving him ample tummy time and moments to practice his fine motor skills.
- Demonstrating the hand-to-mouth motion by taking baby-safe items (like teethers or food if he’s above 6 months) and bringing them from floor level to baby’s mouth.
- Train baby to put his bands on the bottle by holding his hands, placing it on the right position. While placing your hands on top of his, guide him as he puts the bottle teat to his mouth.
- While he’s not an “expert” at holding his own cup yet, help him out by giving him baby bottles he can easily grip and sippy cups with handles. Also make sure that the flow of the nipples is appropriate to his age to avoid choking on milk.
- Be patient. Practice makes progress! Make holding his bottle a part of your baby’s daily exercise to practice his fine motor skills. However, don’t force him if he is sleepy, cranky, or simply not ready to hold his own bottle yet.
- Praise your baby and express your happiness when he is showing signs of independence such as holding his own bottle, even for just a few seconds. A little encouragement goes a long way!