Is it bad that .......

[heeeeerekittykitty]

My ds can't yet hold he's own bottle , and that I am not encouraging it ?

Should I be ?

I love feeding him :-) I figure when he's old enough to wanna do it he will show me. Or is that wrong and do I need to teach him ?

What age did your child begin holding their own ? I use the NUK bottles so they are long and narrow and not that easy for a baby to hold I reckon .

Anyway TIA for replies ! As usual I'm listening to people telling me that "their " baby was holding it way before 8 months , and that ds should definitely be and that I'm babying him . Well yeah , he's a baby ???

[elleandsam]

DD is 14 months and has never held her own bottle.! But she has no problem holding cups or other things. I don't think it's essential.

[Myztiks#1Fan]

if you love feeding him and he loves you feeding him, who cares. you both got your own little thing happening and he will do it when he is ready to.

[naebie]

I think it is great that you want to feed him! That's a great bonding time for the both of you, even if he is 8 months old! If you are happy doing it then keeping doing it!

If you are worried, maybe start offering him water at meal times (solids) just so he has the opportunity to practice for when he is older? You could try with a soft spout sippy cup that might be more child friendly to hold, maybe one with handles?
That way you are separating the milk feeds/ bonding from the solids meals in terms of expectations?

Sorry iif I made no sense :P

[BabelFish]

Pfffft! My 8-month-old wouldn't have a hope of holding his own bottle! He's breastfed but gets bottles at Mum's when I'm at work.

Gawd what is with people? Just smile and ignore them. Seriously, no words, just smile and ignore them. People usually shut right up when they're not responded to.

You're doing a great job - feeding your child is one of life's great joys. I wouldn't be in any rush to make him more independent in that regard - what you said is right, he'll definitely come to it on his own, in his own time.

It's not one of those things that really matters. People are idiots

[myrainbowfamily86]

i personally don't like the idea of plonking bub in the cot to hold their own bottle.

My ds is 13months and i have always held him and held the bottle since he started bottlefeeding at 7 months. It is only in the last month that he has shown any interest in holding his own bottle while i cuddle him, but he gets sick of it after a couple of minutes so i hold it then. He is walking and holds all his drink cups/finger food etc, and he only has the one bottle at night before bed so i enjoy that time with my 'baby'. dont listen to others who compare and judge, enjoy the special cuddles while they last!

[heeeeerekittykitty]

Thanks ladies , I feel better already !! and it doesn't help that when this new bub is born I'll have a 14month age gap so people( idiots) are even more adamant that he MUST learn before then .

Lol , think I've got bigger things to worry bout than that , perhaps that he bloody
never sleeps longer than 3 hours at night !!

I figure so what I've gotta feed him , I love it, and really , even with 2 bubs I'll survive and manage somehow like everyone does , somehow you just GET THROUGH IT!!!

Thank u for the reassurance! Oh , but more welcome if offered hehe :-)

[TripleTime]

My girls held their bottles from 8ish months. DS on the other hand, lazy turd & didn't till 14 months.

For me, them being able to hold their bottles was a big thing. Made all our lives easier & less stress for me.

Do why ever works for your family.

[expression]

My DS is 8 months old and we still feed him. He can hold his own bottle but prefers not to and we prefer to feed him

[brogeybear]

My DS NEVER held his own bottle. Just because I failed at BF doesn't mean that I wan't going to make feed time our special time. I always cradled him and fed him just as I would have if I was BF, right until 18 months-ish when I weaned him from the bottle. He could drink from a straw in a cup from 7 months and had a sippy cup from around 10 months which he held himself. But never the bottle.