When should a baby start holding their bottle? Plus How to Make it Easier
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When should a baby start holding their bottle and why you need to get them to start doing it
From the age of six months, a baby should be able to hold a bottle and this is when their motor skills for moving items from hand to hand are developing. In reality, by the sixth month, your baby’s ability to hold the bottle is one of the markers of healthy growth.
From the end of the fifth month onwards, babies grow a primitive palmar grip. As a result, he’ll most likely be able to get the bottle and keep it.
It is not mandatory, however, for all babies to begin touching the bottle at the age of six months. For up to ten months or more, he could not show any interest in handling the bottle on his own.
This does not indicate that he is falling behind in his studies. This should not be a point of anxiety for you as long as he reaches other developmental milestones.
Make every effort to assist him in completing the task.
During the feeding session, introduce your baby to the bottle by touching and feeling it to get a sense of its form, scale, and weight.
He initially supported an empty bottle by putting his hands on it.
Fill the bottle in stages, quarter, half, and then full, until he has shown interest in handling it.
You should understand your baby’s capacity to withstand the weight of the bottle while filling it.
Then, with his hands close to his mouth, he softly moves the bottle.
Because of the scent of milk and suckers, if he touches the nipple in his mouth, it is an immediate success! You can also direct the nipple into his mouth if necessary.
At the other hand, help the bottle. When you’re confident in his ability to keep a good grip on the bottle, let go of your grip when being watched.
Ways To Make It Easier For Your Baby To Hold A Bottle
If you encourage your baby to hold the bottle from an early age, he can develop an interest in doing so. Follow these instructions to show your baby how to hold the bottle properly and to associate the bottle with him.
- Examine the baby’s motor skills for patterns:
During feeding, do not push your baby to touch the bottle. Instead, go through his motor ability milestones with him. By the age of three months, most babies have learned to open and close their hands securely. This indicates that your baby has a fair chance of gripping and moving his toys.
Keep an eye on his playtime habits, and if he shows an interest in manipulating objects, you might try touching him with a bottle.
- Teach how to use the bottle:
Allow your child to understand the connection between hunger and bottle feeding. When he’s hungry, you can do this by giving him a bottle. At the age of three months, babies can identify faces and objects at a distance of three months, implying that they can easily link objects to a target. If he is taught to think of the bottle as a source of food, he would instinctively reach for it when he is hungry.
- Acknowledge him:
When you breastfeed, your baby feels the warmth of your body. And if she is bottle-fed, give her the same experience. It won’t make him feel as though you’ve been cut off from him. It would be easier for the baby to fit into the bottle if you hold him in your arms.
- Keep the feeding session peaceful and quiet:
When the baby is eating, don’t make any sounds. If there is a lot going on around him during the bottle feeding session, he might not be able to eat to his full capacity or swallow more air than milk.
While feeding him, hug him in your arms. You’ll be able to keep an eye on him while your body heat keeps him cool.
- Offer some assistance:
Touching the bottle with your baby’s soft arm for an extended period of time will cause pain. As a result, protect his arms by placing a pillow or another comfortable and stable object underneath them. You may also use holders to keep the bottle upright. This will not only allow your baby to relax his arms, but it will also allow him to eat with the bottle in the proper place.
- It’s preferable if he doesn’t keep the bottle for more than a few days:
He might not want to touch the bottle on some days. Babies, like adults, will experience mood swings. He was able to keep his fist closed and not open it. If that’s the case, don’t worry about it. Don’t let him drink from the bottle. When he’s hungry, he’ll catch it.
Final Thoughts
Your baby would have no trouble handling the bottle. He’ll figure it out quickly, particularly if he intends to drink the contents of the bottle. Patience is a virtue, and you can assist your baby at work. It’s also not a problem if your baby knows the art better than other babies.
Above all, do not attempt to teach your baby to keep the bottle within the first few days. Moving during the process can cause aversion or physical harm to him. Take the necessary safety precautions to keep your baby healthy.
When the baby is holding the bottle, there are certain precautions to take.
Following these safety precautions will ensure that your baby is not exposed to any harm, no matter how minor.
Put the baby in the right way: Breastfeeding is the safest position for your baby to eat from the bottle: lying on your back with your arms confined. If you’re going to put the baby down on a surface, keep him in an arched position that mimics natural breastfeeding.
Allowing the infant to sleep with the bottle is not a good idea.
The bottle is not a toy, and the baby should not be left alone with it. He has a tendency to overeat, which puts him at risk of choking. Keep an eye on your baby’s eating habits by being there while he feeds.
