Key Pointers

  • A infant can concord the canteen for effectually 6 months since they develop motor skills to concord objects.
  • You may discover the baby'south motor skills, provide support, and give empty bottles and then filled ones.
  • Touching the nipple of the canteen to the side of the lips can initiate a sucking reflex in babies.

At around vi months after childbirth, many mothers brainstorm to experiment with their infant's nutrition. Equally they gradually consider shifting to the bottle, a common question pediatricians are asked at this time is, "when can a baby hold a bottle?"

While it is condom to explore other nutrition options for your infant in this period, experts recommend breastfeeding a babe while feeding them other foods till i or 2 years of age, if possible.

Read on to know when a baby can hold a bottle, tips to assistance them exercise so, and the precautions to take while they concord a bottle to prevent vomiting.

When Can A Baby Hold The Bottle?

A baby should be able to hold a bottle from the age of 6 months considering it is the time when they develop motor skills to motion objects from paw to mitt. This includes the grasp reflex, and the infant can hold the canteen using all fingers. In fact, your baby's ability to hold the bottle by the 6th calendar month is one of the indicators of healthy evolution (one).

Babies develop the primitive palmar grip from the cease of the 5th month. Therefore, information technology is quite likely that she may grab the bottle and agree it too (2).

Still, it is non necessary that all the babies begin property the bottle by the 6th calendar month. Sometimes, she may not even show an inclination towards holding the bottle independently until x months or more.

This does not hateful that she is lagging in development. As long as she meets other developmental milestones, this should not be a source of worry for you.

As well, practise not be surprised if your babe begins to hold things as early as three months.

Make an attempt to help her in accomplishing the task. Merely initially, it is all-time to bottle feed the babe by holding the canteen yourself. Proceed the head of the infant up to forbid aspiration.

How To Make A Baby Concur The Canteen:

The process needs to be gradual. You lot demand to spend some time and not lose patience as your baby could acquire the chore after several attempts.

  • Introduce your baby to the bottle during the feeding session, past making her touch on and feel the bottle to get a sense of its shape, size, and weight.
  • Initially, make her hold an empty bottle by putting her hands around information technology.
  • Once she shows interest in holding information technology, fill the bottle in instalments – quarter, half and then total.
  • When filling the bottle, you need to consider your babe's ability to conduct the weight of the bottle.
  • Then slowly motion the canteen in her hands almost to her oral cavity. Touching the nipple to the side of the lips initiates sucking reflex.
  • If she holds the nipple to her mouth, due to the smell of the milk, and suckles, and so it is an instant success! Otherwise, you tin can guide the nipple into her mouth.
  • Support the bottle at the other end. In one case you are convinced virtually her ability to have a decent grip on the canteen let go your concur, while keeping a watchful centre.

6 Tips To Help Your Baby Hold The Canteen

Your baby tin show an interest in belongings the bottle from an early on historic period if you encourage her to do then. Follow these tips to teach your baby the correct way of holding the canteen, and make her associate the bottle with her hunger.

i. Observe patterns in your baby's motor skills:

Do not force your baby to hold the bottle while feeding. Instead, go by her motor skill milestones. Babies usually learn to open up and shut hands firmly by the age of three months. This means that there is a expert risk for your baby to clutch her toys firmly, and move them.

Detect for such playtime patterns and if she shows interest in holding objects, you may effort to make her concord the bottle. Initially, make her hold small toys.

2. Teach the utility of the canteen:

Make your baby sympathize the connexion between her hunger and the feeding canteen. You can do this by giving her the bottle when she is hungry. Babies learn to recognize faces and objects at altitude as early as three months, which means they tin can hands associate objects with a purpose. Grooming her lilliputian mind to look up to the bottle as a source of food volition automatically stimulate her to accept it when she is hungry.

3. Caress her:

Your baby can feel the warmth of your body when you are breastfeeding her. Brand her feel the same even when she is bottle-feeding. This volition non make her feel deprived of your proximity. Holding the infant in your arms will get in easy for her to adapt to the bottle. Give her the warmth of the female parent while bottle feeding.

4. Maintain peace and silence during the feeding session:

Do non distract the baby with noises when she is feeding. If at that place are too many things happening effectually her during the bottle-feeding session, she may non feed to her content or may gulp more than air than milk. Distraction during feeding volition result in the baby either losing involvement in feeding or aspiration of milk. This tin can be unsafe.
Cuddle her in your arms while feeding. That way you can keep a watch on her while the warmth of your body keeps her at-home.

v. Provide some support:

Your infant's tender artillery could hurt holding the bottle for a long time. Therefore, provide support to her artillery past putting a absorber or a soft and safe object nether them. You might also try holders that volition keep the bottle in identify. This volition non only assistance your baby relax her arms but also keep the bottle in the right position when she is feeding. Go along the caput of the babe in a raised position as compared to the body.

half-dozen. It is okay if she does non hold the bottle some days:

On certain days, she may not want to hold the bottle. Just like adults, babies as well can have mood swings. She may clench her fist and non open it. If that is the case and then get out the matters there. Do not force her to feed from the bottle. She will reach out for it when she is hungry.

Most chiefly, do not aim to teach your baby to hold the bottle in the commencement few days itself. Rushing through the process could brand her develop an aversion or harm her physically. Accept enough safety precautions to avoid whatsoever harm to your baby.

Precautions To Take When The Baby Holds The Bottle:

Following these safety measures will make sure that there is no danger, however minor it is, for your baby.

1. Place the baby in the right position:

The all-time position for your baby to feed from the bottle is the breastfeeding position: lying on the back cuddled in your arms. If you intend to put the baby on a surface, and so continue her in a slightly biconvex position that mimics the natural breastfeeding position.

Never let the baby hold the canteen vertically straight or tip information technology over into her oral fissure (3). This could choke the baby or result in infection, if the contents menstruation out into her ears. The eustachian tube of babies is smaller and directly and the milk may get into the middle ear leading to ear infection. Instead, let the infant exert force from her hand and determine the amount of tilt she requires for the bottle.

2. Do not leave the babe unattended:

Even if your little bundle of joy has become independent with canteen feeding, y'all cannot leave her alone when she is drinking from it. Stay close and monitor your baby when she is feeding. If you lot experience she is losing her residual with her canteen, gently correct the position.

3. Listen carefully to feeding sounds:

Listen to the sounds your baby makes when she is feeding. If she makes likewise much racket then perhaps she is sucking in a lot of air. Excessive gas can lead to colic pain. Check the nipple of the bottle for whatsoever blockage, and also the position of the bottle in her paw. Ensure that she has placed the nipple properly in her rima oris.

4. Help remove the nipple from the oral fissure:

Your baby could be a pro in property the bottle merely she may nevertheless demand help in removing the nipple from her mouth, especially if she started holding the canteen at a younger age. Leaving the nipple for likewise long in the mouth can cause cavities in the infant's mouth. Therefore, gently remove the nipple from her mouth after she feeds herself adequately. If she shows resistance or puts it back in the oral fissure so she is not full yet.

5. Never let the baby slumber with the bottle

The bottle is not a toy and should never be left unattended with the baby. She may overfeed herself and it tin be a choking hazard. Exist watchful of your infant's feeding addiction by being around whenever she feeds. Babies tend to become to sleep while feeding. Do not let that happen.

Holding a canteen is not a difficult task for your baby. She can acquire it in no fourth dimension, especially if she loves to drink the content in the bottle. Have patience and help your baby with the job. And there is no harm if your little i learns the art later than the other babies.

When did your little ane begin holding the bottle? Share your experiences with us by leaving a annotate below.

The post-obit two tabs change content below.

  • Reviewer
  • Author

Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla is a well-known pediatrician, practicing paediatrics since the last xx years in Karachi Islamic republic of pakistan. She is the head of the department of Pediatrics in Karachi Liaquat Hospital, too equally her private practice in three specialist clinics in Pediatrics. She is also a Public Health Specialist specializing in preventive health including nutrition, breastfeeding and infectious diseases especially... more than

Rohit Garoo is a zoologist-botanist turned author with over 8 years of experience in content writing, content marketing, and copywriting. He has also done an MBA in marketing and human resource and worked in the domains of market enquiry and e-commerce. Rohit writes topics related to health, wellness and evolution of babies. His articles featured on several notable websites, including... more