Cardinal Pointers

  • A baby can hold the bottle for around half dozen months since they develop motor skills to concur objects.
  • You lot may detect the infant'southward motor skills, provide support, and give empty bottles and and so filled ones.
  • Touching the nipple of the bottle to the side of the lips can initiate a sucking reflex in babies.

At effectually six months after childbirth, many mothers begin to experiment with their baby'due south diet. Equally they gradually consider shifting to the canteen, a common question pediatricians are asked at this time is, "when can a babe hold a bottle?"

While information technology is safe to explore other nutrition options for your infant in this menstruum, experts recommend breastfeeding a baby while feeding them other foods till one or two years of historic period, if possible.

Read on to know when a baby tin can hold a canteen, tips to aid them do so, and the precautions to take while they agree a bottle to prevent vomiting.

When Tin can A Baby Hold The Bottle?

A baby should be able to agree a canteen from the historic period of half dozen months because it is the time when they develop motor skills to motion objects from hand to mitt. This includes the grasp reflex, and the baby tin hold the bottle using all fingers. In fact, your baby'south power to concord the bottle past the sixth month is one of the indicators of healthy evolution (1).

Babies develop the primitive palmar grip from the end of the fifth month. Therefore, information technology is quite likely that she may catch the bottle and hold information technology too (2).

All the same, it is not necessary that all the babies begin property the bottle past the sixth month. Sometimes, she may not fifty-fifty show an inclination towards holding the canteen independently until 10 months or more.

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

Also, do non be surprised if your baby begins to concord things as early as three months.

Brand an effort to help her in accomplishing the task. But initially, information technology is best to canteen feed the infant by holding the bottle yourself. Keep the head of the infant upwardly to prevent aspiration.

How To Make A Infant Concur The Bottle:

The process needs to be gradual. You need to spend some time and not lose patience equally your infant could learn the chore subsequently several attempts.

  • Introduce your baby to the bottle during the feeding session, by making her touch and feel the bottle to get a sense of its shape, size, and weight.
  • Initially, make her agree an empty bottle by putting her easily around it.
  • Once she shows interest in holding it, make full the bottle in instalments – quarter, one-half and so full.
  • When filling the canteen, y'all need to consider your infant's ability to conduct the weight of the canteen.
  • Then slowly move the bottle in her hands most to her mouth. 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, then information technology is an instant success! Otherwise, you can guide the nipple into her oral fissure.
  • Back up the bottle at the other terminate. One time you are convinced about her ability to have a decent grip on the canteen let go your hold, while keeping a watchful eye.

6 Tips To Assist Your Baby Concur The Bottle

Your baby tin can bear witness an interest in holding the canteen from an early age if you lot encourage her to exercise so. Follow these tips to teach your baby the correct way of holding the bottle, and make her associate the bottle with her hunger.

1. Detect patterns in your baby's motor skills:

Do not force your baby to hold the bottle while feeding. Instead, become by her motor skill milestones. Babies usually learn to open up and shut hands firmly by the age of 3 months. This means that there is a skilful chance for your baby to clutch her toys firmly, and move them.

Observe for such playtime patterns and if she shows interest in belongings objects, you may try to make her hold the bottle. Initially, brand her hold modest toys.

2. Teach the utility of the bottle:

Make your baby understand the connection between her hunger and the feeding bottle. You lot tin do this by giving her the bottle when she is hungry. Babies learn to recognize faces and objects at distance as early as three months, which means they can easily associate objects with a purpose. Training her petty listen to await up to the canteen as a source of food will automatically stimulate her to take it when she is hungry.

3. Cuddle her:

Your baby tin feel the warmth of your body when you are breastfeeding her. Brand her experience the same even when she is bottle-feeding. This will not make her feel deprived of your proximity. Holding the baby in your artillery will make information technology easy for her to accommodate to the bottle. Requite her the warmth of the mother while bottle feeding.

4. Maintain peace and silence during the feeding session:

Practice not distract the babe with noises when she is feeding. If at that place are as well many things happening around her during the canteen-feeding session, she may not feed to her content or may gulp more air than milk. Lark during feeding volition result in the baby either losing interest in feeding or aspiration of milk. This can be dangerous.
Caress her in your artillery while feeding. That mode you lot can proceed a watch on her while the warmth of your body keeps her calm.

5. Provide some back up:

Your baby'south tender arms could hurt holding the canteen for a long time. Therefore, provide support to her artillery by putting a cushion or a soft and safety object under them. You lot might too try holders that will keep the bottle in place. This will not only assist your infant relax her arms but also continue the bottle in the right position when she is feeding. Go on the caput of the baby in a raised position every bit compared to the body.

half-dozen. It is okay if she does not agree the bottle some days:

On certain days, she may not want to concur the canteen. Just like adults, babies likewise can take mood swings. She may clench her fist and non open information technology. If that is the case then leave the matters there. Practise not force her to feed from the bottle. She volition achieve out for it when she is hungry.

Most importantly, exercise non aim to teach your baby to hold the canteen in the first few days itself. Rushing through the process could make her develop an aversion or impairment her physically. Take plenty safety precautions to avoid any harm to your babe.

Precautions To Take When The Baby Holds The Bottle:

Following these safety measures will make sure that there is no danger, all the same minor it is, for your babe.

1. Place the infant in the right position:

The all-time position for your babe 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 then keep her in a slightly arched position that mimics the natural breastfeeding position.

Never permit the babe agree the bottle vertically straight or tip information technology over into her mouth (3). This could choke the infant or result in infection, if the contents flow out into her ears. The eustachian tube of babies is smaller and straight and the milk may go into the centre ear leading to ear infection. Instead, let the baby exert strength from her mitt and decide the amount of tilt she requires for the canteen.

2. Practice not leave the babe unattended:

Even if your little parcel of joy has get independent with canteen feeding, you cannot leave her alone when she is drinking from it. Stay close and monitor your baby when she is feeding. If yous feel she is losing her residuum with her bottle, gently correct the position.

3. Heed carefully to feeding sounds:

Heed to the sounds your infant makes when she is feeding. If she makes too much noise then perhaps she is sucking in a lot of air. Excessive gas tin can lead to colic pain. Check the nipple of the canteen for any blockage, and too the position of the bottle in her hand. Ensure that she has placed the nipple properly in her rima oris.

4. Help remove the nipple from the mouth:

Your baby could exist a pro in holding the bottle but she may still demand aid in removing the nipple from her mouth, specially if she started holding the bottle at a younger historic period. Leaving the nipple for too long in the mouth tin cause cavities in the baby's mouth. Therefore, gently remove the nipple from her oral fissure subsequently she feeds herself adequately. If she shows resistance or puts it back in the oral cavity then she is not total nonetheless.

5. Never let the baby sleep with the bottle

The canteen is non a toy and should never be left unattended with the baby. She may overfeed herself and it can exist a choking hazard. Be watchful of your babe'due south feeding addiction past being around whenever she feeds. Babies tend to go to sleep while feeding. Do not let that happen.

Holding a bottle is non a hard task for your baby. She can learn it in no time, peculiarly if she loves to drink the content in the bottle. Take patience and aid your babe with the job. And there is no impairment if your niggling i learns the art later than the other babies.

When did your little one begin holding the canteen? Share your experiences with united states of america by leaving a comment below.

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Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla is a well-known pediatrician, practicing paediatrics since the last 20 years in Karachi Pakistan. She is the head of the department of Pediatrics in Karachi Liaquat Infirmary, likewise as her individual practise in three specialist clinics in Pediatrics. She is also a Public Health Specialist specializing in preventive health including nutrition, breastfeeding and infectious diseases peculiarly... more

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