Hello-
Our girls are 8mo actual (6.5mo) adjusted age. We are currently propping bottles and started doing it about 1.5 months ago. It definatly makes feeding all of them easier but now I'm worried that by doing so we may delay them learning how to hold the bottle on their own. I don't know at what age they should be able to do this but for the most part they don't really put their hands on the bottle to hold it while propped, although they will take it out and put it back in their mouth while they are eating.

For those of you that have propped bottles, did you have any problems getting them to hold it on their own? Should I start trying to get them familiar with the sippy cup now also?

Thanks for any advice!

We propped bottles from the beginning. Ours started holding their own bottles about a month ago (at around 9 months old actual, 7 adjusted.) It started the same as yours, they would take the bottles out and put them back in and eventually just started holding on their own.

We started practicing with sippy cups pretty early. I can't even remember when, but at least 4 months ago. I would just put water in them and give them to them in their seats. They didn't really drink anything at first, but got the hang of holding them pretty quickly.

Good Luck!

Patty
Daniel, Anna & Kathryn born 3/9/08 at 31w3d

Bonus Beck...Sean Paul born 1/16/10.


http://www.becktriplets.blogspot.com/

We propped from about the 2 month mark on...2 of the babies have started trying to hold their bottles a lot over the last 2 weeks. They will be 6 months Monday...3 months 3 weeks adjusted.
Good luck!!

Our Blog http://tripmomma.blogspot.com/

We never propped. Always fed them while holding them and around 6 months we started to help them hold the bottle, while we were holding them. By 6.5 months they were all holding their own bottles. Life is MUCH easier now!

Carla
Happy Stay at Home Mom to triplets
Born 5/26/08 at 32 weeks
Boy 4lbs, 10oz
Girl 4 lbs
Girl 4 lbs, 5oz

Attachment #1, (jpg file)

Wow Carla, that's amazing! Great job. I kinda feel like a slacker
We have one that mostly does, another that is starting to try and our 3rd won't even try. Hmm, sure would make life easier. (Ours our 8 months). You've inspired me!

www.bahmerbunch.blogspot.com
www.bahmerbunchmom.blogspot.com

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We propped for a long time. It's usually just one of us feeding them, so we propped in order to be able to feed them all at the same time. It did seem to delay them in learning how to hold their bottles - we propped with bundled up blankets, and their arms were pinned under the blankets. If you can come up with any way to prop that leaves their arms/hands free to interact with the bottle, that would probably be better than what we did.

Around 9mo actual, we started working on holding bottles. Teaching 3 at the same time seemed like it would be impossible with one person feeding all three, so we picked DD with the most advanced motor skills, kept propping the other two, and worked with her. At first, we just held her hands on the bottle to get her used to the sensation of holding something in her hands while she ate. She fought us on that for a little while, but eventually she got used to that. Then, we transitioned to putting the bottle in her hands and holding her arms (but not hands) in place.

She still had a hard time really getting the hang of it - she couldn't figure out that she had to tilt the bottle for the whole thing to work. We've always fed them in infant recliner chairs, and someone gave us the tip to put the chair all the way flat to start out; that way if they're holding the bottle at all, it will be tilted correctly. That did the trick. Then we slowly started raising the chair back up, and now she's a bottle holding champ. We went through the same process with my other DD, and she picked it up pretty quickly.

My DS (12 months)still refuses to hold bottles, but he holds a sippy cup and drinks from it in his highchair. Since we'll probably be giving up bottles soon, we just haven't bothered to work on it.

-Dan

Dad to GGB triplets
Rebecca Grace 5lb 1oz
Katherine Anne 5lb 1oz
Brendan Walter 4lb 12oz
Born 12/21/2007 at 33w 1d

Thanks eyeryone for the replys!

I have started trying to focus on one at a time during feedings and put their hands on the bottle for as long as they will let me. It's not very long at all but I guess you have to start somewhere!

I never propped bottles because I wanted to be albe to spend one-on-one time snuggling my babies while they ate at least, the other times during the day that I get to do that are few and far between. Well, it bit me in the A. I now have three kids that refuse to even touch the bottle while they're drinking from it; I think they also made the association that they get snuggle time with Mommy so why bother feeding themselves and give up snuggles? ARGH! They will be 11 months (9 1/2 adjusted) on Sunday and over the last few months I have tried giving them their bottles to drink themselves everywhere, on many different occassions: bouncy seats, high chairs, lying them on the floor, sitting them on the floor. It always ends the same way... all three fighting over the bottles until they get bored and then the bottle leaks all over the carpet. I finally tried teaching them by wrapping their hands around it and they arch and ball up their hands and flap their arms all over the place, it's a mess.

I don't think propping will hinder their ability to hold the bottles on their own. My pedi said that after 6 months they have the cognitive ability and muscle tone to do it themselves and to just let them figure it out but I can't stand walking all over formula-wet floors all day either.

I was telling my therapist about it last night and we both thought about sippy cups as an idea for getting them used to drinking it temselves. So instead of holding them with their bottles, I can hold them with a cup and kill two birds with one stone (theoretically). They have had cups of water out all day to play with and get used to using so maybe they would do well with it, I don't know. My pedi also recommended the old switcheroo trick for switching to sippies: milk in the cup, water in the bottle. I am going to try it, I think.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone and myt lazy kids are older than yours so don't start worrying yet! LOL And I think getting them used to the sippy cup early is a good idea too.

Good luck! Sorry I rambled...

Mandie

http://www.morethanweexpected.com/
http://mandiemonium.blogspot.com/

We've never propped bottles and just this past week we added the Avent magic handles to their bottles and now they are all holding their bottle. I actually got to read a magazine the other day while they ate their breakfast; only other MOM would understand that So if you are using any of the Avent bottles, I would give them a try; it gives them something smaller to grasp onto instead of the bigger bottle. HTH!

My beautiful boys born on 6/8/2008:
Rowan 2 lbs 10 oz
Elliott 2 lbs 7 oz
Finn 2 lbs 5 oz

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This is exactly when we started getting the familiar with the sippy cups. I figured that if they had to learn something new, it might as be all the way. Plus, it is easier for them to hold the sippy cup handles than to hold the bottles.

I know that ppl advise against this, but I prop the trips up on their Bobby pillows too when it is time for them to drink. APparently when they lay back it could cause fluid to drain in their inner ears (or something like that), but it makes my life so easy to let them lay there with their cups while i am watching but doing other things. So far, we have not had a single ear problem.

http://www.mcgheetriplets.blogspot.com/
35 week triplets (BBG) - April 25, 2008
Roman 4lb 12oz
Luke 4lb 12oz
Cara 5lb 7oz
http://lilypie.com>