How to Teach a Baby to Hold a Bottle

As a baby approaches the middle of his first year of life, his parents often begin to wonder when he will begin to hold his own baby bottle. Babies need to have certain fine-motor skills to help them hold their bottles effectively. Here's how to get a head start on teaching your baby to hold his bottle.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Place your baby's hands on the bottle along with your hand during feeding. This will help get your baby used to the proper hand position for holding the bottle on his own.
2. Use a small, lightweight baby bottle that is easy to hold. For a baby starting to hold his bottle, smaller bottles often work better. A large and heavy bottle may feel awkward to a small baby and, therefore, be hard to hold properly.
3. Put a small amount of liquid in your baby's bottle. A completely full bottle will be too heavy for a baby to hold properly. Start out with 1 or 2 ounces of liquid in the bottle, and then ramp up to more liquid as the baby becomes comfortable with holding the baby bottle.
4. Consider choosing bottles that have handles on them. Handles may make it easier for your baby to grab hold of the baby bottle.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to rush your baby into holding his bottle. Babies will typically hold their own bottles between 6 to 10 months of age, but they will all do it when they are ready. Enjoy the time that you have to sit and hold your baby while you feed him from a bottle.
• Don't prop up a baby bottle in the hopes that your baby will learn to hold his bottle any faster. Propping a baby bottle can lead to ear infections and to your baby overeating. A baby can also choke when feeding from a propped bottle.