Teaching Them To Hold A Bottle At 1 Yrs Old

[countrymom]

I have a child who doesn't know how to hold her bottle or sippy cup to drink. Dad says she does but I know that he's full of poop. I have yet to see this child do it. Her bottle is sitting here on the floor, its the evenflo bottle so its not too heavy and I've tried every kind of sippy and nothing she wants me to do it for her.

[SunshineMama]

I have a child who doesn't know how to hold her bottle or sippy cup to drink. Dad says she does but I know that he's full of poop. I have yet to see this child do it. Her bottle is sitting here on the floor, its the evenflo bottle so its not too heavy and I've tried every kind of sippy and nothing she wants me to do it for her.

Can you prop it? I wouldn't prop it for a younger child, but I don't have the time to bottle feed a 1 year old. She can do it- she's just being lazy probably because she can. Both of my own kids could hold bottles at 4 months. I guarantee a 1 year old can.

[MNMum]

I had one like this recently. I think I said out loud to myself one day "Why am I still holding your bottle?" 1 yo was in my lap, I simply placed his hands on his bottle and held them there at first. Then I would put his hands on the bottle and tell him to hold it. He was just being lazy about it. Pretty quickly he learned if he wanted his milk he would need to hold the bottle.

[Heidi]

A one year old shouldn't even be getting a bottle anymore, imo.

She should be eating at the table with everyone else what everyone else is eating. Exception being choking hazards, like raw carrots, which I steam for my younger ones, if I serve them. Apples I just slice really thin until I am comfortable.

I would give her a cup with a lid at meal times. Set it in front of her, and she will hopefully do it when she sees the other kids doing it. If not, you could help her as pp said at the end of the meal. That way she's gotten enough time during the meal to try it, but she is not walking away completely thirsty.

[countrymom]

I've done everything you ladies have said. She needs to sit on my lap, she tips her head back and will drink, but only 2 slurps at a time and then you have to pull it out and put it back in. I'm so tired of it. Seriously it takes over a half hour for her to drink. She is lazy. Oh mom wants to switch her to sippies, but how is she going to do that if she can't hold anything.

[Heidi]

I've done everything you ladies have said. She needs to sit on my lap, she tips her head back and will drink, but only 2 slurps at a time and then you have to pull it out and put it back in. I'm so tired of it. Seriously it takes over a half hour for her to drink. She is lazy. Oh mom wants to switch her to sippies, but how is she going to do that if she can't hold anything.

Does she feed herself food? How are her other motor skills? Does she manipulate toys, etc?

Honestly, I would just set the cup in front of her at the table. She drinks, she doesn't drink, not your problem. You just have to offer it...

[MNMum]

A one year old shouldn't even be getting a bottle anymore, imo.

She should be eating at the table with everyone else what everyone else is eating. Exception being choking hazards, like raw carrots, which I steam for my younger ones, if I serve them. Apples I just slice really thin until I am comfortable.

I would give her a cup with a lid at meal times. Set it in front of her, and she will hopefully do it when she sees the other kids doing it. If not, you could help her as pp said at the end of the meal. That way she's gotten enough time during the meal to try it, but she is not walking away completely thirsty.

I agree. This particular kid came to me at 9 mos and has a few issues. Sensory stuff. Finally drinking from a sippy at 16 mos. Still hardly eats a thing. I see therapy in his future.

[momma2girls]

Everyone is off the bottle and out of formula at the age of one, if not before here at daycare.

[nannyde]

country I have a technique to use for this that works every time but it would take me forever to type out.

Am I understanding that she's on a bottle because she can't manage a sippy yet? Have you tried a straw?

[countrymom]

she's on a bottle, she can't hold it. I have tried sippys with handles she just won't hold it. to me she seems lazy. She also doesn't know how to drink from a sippy, so I have sippys with handles and a nipple and she still won't do it. Today I gave her the bottle and she stood there with her mouth open waiting for me to give it to her. I put her hands around it and she she freaked, so I left it on the ground. She didn't even touch it, my 3 yr old dcg went to give it to her and again she stood there with her mouth open. That to me is lazy. She can eat with her hands no problem so I know thats not the issue.

[MarinaVanessa]

For children like this to start I simply give them the sippy/bottle to hold in their own hands and then lift it for them enough for them to get a taste. Then I let go. If they drop their hands then they're not thirsty enough to want to do it on their own. They may fuss a bit and even cry some but then I just lift the sippy/bottle with one or two fingers (not hold it) and do this again and again.

She could just be babied at home and fed like this but she realized that you won't hold it for her she'll eventually start doing it herself. Just keep doing it. Rinse and repeat.

[cheerfuldom]

I would do sippys with straws, no bottle. she will drink when she is thirsty.

[Heidi]

My youngest are now 18 months, and I recently switched them to open cups. I found these little espresso cups at Dollar General that are perfect. Because they are real "china", they are a little heavier and hard to tip. I'd never dare it with plastic cups yet.

They carry sippy cups around at home-can't stand that. They might as well have bottles (and the family calls them babas).

As soon as spring hits up there in old Canada, I'd try that outside if I were you. Hand her a small open cup of water, and see what she does. ???

I still think that if she's thirsty, she'll drink. Put a cup next to her plate, and don't address it.

[countrymom]

I think thats what i'm going to do. This bottle nonsense is crazy.

[Heidi]

I think thats what i'm going to do. This bottle nonsense is crazy.

yeperee... crazy....