When Do Babies Hold Their Own Bottle?

Feeding Babies

When Do Babies Hold Their Own Bottle?

By Lambeth Hochwald

Feeding baby her bottle is a wonderful bonding experience. But let’s be honest, it would be nice to have your hands free at some point. While it’s ultimately up to baby to decide when she’s ready to serve herself, there are a few things you can do to help her get ready. After all, baby holding a bottle is an important milestone. It’s a sign her brain and muscle development is right on track—and a tiny reminder for mom that taking care of baby does get easier. So when do babies hold their own bottles, and how can you help them along? Read on for answers.

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mymunchbug_melaniepotock

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Sep 12

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🐑If you don’t like trekking by sheep, old English manors, ancient churches, babbling brooks and English rose gardens…probably you should stay home.😉 The Cotswolds - where every cottage has a name.🏡

❤️Drop your questions in the comments! I’d love to tell you how to visit The Cotswolds!

Melanie 🥰 ...

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Sep 10

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A play kitchen at 11 months? Absolutely. 🍳

And two years later, that same kitchen can inspire a whole new level of
play. I’d buy every little kid a play kitchen, if I could!

As a speech, language & feeding therapist, play kitchens are one of my
FAVORITE toys because they grow right along with your child.

They can support:
🍓 language & new vocabulary
🥄 pretend & imaginative play
👩‍🍳 imitation & social skills
🥕 early exposure to food concepts
💬 back-and-forth communication

The play changes as your child develops, and that’s exactly what makes a
great play kitchen worth having for years.

Want to see my favorites?

Comment KITCHEN and I’ll send you my favorite play kitchens!

Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, play kitchen, language development, speech
therapy, feeding therapy, pretend play, toddler activities, baby
development, food play ...

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Sep 9

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If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s okay to ask a therapist, “What makes you different?” — please ask.

This story isn’t really about me.
It’s about a dad who had watched his daughter go to feeding therapy twice a week for an entire year. She had received early intervention services, too. She had recently been diagnosed with autism.
And still, she still barely ate any new foods.

So when I showed up at their home as yet another feeding therapist, he didn’t need to make me feel comfortable.
He needed to know:
❤️ Do you understand what we’ve already been through?
❤️ Have you really listened to what has and hasn’t worked?
❤️ Do you understand MY child, not just her diagnosis?
❤️ What will you be looking at that perhaps hasn’t been considered before?
❤️ What are we going to do differently this time?
👉🏻👉🏻And maybe most importantly…
Why should I ask my child and my family to invest our time, energy, money and trust in therapy again?

Parents, you have every right to ask those questions.
✔️Ask about the therapist’s experience.
✔️Ask how they approach children like yours.
✔️Ask what they’ll do if the first approach isn’t working.
✔️Ask how they’ll include YOU in understanding the why behind your child’s feeding challenges.
✔️And ask, “What makes you different?”
A good professional shouldn’t be offended by thoughtful questions. We should understand what’s underneath them.

Because sometimes “What makes you different?” really means:
“We’ve tried so hard. Please give me a reason to hope this might actually help my child.”

That’s a question worth listening to.
❤️Melanie

Melanie Potock, feeding therapy, feeding therapist, pediatric feeding disorder, picky eating, autism and feeding, feeding challenges, parent advocacy, responsive feeding ...

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