3 Questions about my 8 1/2 old baby, before bed bottle, no teeth and crackers and sippy cups?

Question

1. My baby is 8 1/2 months old and has no teeth. I have offered her crackers and all she does is l**k them and makes this " you've got to be kidding" face. She eats everything I make her, and I have started making her food more chunky so she moves up from pureed. She still has no teeth. SHould I still try to get her to eat a cracker? I'm afraid she'll choke.

2. Sippy cup, she can hold it but doesn't get the concept, any tips would be appreciated.

3. SHe loves her bottle, just adores it, and she likes a bottle before bed..should I stop giving it to her? I have asked a few friends and some have stopped the last bottle at 3 months some at 8...

Any help/tips from other parents out there would be fabulous and appreciated.

Answer 1

You can always offer her the cracker, she should not chock.

My son didn't actually start drinking from his sippy till about 11 months. Just offer it with water and let her figure it out.

After she drinks the milk, just let her drink some water to wash it out some.  

Answer 2

My answers:

1.  Yes, crackers are fine without teeth, as long as they aren't too hard and can disolve easily (like a saltine or an extra strong teething cracker). She may start to choke or make choking sounds as she gets used to it...so, get your finger out and start practicing the hook! I use it almost daily on my nine month old because I give him everything to eat.

2.  Just keep filling that sippy up and giving it to her. She'll realize eventually that she has to do more than just play with it. Time will solve this issue.

3.  No, don't stop giving her the bottle until about one year (maybe a little older than that, but I'm a firm believer in no paci and no bottle after at the most 1 and a half.  

Answer 3

My 9 month old is just now getting her 1st tooth. My dr told me to get Gerber biter biscuits. she loves them!

Answer 4

Coming from the mom of a nine month old with no teeth, give her the cracker.  If she doesn't eat it so be it, otherwise she will "chew" it long enough that it gets soggy.  Babies have a reflex that does not allow larger chunks of food to be passed to the back of the mouth without some chewing and salivation.  Chunkier food is a good way to progress.  Even better than the crackers are teething biscuits, or if you can find them, Jamaican water  crackers (super hard).

Don't see a reason to stop the bottle just yet, though I think this is an individual thing with each child, follow her cues for when she is ready...personally I'm not going to worry about it until a year or older.  If she decides to give it up sooner, great.  If it makes you feel better, maybe slowly wean her off all the bottles except for her nighttime one so that her bedtime routine stays the same and you can  keep your sanity!

Sippy cup skills come from experience, for me the ones with handles make it easier for her.  I find it best to not use the "no spill" types, just let it  flow and sooner or later she will realize where the liquid is coming from.

Answer 5

Have you tried the Gerber Puffs instead of crackers, they disolve so it would be easier for your daughter to eat them.  You can keep trying crackers if you want, but they might be to salty for her.  For the sippy cup I give my daughter a few oz of water in hers and she sips on it for awhile.  It takes her a long time to drink it though.  I have the Gerber transition sippy cups which she seems to like better then a normal sippy cup.  As for a bottle my daughter only drinks 3 bottles a day, one of them being right before bed.  She is also 8 months old.  I have never heard people stop giving formula/breast milk before bed so young.  My doctor has not even said anything like that.  If my daughter does not get her bedtime bottle, then she really does not get enough fluids.  As long as you dont put her to bed with her bottle, and let it sit in her mouth over night your fine.