We want to encourage our baby to be an active participant at the dinner table. So why not get started now? We found lots of opportunities to work LSL strategies into our baby's bottle-feeding routine.

Here are some things that worked for us.

“We're Getting it Ready!”

We sing a "getting it ready" song while we prepare and heat the bottle.

It's a fun pre-mealtime ritual, and also helps soothe our baby when she's real hungry!

“Let's Unwrap the Nipple!”

Our baby uses disposable nipples, which come in a paper/plastic container. They need to be unwrapped and removed from the packaging, which is a great opportunity to communicate and practice some fine motor skills with the baby.

• Open the wrapper
• Take it oooooout of the wrapper
• Hold it
• Give it to mama/papa

Sometimes we build an "auditory sandwich" around this activity or parts of it.

We want to encourage our baby to be an active participant at the dinner table. So why not get started now?

“Let's Check the Temperature of the Bottle”

We use a probe thermometer to check the temperature of the baby bottle.

It's an opportunity to practice a "sound first" strategy—announce that we will check the temperature, then check the temperature, then discuss it.

More recently, it's an opportunity for us to discuss concepts of "hot" and "cold" with baby.

Sometimes we suggest baby finish our sentence: "The bottle is... HOT!"

“Around Around Around!”

Our baby learned a fun song in speech therapy to emphasize things that rotate around and around.

(She's kind of obsessed with it. Lots of things in the world rotate!)

So we applied it to the action of turning a nipple onto a bottle.

Sometimes we start the song and then prompt her to finish it.

More recently, she starts the song on her own once the bottle is out.

“All done!”

We're working on getting our baby familiar with the phrase "all done"—especially now that she eats solid foods. It'll be helpful at the dinner table if she can tell us when she's full.

We announce "all done!" after she empties yet another bottle... maybe she'll announce it herself soon!

A Song at the End

We like to hum a melody at the end of bottle feeding.

This made for a good transition into burping when the baby was smaller.

More recently, it lets her know it's time to get back to her play area and crawl and stand.