Sippy Cup - how to start?

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: I am a firm believer that every child starts something when THEY are ready, but I'm wondering if there is something I should be doing to help my 7 month old son get the trick of the sippy cup. I let him play with it for awhile. I take the plug out so that it actually pours. I've tried buying different styles, one with handles, one with a smaller tip. But he doesn't seem to understand how to suck the fluid out. Or tilt it to drink.

I never push it on him, but I'm wondering if I'm not giving him enough practice. Should I be getting it out a couple times a day? I usually get it out maybe once a week because I just feel nothings happening. There's not much interest.

Does anyone say screw the sippy cup and try just a regular cup? Or stick to bottle? When is using a bottle "too old"? Gosh, the boob was so much easier, but he won't take that anymore.

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: There is a cup made by NUby that has a soft spot lite a bottle and Matt took to it instantly. From there we were able to give him the playtex cup and he got it. And he was about 8 months when we were only using cups

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Hey I just bought the Nuby! He liked the bright colors, but no interest in taking sips. Maybe he's just not ready???

Jordon and Lisa replied: It's worth a try to just try the sippy cup without the lid (with very careful supervision). Our son Parker was refusing the bottle and sippy cup for months, until one day I decided to take off the lid (he was about 5 1/2 mons at the time) and he just grabbed it and started taking sips, pulling it away, taking sips, etc.

You just never know what they might do, or prefer, so it's worth giving little variations a try.

Of course, if that doesn't work, I think it's a good idea to just keep trying slowly like you have been, and then one day they'll really surprise you!

ediep replied: I took out the little rubber stopper thing and then the water just flowed out. Of course, I held it and just made sure to give hima tiny bit. After a few weeks, he started holding it himself, then after a while he realized to suck on it. Then I put the stopper back in so it didn't make a huge mess anymore

JAYMESMOM replied: I offered my daughter a regular cup at first and when she realized it was a lot less work than a bottle. We switched to a sippy cup without the plug and once she had that down we put back in the plug.
Good Luck - don't give up!!

Emeraldsmom replied: Emerald is almost 7 months and I am having the exact same problem. She is teething so when I give her the sippy she just wants to bite it or bang it on her highchair trey. I have not tried taking out the plug. That is a good idea. I will let you know if I find something that works.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Thanks everyone for your advice! I will try taking the top off and see if that works. Or maybe I'll just keep trying what we're doing.

Emeraldsmom, Wil bites on the spout too! Or it goes tumbling to the floor. He loves how it bangs on the floor! Good luck to you too.

PascosGirl replied: lol - good question. My 5 yo loved it when I offered it to him (at 6 months) but my little one. He hates it. He cries when he sees it. lol I don't think I am ever going to get him to want it.

MommyToAshley replied: Have you tried starting off holding it for him? I remember my daughter was lazy at first and preferred that I hold it for her....even though I think she knew how herself. Maybe once he learns what's inside...yummy... then he will start holding it himself.

Also, what are you putting in the sippy cup? My DD would not take expressed BM from a sippy... only from Mommy. So, I had to put either water or diluted juice in the sippy at first.

Hope that helps.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I typically just put water in the sippy cup, but I tried formula last night to see if maybe he would like that better. I took the top off and tried to let him just sip from it like a regular cup. He likes that, but gets frustrated that it gets all over him and he seems to gulp differently than a bottle. He started crying. I put the top back on, but he just gums at it. Arghhh this is hard! Thanks for everyone's advice, but maybe it's just going to take practice.

And yes, I hold it for him since he won't grab it himself. Again, he just gums the spout. It makes this squeaky noise when his gums scrape the plastic! It makes me cringe.

My Avent (Advent?) bottles have sippy cup tops to attach to the bottles. Anyone ever try those? They have a longer spout than most sippy cups. I've tried those, the Nuby, and just some cheap kind from the drugstore. Nothing seems to make a difference.

I wish I could just go back to BF forever! Also, anyone know of the cheapest place to buy formula?? We go through a huge can in less than two weeks. They sell it at Sam's, but not the kind we like. I use just the regular Similac, not the Advanced.

PascosGirl replied:
I tried that. He truly dislikes the spout. I even tried the silicone spout that "feels" more like a nipple. He didn't like that either.

Amos replied: I feel like we're going through the same exact thing! I tried the sippy cup with Jenna -- with the cap on, with the cap off, with the stopper in & out -- she wants nothing to do with it! I've used water too since I'm not too big on starting juice either now or in the future. I think we'll try to introduce the cup again this week, since I gave it a break for a few weeks. She's 8 months old now and my older daughter was drinking totally from a cup (w/o the lid) by 9 months (just BFing at night). Every child is different, I know. It's just frustrating!

Good Luck!
Amy

jolene555 replied: i can extend to you the grand advise i got from the fine ladies at wic. introduce the cup and make it a part of their every day. they told me to put cups in her toys, in her crib, in her bath - everywhere. in play always act like you are drinking from it. in bath, show them how it pours. georgia was much more open to the idea of drinking from the cup after just a week of playing with them.

the wic people also told me to never, ever use a sippy because most sippys have the favored "no drip spout" that has actually been causing problems with children sucking too hard. the sippy is also held responcible for teeth problems - parents letting their child go to sleep with a sippy of milk - the whole thing. no drip is too convienent, as it seems.

having said this, georgia did go through a brief sippy phase. we used this one sippy that has the 2 handles and a rubbery spout. even then she still didn't understand the tipping back. another drawback is she couldn't put her head back in her carseat - the one place i really needed the help. while we used the sippy we still had her drinking from a regular cup during meals, held by us. we eventually got rid of the sippy by introducing the straw. georgia LOVES the straw. she controls it (more than the regular cup) and dosen't have to tip her head back. just the other day i went and picked her up a special straw cup with handles - it's straw is built in and real soft so there is no risk of choking. - oh yah, and it dosen't leak!!

so i suppose that would be my advise. if he dosen't love the sippy, why not try the straw?? he might take to it real well.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Jo, thanks for the advice. I agree that I should probably just stick to teaching him the cup. He'll have to move to a cup from the sippy anyway, so why not jump over the sippy and onto the cup. He likes drinking from cups as a matter of fact, but of course can't hold it on his own. Nor does he quite understand how to gulp. It's usually just "splash" on face, spit back in cup. But I suppose he'll get the hang of it. My husband tried a straw once when we were at a restaurant. Wil absolutely loved it, but I was very fearful that he would stab himself in the throat with the tip and gag. Or poke an eye out. I'm curious what brand you bought that has a soft straw and doesn't leak?? I'm running out and buying one ASAP!

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: Playtex makes a straw cup, it is in the bottle/sippy aisle at Target

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Perfect! That's exactly where I shop...Target! By the way Lisa, I noticed you live in the Springs too. I'm over here in Briargate. Not that I'm the best in playdate situations, if you read my last post, but if you ever want to get together, email me. Or we can just chat this way. I would have to say this town is somewhat lonely. I belong to the Moms Club North East Chapter, but it's still a struggle getting out there and meeting moms. We just started My Gym too. What do you guys do for fun in the area?

bonnie replied: My daughter is 11 months and i have just managed to get her on the cup! she likes her bo bo to much. I bought loads of different styles like you but she just didnt want it. Eventually i found that if i just lay her down in her lay back stroller she would take it. She would play with it for i while but one day she just got it. Im sure your child will get the hang of it soon. Theres nothing wrong with just giving him it to play with it. Stick with it.

organicmommy replied: My daughter is 7 months old and has never really cared for a bottle, but she will take a sippy cup with water in it. She has been since she was about 4 months old. The first day I gave it to her without the stopper the first time, from there it has just taken off!

Good luck
Jessica

moped replied: Jack only really got onto a cup about a month ago and he is almost 11 months - he just suddenly figured it out one day.

3_call_me_mama replied: Cameron was drinking well out of a sippy cup at 6 months, and using a straw cup at about the same time. Munchkin brand makes a really neat one, along with playtex adn others. He was breast fed but used a bottle for EBM was off the bottle by 9 months. He occasionally uses a sippy cup still or drinks from a water bottle, but has been using a regular open cup at all meals since he was about 12 months old.
Kathleen is 8 months and has just really figured it out about a week ago, She's been using one with our help since 6 months adn about a month ago started using it herself (had trouble with the tipping ehad back thing) but now she uses a gerber sipster with a soft spout adn does fairly well with it. We don't use the stoppers unless we are in teh car, casue otherwise they have to suck on it adn it;s too much like a bottle. Which we are trying to avoid. She has only taken maybe 4 or 5 bottles in her life casue she's always with me, so if we never really use it we never have to wean from it!