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Your baby is not increasing solid food intake or not taking water or milk in a cup despite reducing breast or bottle-feeds The goal in the 6- to 12-month age range is to practice the skills of cup drinking—not to replace the breast or bottle. Starting open cup practice early (ideally around 6 months of age) allows your baby plenty of low-pressure time to hone cup skills before transitioning off bottles or breastfeeds. If you’ve missed this window and your baby is now 12 months or older, all is not lost! Your 12+-month-old still has time to learn this skill! Which cup should I use for my baby? Made from medical grade materials that are FDA compliant - free from BPA, latex, lead, phthalates and PVC I think simply using the straw consistentlybuilt strength in the mouth. So don’t give up if it is a mess for awhile, they will get stronger. Completely optional! Some babies take really well to some of these features, but they are totally a personal preference. That said, we strongly recommend against using only one type of cup, especially one with distinct features that aren’t common in adult cups (such as two handles on the sides). Your baby will have to learn to use an open cup without handles or an angled or cut-out rim eventually. We don’t recommend parents seek out these features, but if you are using one of these and your baby likes it, there’s no harm done. Just make sure your baby also gets lots of exposure to other types of cups along the way. How to teach baby to drink from an open cup
There are about 5 different types of straw cups in our cabinets as of now. Much like choosing a bottle, a straw cup is going to be an individual choice for a child. I am going to tell you what worked for us, but it may not work for your child. I also did this without the help of a speech therapist, so don’t consider this expertadvice. The Search For The Best Straw Cup We do not advise using sippy cups with a “spout”. These cups are similar to bottle nipples, therefore they do not promote a proper tongue placement or a mature swallow pattern. Step 1: Put a small amount of breast milk, formula, or water* (1-2 oz at most) in a cup. Show your baby how it’s done by bringing the open cup to the table at mealtime with 1-2 oz of breast milk, formula, or water in it. Straw Cup #3 Option 1: (12 months +). Thinkbaby Stainless Steel Thinkster Bottle was created by physicians and scientists. They state that, “Thinkbaby straw bottle has a soft silicone straw, making the transition from bottles to straw cups easier. Also, they sell replacement straws, which is AMAZING and unusual! It is also stainless steel so your toddler’s drink will stay nice and cold!”Straw Cup #3 Option 2: THERMOS Vacuum-Insulation Funtainer with a Pop-up Straw (and fun button for your toddler to push)! This straw cup is one of our favorites and will truly grow with your child. This cup is stainless steel which keeps drinks cold all day long! It has the perfect sized straw for proper tongue posture too! It keeps drinks cold with it’s insulation technology! And the bonus is that you can get almost any of your child’s favorite characters on this thermos! We put this one after Thinkbaby because although it is a similar design, Thinkbaby offers handles therefore it is easier to hold early on. MILK STRAW CUPS WE LOVE:Milk Straw Cup Options: (12+ months old) When it comes to milk cups we recommend using a straw cup that is EASY-TO-CLEAN! That is the number one factor (followed by proper tongue placement, of course). We recommend using simple straw cups (a simple valve or valve-free) so you can easily remove milk residue. You can absolutely offer your toddler milk in an open cup too! We just prefer serving milk in an easy-to clean straw cup. You have three great options here:We recommend that you continue to offer your baby BOTH open cups and straw cups as your baby transitions off of bottles. This way your baby/toddler will be comfortable using various drinking cups while maintaining a mature swallow and proper tongue placement. A small reminder: learning to drink from a cup is a skill, and like all other skills, this will take time and practice to develop. Stay calm, supportive, and patient as your baby learns. What age should a child drink from an open cup? I have never seen him cry when presented with a straw cup, but this bear must have given him quite the look. Needless to say we didn’t try this at home. I think that we have found cups that mimic the good things about this cup minus the scary bear. 3. The Juice Box
Adie, 15 months, drinks from an open cup independently. Small cups with no handles will often help babies and toddlers control the flow of the milk more effectively. Baby's lips won't close around strawGive baby a small amount of water in the cup and hand it to them with your hands over their hands (“hand-over-hand” technique). When choosing an open cup, we recommend using a small cup that’s easy for baby hands to hold. Since you’ll be dealing with many, many spills, look for a cup that holds no more than 1-3 ounces. A small cup also makes it less likely that your baby will flood themselves with liquid. There are many cups on the market that fit this description, but a shot glass or small glass yogurt cup will do just fine, too! In this step, you will begin to teach your child that if you squeeze, the liquid will come out. To do this, pair your language with your actions. For example, “Squeeze the bear’s tummy.”&“Look, here comes the milk!”. Your child has already learned that the straw can go in their mouth and they can swallow. With the Honey Bear Cup, the idea is that when they see the milk coming up the straw, they will put their mouth to it. We recommend you seek support from an occupational therapist or speech therapist who has a specialty in feeding, eating, and swallowing to help your baby learn this skill. Patience and practice To help your baby drink from an open cup on their own after they’ve practiced with you holding the cup:
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