1. Less Mess Weaning
A sippy cup is a transitional cup for children with a lid and spout. When you wean your baby from the bottle or from nursing, he won't yet have the motor skills to handle an open cup. A sippy cup is a great way to give your child some independence, but cut down on the mess of lots of spills too.
2. Sippy, Not Drippy
Sippy cups have a valve inserted into the inside of the cap that keeps the liquid from spilling out when the cup is turned upside down. The child has to suck the liquid through the valve into the spout to drink. It requires a similar, but different sucking action than drinking out of the bottle or from the breast, so it's something children need time to learn how to use.
3. Show Your Baby How It's Done
Start introducing your child to a sippy cup sometime around 7 to 9 months of age. Begin with a small amount of water in the cup, and take a sip of it yourself to show your child how it's done. He might drink from it right away, or he may treat it as a toy for a while. Just continue to offer it so the child gets some practice using it. Most children are using a sippy cup around the time of their first birthday.
4. Work Around Refusals
Some children refuse to use a toddler sippy cup at all. You might have to experiment with different brands of sippy cups, with different types of spouts, some with handles or without. Some children will refuse expressed milk or formula from a sippy cup at first, because they associate that with the bottle or breast. If this seems to be the case with your child, stick to offering just water, or water with a splash of juice to make it more interesting.
5. No Drinking in Bed
Some concerns have been raised over the prolonged use of sippy cups possibly leading to speech delays and cavities. To alleviate some of these fears, children shouldn't be put to bed with a sippy cup. The sugars in milk and juice can lead to cavities if allowed to stay on the teeth overnight. Drinking from a regular cup requires a different action of the tongue, cheeks and mouth, so it's feasible to think that delaying the switch to a regular cup could then lead to speech issues. Concerns about plastics in general, and levels of Bisphenol A, or BPA, have been raised in regards to sippy cups as well. BPA-free sippy cups and other plastics are being produced. Research on all of these concerns is far from complete, however, so it's best to check with your pediatrician or dentist to get their opinions on sippy cups and at what age the switch to a regular cup should be made.
