When your baby turns a year old, it is safe to switch him from the bottle to a big-boy sippy cup. Sippy cups help your toddler to learn to properly use a cup in preparation to using a regular cup like you. The type of sippy cup and the way that you introduce using the cup will have a strong bearing on how quickly your toddler takes to the cup. Get rid of the bottles by showing him that sippy cups are for big boys who don't need bottles anymore.
Step 1
Purchase a new cup especially for the change, says WhatToExpect.com. Take your toddler to the store and allow him to select the cup he likes the best. Talk about the cup, telling him it's for big boys only, and that he's not a baby anymore. Don't allow him to have the cup until you get home from the store and are able to fill it up.
Step 2
Fill the cup with a sweet drink that you don't often give your toddler. Chocolate Ovaltine powder and milk make a chocolate milk drink that some toddlers might enjoy. You could also try juice or even soda as a treat. Using a drink that your toddler doesn't normally get to have makes drinking out of the cup feel special, and will entice your toddler to use the sippy cup.
Step 3
Set the cup down in front of your toddler, and tell him he can have a drink from the new and special cup once you get rid of all of his bottles. Help to get all of his bottles together and put them in a bin that you'll seal up and give away or get rid of later. Allow him to see the bottles going away, and let him know that he doesn't need them any more because he has his new cup.
Step 4
Offer the cup to your toddler. He'll likely be so excited at the prospect of using the new sippy cup filled with his favorite drink that he won't think much of getting rid of the bottles. Make sure that you follow up with encouragement and praise as he drinks from his new big-boy cup.
Step 5
Be consistent and firm with your choice to get rid of the bottles, notes Parents magazine. Even if your child asks for his bottle, it's best to just keep offering the cup so as not to send mixed messages about bottles and cups. Your toddler's liquid consumption may be reduced during the first few days of having a cup, but will soon return to normal levels once your toddler has gotten used to the use of a cup over a bottle.
Things You'll Need
- Sippy cup
- Drinkable liquid
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