When to Introduce Your Baby to the Sippy Cup
For the first few months of their life, your baby will exclusively drink breast milk or from a bottle. But as they get older, they will begin drinking from sippy cups and then open cups! My immediate thought about graduating to a sippy cup is, “Phew, no more washing bottles!”
Moving your baby from bottles to sippy cups to open cups is beneficial for your baby’s physical and developmental health. So, even though we know this transition needs to happen, the burning question in most parents' minds is, “When?” Continue reading if you are unsure when to begin introducing sippy cups to your baby.
When Should My Baby Start Using a Sippy Cup?
Although you may think it's a little soon, you can begin introducing your baby to a sippy cup by the time they are six months old! At this point, they will drink little to nothing out of the sippy cup, but incorporating the sippy cup at mealtimes will get them used to the idea. They can practice grabbing the sippy cup and bringing it to their mouth, even if they can’t figure out how to use it yet!
It’s recommended that your baby ditches a bottle between the ages of 12-24 months. This can help prevent baby bottle tooth decay. If your little one is breastfed and has started solids, don’t feel like you need to start them on a bottle. Go straight for a brand-new sippy cup!
How Do I Introduce a Sippy Cup?
Just like anything else, every baby is different and will learn at a different pace. My daughter picked up a sippy cup one day and drank from it with no problem, while my son had to be constantly encouraged and exposed to multiple different sippy cups before he would make the switch!
The most important thing to note is that if it is taking a little longer for your child to use a sippy cup, that's okay! Continue to offer it and praise them when they use it, and they will get the hang of it eventually.
If you find that your baby is continuously resisting the sippy cup, follow some of these tips to convince them to make the switch:
Use a flexible spout: Going from a bottle or breastfed to a hard straw or spout can be confusing for babies. Try using a spout that is soft and flexible. To your baby, it will resemble a bottle more closely, making for an easier transition.
Demonstrate the process: Everyone can benefit from a classic show-and-tell! If your baby doesn’t seem to be understanding how to use the sippy cup, show them how it’s done!
Practice patience: The first couple of times that you show them a sippy cup, your baby may not pay it any mind, and that’s okay! Continue to offer it with their meals, but be sure not to force them to use it as this will create negative feelings around the sippy cup.
Try different cups: If the type of sippy cup you have isn’t using, try another! They may not like the texture or style of one, but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t enjoy another!
Be consistent: Once you’ve introduced the sippy cup at mealtimes, continue to do so even if they aren’t taking interest or using it. After they’ve begun to use the sippy cup, you can add it to snack time too! Eventually, they will be more apt to go for the sippy cup than the bottle.
Praise them: Who doesn’t love hearing that they’re doing a good job? Every time your baby starts using their sippy cup, be sure to tell them how good they’re doing and show them how excited you are by clapping and cheering! This will make them feel great and look for more praise from you.
What Do I Do If My Baby Won’t Use a Sippy Cup?
If you’ve followed all the recommendations above and your baby is still resisting, follow some of these helpful tips:
Try different beverages: Your baby might not want milk or breast milk from a sippy cup. What I did with both my children was take their normal milk and put a tiny splash of chocolate syrup in there to make “chocolate milk.” I also would give them ¾ water and ¼ juice. Just enough sweetness to encourage them to drink from the sippy!
Take off the valve: Some sippy cups have a valve that controls how fast or slow the liquid comes out. If there is a valve, try taking it off to see if your baby has an easier time drinking.
Give them an open cup: Some kids just hate using sippy cups. If your baby continues to fight the use of a sippy cup, try switching to an open cup!
Track Your Baby’s Progress with Baby Connect
Switching from bottles to sippy cups isn’t always a smooth process. Right after her first birthday, I gave my firstborn a sippy cup and never turned back to bottles. It was too easy! With my son, we are still working on making the full time switch to sippy cups at fifteen months. The process can be a long one, but it is what is best for your baby!
If you find yourself struggling to wean your baby off their bottle, tracking their progress with Baby Connect will help you monitor their development over time. There may be scenarios that your baby takes the sippy cup, but without writing it down, you may forget about it later on! Baby Connect is a one-stop shop that allows you to record every important detail in your baby’s life, all bundled in an easy-to-use app!
