When do you start them on a sippy cup if you are breastfeeding?

[Chrissy2000]

Just wondering about this...we have been offering the sippy after solids - just with water and himself doesnt seem that interested, just likes to bite it.  If we are still pretty much EBF is it a big deal that he's not fussed on the sippy yet? Or am I doing some developmental damage not "pushing" it harder?  I've been wondering on this for a while so any opinions/advice would be great.

[PaulsMom]

How old is your Lo?  I gave DS a sippy cup with his solids starting around 7 months.  I didn't push it but he did figure out how to drink from it and was fine to take cows milk fom it at 1 yr old.

[Chrissy2000]

DS is just coming up 10 months.  We have a soft sippy spout one and a harder spout one.  Havent thought about the straw ones until just now, I guess he'll click on at some stage, but its summer and quite hot here so it would be nice to have a bottle/cup of water to offer him if we are out.  I hope he's not going to be a mission about it.  Did your DS just get the hang of it on his own PaulsMom?  And is that the "right" time to be offering it - after the solids like we are?  Do we just keep offering it until he takes it?  I suspect he'll just get the hang of it, but we've been offering it for months now and he just waves his hands in front of his face like NO!!!

[~inbalance~]

I started offering sippys around 6 months but TBH neither of my boys drank much out of them until after a year, and even after they knew how to drink out of the spout they still always wanted me to hold and tip the cups for them!  We had a lot of luck with straw sippies for both of them.  My DD is 7 months now, and she just chews on her cup although I do offer it every day for practice.  A lot of BF LOs do well with straw cups.  I think it's ok to keep offering sippies, and try different kinds for sure, but don't stress too much if he doesn't seem to be drinking much out of it yet.  If it is hot and you'd like him to drink some water, what about trying an open cup and helping him with it?

[becj86]

Straw sippy was the way to go here too. I offered with solids, so had it on his tray with his food rather than after. It can take a while before LO really drinks much - keep in mind though, that your milk will be changing to cater to his increased hydration needs in the hotter weather

[PaulsMom]

Gosh I'm trying to remember what I did with my DS!  I think I just gave him the sippy with his meal.  I would let him play with it on his own.  I do remember that we started with a cup with a silicone top so it was really soft.  He started to chew it and because it was so soft, the water came out!  He thought that was great.  Unfortunately he also thought that he should check on me when breast feeding.....  Um, no!  So I got rid of that cup.  He figured out the other cup quite quickly after that! 

If you are having difficulties in getting your Lo to drink from the cup, you can offer it more often and or try a different kind of cup like a straw cup.

[Erin M]

We started around 6 months too, but none of them took much until months later.  The soft spout worked well with my girls and the straw worked for my ds.

[Fiver]

We did a free flowing sippy cup on the tray with meals from around 6m.  DD got the hang of it pretty quickly.

[Chrissy2000]

Thanks everyone.  I think I'll splash out on a straw sippy and see if he gets that one easier, and I'll just keep leaving it on his tray while he eats rather than after.  I guess, if he's thirsty, he'll drink!