When did your los start drinking from a sippy?

[~Alexa~]

Hi everyone! I was just wondering when your los started drinking from a sippy cup.  I want to start my lo with one, but DH says I'm expecting too much from him. 
So, I just want to know what you guys did and when you did it!

[arial]

My boy did not start drinking from a sippy cup until he was 1 year old.  I think that 7 months is a bit early.

[~*Nicole*~]

I think it depends on your LO. I started to introduce one to my DD for fun around 6 months, but she had no clue what to do. Now, at almost 8 months and with my help she figured out how to suck to get the liquid out but has trouble with tilting it back, something she hasn't figured out with her bottle either. She will hold her bottle but I need to lay her down for her to drink successfully by herself, which is fine.

In any event, she learned how to use the straw type of sippy cup all by herself because she doesn't have to tilt it. We only do water or watered down juice in it once a day for a snack time and she seems to like it now. I think if your LO can hold his own bottle then it's not expecting too much to try out the sippy cup for fun. I think that way the transition to a cup in the future won't be so hard (at least that's what I am hoping for with DD which is one reason I started to use it sometimes). DD still drops the cups on the floor because she plays with it and bangs it around but it's no big deal. I do try the type that need to be tilted every once in awhile to see if she's getting the hang of it. I just don't expect her to drink her 8 oz formula from it right now.

I think if you aren't the type to stress out about it and you think it will help your LO overall it's not a big deal to try one every once in awhile, but I wouldn't expect him to be great at using it for some time. It's not like you'll throw out all his bottles and make him take all his milkfeeds in a cup right now!



-Nicole

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

When Masyn was a baby I tried it one day when she was 5 months old just because, and she loved it, it was a 2-handled cup she could hold herself and she took to it great. I ended up going cold turkey with Spencer too, the bottles we were using did not have a fast enough nipple for her, so at about 6 months I just gave her a sippy one morning with her formula in it. I do help her out with it a bit still, she needs to be reclined to drink it but can hold it herself (although I really think this is more of her wanting me with her than really needing help, and I like the snuggle!)

Heidi

[Seona1973]

I introduced a free flowing sippy cup around 6 months (with water along with meals) and both dd and ds could use it within a couple of weeks.  I didnt use it for milk till they were closer to 1 year.

[Jocasta]

They are all so different.  I think it can sometimes make a difference if they are breast or bottle feed (only going on my own experience).  DS and DD1 were both FF by the time I was introducing a sippy and they both took a LONG time drinking from anything other than a bottle - DD1 was 15 months before she'd even entertain the idea

DD2 was breast fed for much longer and took a sippy easily at 6m.

[Tansy]

I introduced the sippy at six months - mainly for water after meals. He picked it up quickly but i had to hold it for him. Only now is he starting to understand he has to tip it up to get anything out of it. I think you should offer it to your lo, but just as a fun thing - dont expect too much.

[~*Nicole*~]

That's funny Jocasta.....My DD is FF and took to the sippy cup no problem (short of having to figure out how to use it) She was very interested in it!

[Jocasta]

Haha.  That's blown that theory out of the water then lol!

[Bryony]

I introduced a sippy at the same time as introducing solid foods around 6-7 months - Katie took to it pretty quickly although I am not sure she managed to actually "drink" much out of it for a few more months.

She never, ever, managed to work out what to do with a bottle (she was BF) so we used the sippy for expressed milk and water and later cows milk.

I would give it a go but regard as a bit of fun for him!

B

[shinysarah]

My lo is 7m this week and I've just introduced a sippy cup after his lunch and TBH, it's just a bit of fun and I'm not worried if he doesn't 'get it' just yet!

[~Alexa~]

Thanks ladies!! I think I will offer the sippy just for fun! But now I have another question for you...Should I offer water to my lo? He only drinks milk, but by reading your posts, I think that may be he should drink water too.  Is this so? So may be I'll give the sippy with water instead of milk?

[LucySol]

hey hun
i always give Daisy a sippy with water with her meals.she would let the water trickle out of her mouth at first untill she got the hang of it.i dont think 7 months is too early-the sooner you introduce it the quicker he will get the hang of it! i only give milk in a sippy if i dont think she has had enough milk thru the day so i give it with her evening meal sometimes.ive seen that a lot of mums give milk in a sippy at every meal but thats instead of a bottle but thats when they are much older.

[Bryony]

I put water in it at "solids" meals as part of her "learning to eat" thing - but she had very little at first....  then when I went back to work at 1 year I put EBM in it for her to have for her milk feeds while I was in work.

B

[hjrmom01]

Alexa, I started giving Hunter a sippy cup of water with *meals* when we started solids.  We started with a Nuby sippy cup since the spout was softer and more like a bottle. I also have a Dr. Brown's training cup but he just gums the spout.  I find that it's heavy for him to pick up but today we gave him one with a straw like spout and he did fine with that.  He LOVES water. I don't know how much is too much for him to have?!  But I always give him drinks throughout the meal and then let him have it after the meal, too.  I tried milk in it once and he just turned up his nose!   HTH  ~ALyssa