11 month old refuses sippy cup

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Hello,

I am not sure if I am posting this in the right place, but my LO is 11 months old and is bottle/formula fed.  I've tried a number of different things to get him interested in the sippy cup, but he hates it! I've put it out at every meal, I've left it around when he is playing, I've tried to get him to drink from it by putting it in his mouth, but he bats it away, throws it on the floor, cries, etc.  I've been trying for a few months now, but not continuously because I've taken breaks from it when he's under the weather etc (I figured no need to agitate him more!).  Maybe it just takes some time.

He won't drink anything but formula either -- he won't even take juice in a bottle.  He'll occasionally take a few ounces of water in a bottle, but formula is his beverage of choice.  Therefore, it's not like I can entice him to take the sippy with a drink he really likes.   

Has anyone had this experience? And is there anything I can do to help him along? He may just not be ready for it yet, which is fine, but I know we're supposed to be moving away from bottles at a year and I have no idea how we're going to do that if he doesn't take anything but a bottle.

Oh -- he takes 4-6 oz in a bottle when he wakes up, 4 oz in a bottle at breakfast, 4 oz at lunch, 4 oz at midday snack, and 4-6 oz at dinner.  Not sure if that helps (ie if I should be choosing on bottle and replacing it with the sippy whether he drinks it or not, although then he'd be short on formula).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Nicole

[~Emma~]

 My DS wa never really interested at that age either. I continues bottles until well after a year. In fact he did not drop his bottle before bedtime until he was 2! As long as you are brushing teeth before bed then I dont see it as an issue really.

 He will take the sippy eventually, just keep going as you are and he will ge the hang of it.

 Have you tried any different types of cup? Like a soft spout? Thats what eventually got DS drinking from a cup.

 I wouldn't worry too much about him drinking only formula. As long as he as plenty of wet and dirty nappies then he's fine. 

[Lolly]

What type of cup are you using? If it's a non-spill one try a free flow cup or straw cup instead. We used the tommee tippee first cups - cheap and cheerful and free flow so they quickly got the idea that there was something in it and it was easy to get out. What about an open cup?

Like Emma said though, don't worry too much yet he will get the hang of it in time.

Laura

[Texomamama]

Finding the right sippy cup takes lots of experimentation.  You will have to buy (and throw away) several types before you find one that really works for him.  Some kids like a spout (hard or soft) and some kids do great with the straw.

And, as PP's have indicated, don't worry about him drinking only formula right now.  At 11 mo, he really doesn't need anything else, except maybe a bit of extra water if he seems dehydrated.

[*Liz*]

Have you tried a normal open cup for water or juice? Messy but very different from a bottle so a good way to let them get the idea of something else. I used to offer with meals and help guide to DS's mouth.

My DS was at least 11 mths before he used his sippy, DD was proficient at about 6 mths. Just a developmental things really.

DS kept his bottle until about 20 mths.