The challenge of drinking from a cup!

[etm24_7]

Hi there

My LO is 10 months old now and I've been trying to get her to drink from a cup since she was 6 months old! We started with a non spill one which she didn't get on with and changed to a tommy tippee first cup to allow easy flow. I started by sitting with her and guiding her hands and she would drink a few sips but never very much. Now I give her her cup after every meal but she prefers to bang it around and splash herself than drink from it! She's eating really well so I've reduced her milk feeds to a bottle in the morning and evening and I've been giving her a couple of bottles of water with a little added fruit juice during the day. I've tried giving her her day time drinks from the cup but she won't drink it and then when I offer her a bottle she'll drink about 4oz so she does seem to be thirsty. I'm worried about her not getting enough fluid if I stop the daytime bottles  but really want to try and get her off her bottle as soon as I can. Does anyone have any ideas?

[anna*]

I'd try some different types of cup. Valved, non valved, those sports type bottles, the kind with a 'straw'...

[kimmbba]

I agree with anna, we have at least four different types of cups here.  Now he'll drink out of nearly any of them, but in the beginning it was a trick to find the one that worked best.  His favorites were Munchkin brand and they have a more rubbery/bottle type top with out a valve.  When he had to suck out of the ones with the valve he'd try so hard and then end up choking a little bit.  I also have freinds who swear by the straw type, but my DS didn't catch on to those until recently.

[We Three]

We gave Millie the regular sippy cup, but removed the thingee from the underside of the lid, the thing that makes the lo have to "suck" to get a drink.  Someone told me that it was exactly the same thing as a bottle if they had to tip and suck....idk why that made sense to me at the time.  It is typical that they will bang it and throw it for a long while...we intrduced the cup at about 9 months...it took a bit of time, but she got there.   My dd couldn't suck from a straw until about 10 months. 

 Just keep it in play, keep it in the landscape of things that she sees and experiences every day...she WILL get it.   You're offering at every meal, that is great! 

[Hedgehog17]

Hi ladies,

What cups with a straw are available for LOs? I'm trying to get DS to take water from the tommee tippee sippy with the valve removed, but he'd rather chew the spout!

I think he'd be good with a straw as he sucks his medicine out of the syringe with a straw-like action and does the same with pouches of puree 

Thanks in advance 

[anna*]

Something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vital-Baby-280-Straw-Orange/dp/B004G8Q4E8/ref=sr_1_8?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1303503735&sr=1-8

[Hedgehog17]

Cool, thanks Anna!

[etm24_7]

Thanks so much for the input - that's great. I've just ordered the straw type cup so I'll see how she gets on with that. Fingers crossed!