It can't possibly be this easy.....

[Tonya]

Ds still has bottles.  We try to give them only at naps and bedtimes, but many times when we offer a sippy of milk, he hits it away, and screams for a bottle at the fridge.
After reading posts on here, last night I bought 2 Nuby's.  When it was bottle time, I gave him a Nuby.  He looked at it, moved it around, and then drank it!!!
2 Nuby's later, I have packed up all of his bottles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is going to save me money on inserts (we used Playtex nursers), and it's going to help me not feel embarrased when out in public and he's drinking a bottle.  I know he's my kid, and I should have felt bad, but I did a bit, as he's 19 months old now and the push is to have them off the bottle by a year.  But it brought him so much comfort, I just couldn't imagine getting rid of it.

Now, I do have a question.....WHY is it so much better for them to drink from a sippy than a bottle???  The milk never pooled in his mouth when drinking a bottle - he drinks it straight down, then throws it, so not worried about cavities.  Is there a big difference in the shape that doesn't hurt their teeth or something???

I'm a BELIEVER in Nuby's!!!  No struggling, no crying, no tears - the child completely just accepted this as his new bottle!!!!  And I am happy to be rid of them, I really am - wish I would have done this 7 months ago!!!  But I'm just wondering what the real benefit is.

Any dentists out there? :wink:

[tylersmommy]

I don't know much about the Nuby's, but I just wanted to pass on my congrats!   That's such great news, and I'm glad it was so easy!

[Tonya]

Thanks Melissa!!!

I am still in "shock" that it was so easy.  I had been dreading this for MONTHS.  I had honestly made up my mind that I wasn't going to fight him until he was 2, but now I don't have to!!!
 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Stacie:Emma&Josh Mom]

Congrats!  I too used the Nubys and LOVED them (the ones with the latex spouts right?).  We actually used them for milk at meals and regular sippies with water at snacks and once she got used to the regular sippies, we were able to switch over her milk as well no problem!  Only took a month or two.  Glad you're having such success!   

[Tonya]

Thanks Stacie!!!
Yep, using the ones with the Latex spouts!!
We're still using the Playtex sippy cup with handles for his water, which he has always happily accepted. He just wants his milk in a BOTTLE, and this is doing it for him!! :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Still wondering why this is better than a bottle though!  Anyone?

[Lilah'sMommy]

So here's my two cents.  I'm not a dentist, but I am a speech-language pathologist, and know a little something about oral anatomy and development.

You're right.  There is no physiologic difference between a bottle and a no-spill sippy cup.  A free-flowing sippy cup is different because it requires the modulation of fluid with the tongue.  But the no-spill type requires sucking, just like a bottle.  The idea behind a sippy cup is that it's a transition.  But most kids end up drinking out of them way longer than is really appropriate.  Once they master the cup, take out the one-way valve.  Then start giving them open cups (in a controlled environment, of course, to minimize cleaning, and water is a good fluid to start with. :wink: ) sometimes.  When you're on the go, a no-spill sippy cup can still serve an important purpose.  But it shouldn't be seen as an end-point until the age of three or four.  And it definitely should not be filled with milk and given to a child in bed, just like a bottle.

That's the party line, anyway.

[Tonya]

So, does drinking from a soft valve sippy cup for an extended period of time affect their speech?

I've been wondering about his teeth too - I'm not worried about cavities, but started thinking last night that before when he drank a bottle, it was this small little nipple.  Now he has this sippy cup spout, which in my brain, would seem to affect his front teeth even more!

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

I've read this post with interest, as I've recently started C on a bottle - trainer cup, and he hated it! Can you tell me what a Nuby is? It sounds good, as I'd like him away from bottles before he's 1.

Caroline

[Tonya]

Caroline - I've pasted a link for Nuby's below.
http://www.netkidswear.com/12oznunogrcu.html

You can get them at Wal-Mart for about $1.50.

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

Wow that was a quick reply, thanks!

I see what you mean now, I might look out for some. We don't have Wal-Mart here, but I'm sure I can find some (if in doubt, always rely on Ebay!).

Caroline

[N Lou]

Can i highjack your post at this point ( :oops: sorry) and ask about straws?
See, out and about we have a non-spill sippy but at home he will drink from a beaker with a straw.  Sometimes we try it without the straw but he tends to spill most it.  Is this ok or should i concentrate on an actual cup?

Sorry Tonya!! :oops:

[Tonya]

No problem, Nlou!!! :wink:

I think we're all thinking the same things as it relates to their teeth/speech.

I may move this post to the Lounge to see if we can get an answer.  I am SURE there are dentists and speech pathologists in this group!

Caroline - sorry I didn't look at where you were before I mentioned Wal-Mart!
If you google "Nuby cup" online, there are a TON of places that you could order from!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Hi everyone,

There is no hard and fast evidence that extended sippy use affects speech development, but there is some anecdotal evidence to that effect.  The theory is that because the kiddos who use sippies for an extended period don't learn to modulate the flow of liquid with their tongues, they don't develop their tongue muscles appropriately.  As I said, there is no real evidence that this is true, but it is a possibility.  I say avoid the possibility by using the sippy as a transition and get rid of it when you can.

That said, my 1-year-old uses a straw-type sippy for milk, since she won't drink milk out of her free-flowing sippy, only water.  She has never taken a bottle, so she never took to the no-spill sippy because the use of the oral musculature is the same.  But the straw is acceptable.  As she increases her milk intake, I'll probably phase out the straw cup.  I also give her lots of opportunities to drink from an open cup-- she really likes to take sips of my water.  But I haven't really taken my own advice and given her daily practice with her own open cup-- and I should.  So thanks for the kick in the pants!

[Tonya]

Thanks again for your input, Sabrina!!!  I appreciate your information!!!

Nathan loves drinking from a regular cup as well - and we generally let him use a small plastic cup with just a small amount of water and he does great!

Milk must NOT be in anything but a bottle for him though! :shock:   His "bottle" now is at least a sippy, that I won't be embarassed for him to drink in public! :oops:

[Lilah'sMommy]

That's great that he uses a regular cup sometimes.  I wouldn't worry too much about using a sippy for milk.  Once he gets the hang of it, you might try taking out the one way valve.  If he balks, put it back in, wait a week, then try again.  And yes, it certainly looks more age-appropriate for him to be using a sippy, which is also important.  It all just little steps toward independence...