What's the point of sippy cups?

[Shdef]

I tried to figure out why Tracy says that you should try as early as possible to introduce sippy cups...

Why?

They are not better for the teeth than a bottle is and the sucking actions shouldn't be taken away from a baby until at least one year old. Sucking is a reflex that only goes after about a year and it gives the baby comfort and pleasure. My DS doesn't like a dummy so I don't want to take the bottle from him, cause that is the only thing he sucks... He doesn't like his thumb or anything for comfort, he usually doesn't need it to fall asleep. And he drinks his bottle within 10 minutes or so, so why should I stop? Is there any other reason that I missed out?

[LŠuren]

Steffi
To be honest I haven't really thought about it 

I would presume it is to encourage them to drink water/juice themselves from a sippy if they need it throughout the day, rather than from a bottle.

It could also be to make the distinction between milk = bottle, water/juice = sippy/straw cup.

The sippy cup I use Calum still needs to suck it get milk or water from it.

Lauren

[Shdef]

I bought wee handles for Scott's bottle and he can hold it himself. I just don't know what they are really good for. Why is it necessary to distinguish???

[LŠuren]

Where did you get the handles from ? What type of bottles do you use?   I know you can buy bottles with handles in those 99p type shops I bought one for DS before to try it - it was pretty good, but the teat wasn't his usual.

[Katet]

Simple answer here... because with some babies if you don't introduce them before 12months, there is NO way they will try to drink anything BUT FROM A bottle & for me as a bf mother who had bottles for ebm with ds#1 from 6mo, it was a bugger to get him to drink milk from anything other than a bottle, even though I had him drinking water from a sippy.... I have many friends who have had that problem, their lo's will take water, but not milk from a sippy.
with ds#2, I started at 6mo, giving him a small amount of ebm in a sippy, with solids & now at almost 11months he takes 1 sippy of milk a day & still has 3 bf... he also drinks from an open cup & he doesn't "suck" on anything else except his bf & they are 3x5mins.

[*Natasha*]

The reason for a sippy cup is to get them use to drinking from a cup.
I don't want Catherine to be drinking from a bottle when she is 3 or 4.

[LŠuren]

Steffi
I thing we probably look at things too much from a bottlefed babies point of view, and forget that breastfed babies need too be weaned from breast to bottle to sippy or straight to sippy. I am not up on the breastfeeding side of things unfortunately.

Sorry if the above doesn't make sense, I am writing from work....

Steffi and I forgot to add before the bottles I was talking about also have a trainer spout but no vent to stop drips.

[Shdef]

@Natasha Wells:
I don't want him to drink from a bottle when he is 4 either. he will be at school then 
But I don't see the point in sippy cups, just in real cups like the ones Calum's mum uses, the ones without a beaker...
But babies do need the sucking action, don't they?

@Katet: Yeah, introduing sounds good. Prevents tantrums maybe 

@Lauren:

I love the NUk products, they have everything and after a while you replace the teat with a beaker without having to buy new bottles. You can get them at some chemists, including boots

http://www.nuk.de/produkte/mahlzeit/esslern/trink_undesslernprogramm.html

http://www.nuk.de/produkte/mahlzeit/flaschen/flaeschchen.html

[LŠuren]

Just been reading the new BOOTS "baby and you" magazine.

They say that the AVENT magic trainer cup is actually BRITISH DENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION APPROVED.


Lauren

so is this one, just looked at the dental website Tommee Tippee Easyflow Drinking System

Another article goes on to say that;

Using a cup will help keep babies teeth and gums healthy because the fluid spends less time in contact with teeth and gums but, even so it's best to avoid sugary drinks because they can cause tooth decay. If you do give juice, give occasionally and dilute as much as possible.