Are you ready to get your child off the bottle? Sippy cups are a great way to transition young children from the bottle to a regular cup. There are lots of advantages to using the sippy cup, including giving your toddler some degree of independence while still keeping cleanup to a bare minimum. How can you successfully transition a child to the sippy cup?
As you are about to find out, there is no one sippy cup that will be accept by all babies. A trip to the store will show you that there are various types of cups you can try—soft- spout cups, hard-spout cups, cups with handles, cups without handles, cups with straws… you get the point! Many parents suggest buying a few different types to see what works best with a particular child.
Remember that a sippy cup is a completely foreign object to babies. It may help to first have an older sibling (or parent) demonstrate how to correctly drink from the cup.
In some instances, children may just need a hint of success to keep trying. One trick used by many parents is dipping the tip of the sippy cup spout or straw into the drink and giving it to the baby. This allows the baby to have a taste of the drink inside and may encourage them to try harder.
If filling the cup with water or milk really isn’t working, many parents take the opportunity to introduce their children to (diluted) juice. The excitement of a new taste may be the motivation a child needs.
Sometimes, the slow flow of a sippy cup can frustrate babies. It may help to adjust or remove the cup’s regulator or valve in order to allow the liquid to flow more quickly. This may cause a few messes, however, so it’s best to test out this strategy in the kitchen.
Lastly, be patient. While some babies accept the sippy cup with no problems, others take a little while to get used to it. Fill up the cup with water during meals or snack time, and allow your child to play with it. They’ll get the hang of it eventually!