Having Trouble with My 8 Mo. Old and Sippy Cup...

M.,

My daughter never got the sippy cup thing. She was breastfeed until she was 14 months old and just like you I was worried because she didn't get it. Then one day at the mall she got a hold of my cup of water and just started drinking out of the straw. She never took a sippy cut ever and just went straight to a straw. She is now almost 3 and very smart and ahead of where she should be, so don't worry about it. Try giving her a straw. Good luck.

Hi M.
I wouldn't stress...as long as she is off of the bottle by 12 mons. she will be fine. Both off my kids I threw away all their bottles on their 1st bday. Since shes only 8 mons...that is nothing to stress about.
K.

Wow, you've gotten a lot of comments. I've never heard of introducing a sippy cup at 4 months either, the suck reflex is usually not completely gone by that time. That said, be patient, offer it every day and try a straw cup, it might be easier for her to master - sometimes those valves are just too hard to work and or too big for little mouths. Plus straws are better on tooth enamel. As far as holding the cup, does she hold her bottle including while sitting up? My son wouldn't until he was almost 8 months old, that may be why she won't hold the cup, and it's hard to master when she's probably used to being held while drinking from a bottle. No matter what don't stress it's a learning process and most pedis like to see the bottle gone by 15 months.

Wow, why so much pressure for the little one to move from the bottle? Motor skills and attention span are required to perform holding and 'getting the hang of' cups no matter if straw or sippy nippled. Wait until around one year introducing it during the day. Allow your daughter one evening bottle before bed while you transition her. Babies need to suckle as it matures their tongues, jaws, inner ears, balance and several other physiological components. Do not rush your babies because other moms are. Before you know it, she'll be a toddler then child then adolescent. Be the mother who let's her mature with calm (not worried) guidance. She will tell you when she's ready for most advances as it should be. Babies are very, very curious. Don't rush her into things as that will cause anxiety on both her and your parts. Just as when she's dry all night cues you to start potty training, the sippy cup and drinking from a glass come naturally. God bless you.

Don't stress about it! Every child is very different. I think you are expecting too much from an 8 month old. Continue to let her just play with the sippy cup of water. Also, put a sippy cup of water in her crib for night or nap. She can use it for comfort at night while teething. During lunch you can put a mix of juice and water in the sippy cup to try to make it more fun and exciting. However, don't push it - you are just doing some sippy cup 101 right now. Just introducing the idea of it; however, she will mostly use it as a play toy. She will get the hang of it around one or so; however, it may not happen exactly when she turns one! I think my first started using it exclusively maybe a little after turning one; however, she was in daycare so she needed to be off the bottle. Good luck!!

I wouldn't worry too much about her not taking a sippy cup yet. I have an 8 1/2 month old and I'm not planning on trying a sippy cup with him until he's around 10 months old. That was about the age I started introducing my older son to it and it still took him about a month to get it down. I've never heard of introducing a sippy cup at 4 months... seems a little young to me (IMO)! Any way, I would just wait another month or so and try again. Most people like to try and wean their baby from the bottle by 1, I think, but there's no hard and fast rules (God knows I feel like I'm making it up as I go along every day :))

No worries, Mama! Just keep coming back to it and when she's ready, she'll be ready. My pediatrician recommended no bottles after the one year mark because then the baby drinks out of the bottle more from habit than from need and habits can be hard to break. So you've got plenty of time for her to get the hang of it. Maybe you could experiment with a few different types of sippy cups.

Good luck!

M.

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Hello . . I am a first time mom as well and it is such a learning experience! LOL I have never heard of kids starting sippy cups at four months but every mother is different. From what I've heard and did with my son is kept him on the bottle until he was one. Then we started the sippy cup and the transition went well. I don't think putting formula in the cup is a good idea because the whole idea of the cup is to get away from the bottle. But remember EVERY kid is different and when she is ready she will let you know. If you push your little girl into using the cup she may reject it even longer. Just be patient and don't rush her. Good luck :-)

I have three boys and they were all different, the first would eat/drink anything anyplace anywhere anytime! the second was picky, but the third wouldn't have anything to do with the sippy cup, he would have rather starved! he used a bottle till he went to mothers day out at 2 yrs old then I gave him a sippy cup for that but a bottle the rest of the time, he finally transitioned after that but it took 6 months or so for him to finally switch completely, he is 4 now and just fine... no rush, if your friends baby did it fine for her but don't feel like you have to do the same,

like I said my littlest was 2 - 2 1/2 before he would take it al the time!

Our pedi said by age 1 my girls should be off of the bottle and using a sippy cup. I wouldn't worry about it at 8 months. 4 months is definitely too young...I've never heard of that one before.
Good luck! It's hard when it's your first one. You get so much different advice. I'm sure you'll figure out what's best for your little cherub!

Hi M.,

You've received some great advice and I would just like to encourage you to relax (please don't worry) and follow your baby girls lead and your intuition. In my opinion I feel that 4 months is waaay too early to introduce a sippie cup but if that has worked for your friend I think that's ok too. I have 5 girls and every one of them were different but they were also very easy to transition to a sippie cup when they were ready. Three of them I nursed and two I bottle fed. My youngest is almost 17 months and she is still nursing 3-4 times a day and sometimes more, i just follow her needs/lead. I use the Avent bottles and then I bought the handles and spouts to convert them into sippie cups and she's done great with them. I think it's also helped since they look like her "bottle" but a little bit different.I introduced the cup to her at 9 1/2 months but she played with it mostly. She nursed and I would show her the sippie cup which had 1/2 applejuice & 1/2 water. It took some time but she got the hang of it. At night after she nurses she has a bottle with dad. Now she will take a sippie cup with breastmilk too (this has recently started.)My pedi has not had any problems with this and his exact words are, "Up to 18 months is ok." I think some parents can pressure other parents with their opinions and experiences with their own children. Please don't feel like you should "keep up" or rush a milestone because someone else is doing it with their kid or whatever the case may be. Enjoy this time they grow up so fast...my oldest is 19 and I feel it went by so fast. It sounds like you're a great momma! Blessings to you and your family!!

M.,

Oh my gosh, your baby is only 8 months old! I can't believe your friend said to start a sippy cup at 4 months. She must not have any kids. That makes no sense for an infant to be able to hold a sippy with his/her own hands and drink from it!!! My kids never started sippy cups until they were two years old. My youngest is 13 months - I tried giving him a sippy cup just out of curiousity, but he didn't get it. That is totally fine! I don't understand the obsession w/ people wanting babies (I will repeat - BABIES) to drink from sippy cups! Babies should drink from bottles. Bottles are for babies!! What is the big obsession? I don't get it. I say enjoy your 8 month old baby, and it doesn't matter at all when she takes a sippy. I promise you that she won't be in kindergarten and still drinking out of a bottle! LOL!!! Now go relax and worry about something real.

I am not going to start my daughter on a sippy cup until she is a year old. I think even 8 months old is a little early to start them on one. 4 Months old is definitely too early.

Hi M.:

As a rule of thumb-introduce the cup after 1 year of age. First, is there a rush and second, usually when they are teething that bottle is all they want. Some kids are closer to 1.5-2 years old before they start as the bottle is a comfort through potty training. All kids are different so if your sweet baby doesn't want the cup, its ok.

I wouldn't worry too much, My grandma had a daycare when I was growing up and I am one of 8 kids, plus raised my own. I've yet to see one not get off the bottle, potty train, suck the thumb, etc..

Be patient and wait a little while before trying again. Take a laid back approach and baby girl will be fine.

Enjoy these precious times, they go by so fast.

I introduced the sippy at about the same age as you are, and it took forever for my son (about 5-6 mths) to really figure it out. This takes time, but just keep doing what you're doing. I stopped nursing him at about age one and went directly to the sippy, and at first I was very worried about him getting enough to drink from the sippy. Gradually he increased his intake on his own. It sounds to me like you're doing a great job with this, and just keep offering it to her. Mine did not hold his own cup for a long time too. One day she'll figure it all out.

Have patience, my 16 month old likes straw top cups better than sippys, and my older 2 always did fine with sippys. I do remember using a tupperware "trainer" cup to start. You have to fill it a bunch so they don't have to tip it too much to drink, and the trainer top on it makes it where the liquid drips a bit in their mouth so they realize there is something in there and they'll try to suck it. That worked for me until they "got" it. But, it does take some teaching/learning to hold the cup and tilt it up. You could also just try a straw top cup.

I'd say somewhere between 8-12 months your child should stop using a bottle. I say that as my 16 month old just stopped taking a nighttime bottle. I nursed all 3, but the other 2 gave up nighttime feedings right at 12 months, this last one really enjoyed his night time feedings, and when I weaned him around 14 months, I felt he still needed something, so he had a bottle, I slowly put less milk into the bottle and he recently got to where he would rather look at a book than sit still and have that bottle, so now, no more bottle!

My daughter will be a year old next week and is now off a bottle and on a sippy cup. At about 8 months I would give her a sippy cup and she would mostly just play with it and throw it on the floor. I would show her how to drink from the cup using water. Around 10 months old she started drinking from the cup by herself a little, but really seemed to drink from a cup around 11 months.

My son is 8 mos old as well and will not drink from a sippy cup. However, he will drink from a cup with a lid and a straw and hold it by himself (just started that this week). I taught him to drink from a straw by getting juice boxes. I would put the straw in his mouth and squeeze the juice box so that way he could understand that juice will come through the straw. He immediately started sucking as soon as I quit squeezing. He has drank from a straw ever since. They do make the sippy type cups but with a straw instead. You may want to give it a try. My son refuses everything but that i.e. bottle, sippy cup (he still nurses).

Sippy cups never worked for us! We did the straw cups and they work awesome! We get the insulated ones and the straw closes down into the lid so it's perfect to throw into your bag for the day! She is still learning to take milk from anything from a bottle and it's a slow weaning process so I say start early! She will learn!

Don't worry about it. As a first time mom, I wanted to follow all the "rules" and do everything just as the pedi and books said, but soon learned that just didn't always work for my son. Let your baby be a baby and do things when you feel she is ready not when others say she should be. Congrats and good luck with everything!!

I wouldn't worry about it too much yet - every kid is different. And I've never heard of giving a sippy cup to a four month old! When I first introduced the cup to my son we used the Nuby that has handles - that really helped him learn to hold onto it. And it might take a while - just keep trying - but don't get to worried if she doesn't take to it right away - some things just take time!

Hi M. - first I think 4 months is to young to start a child on a sippy cup - but that's just my opinion. Second - my daughter did the same thing and was not interested. She was interested until she was almost a year old. I wouldn't let it worry you and maybe wait a month and try again. Good luck.

I started my breastfed baby on the sippy at 5 months old and we used the Nuby soft spout cup at first and then moved on to the Gerber sip and smile for the age group 7+months. They start with soft spouts, and move on in levels. They're great cups and it's all I use.
BUT, don't worry about it! Just keep offering it to her. Something sweet like diluted apple juice might encourage her to give it a try on her own. Some kids refuse milk in a sippy for a while.
Good luck! And remember, every child is different.

Hi there! First, I want you to know that you should not worry about not introducing the cup sooner, we did not introduce it until about 8 months as well. We had to try several different types of cups, the two most important things were that it was a soft spout and had handles. Our winner was the Gerber (smiles and something?? sorry I don't remember the name!) Anyway, that may not be your winner, and I know it stinks cause you are shelling out money to buy these different kinds, but eventually she should be able to take any of them. I wouldn't be worried, though, I would just keep putting it out there and showing her what it is and how to do it, and I think you will be surprised that one day she will just pick it up and start chugging away! We were completely off the bottle and on to the sippy by 11 months! Good luck!

K.
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There's no rush. Give her a little break then try again in a month or so. Every baby is different, and has different preferences and developmental speeds. She'll eventually get it,but if she isn't interested right now it probably means she's not ready.

I wish you the best, and enjoy your sweet little baby. She'll be walking and talking and heading to school before you know it.

Blessings to you.

Don't worry your baby is not old enough for a sippy cup. Sippy cups are for toddlers. Starting a sippy cup at 4 months old is rediculous they don't even know how to hold a bottle yet at 4 months old. If I were u I wold try the sippy cup again when she is atleast 11 mons to a year old

Don't worry M., all babies are different and will do what they what when they are ready. Some kids walk at 10 month, some at 14 months. Don't try to hurry her up, let her be a baby. Some kids don't like the taste of a sippy cup, it's like some people like only bottle soda pop while others like a can. She is fine and will drink from the cup when she is ready. There is nothing wrong with your baby.

Love and Light,
Rev. G. Hudson, Reiki Master.
www.reikigailhudson.com

Hi M.,
Don't worry about others' timetables. I've heard of babies transitioning to sippy cups at anywhere from 6 / 8 months to 2 years old!

We tried to get my baby boy to take a sippy cup starting at about 8 - 10 months old or so and he would never take to it (even those with the soft, bottle-like "nipple" as the mouthpiece). He loved a cup with a straw, though!!

So, during meals, we would give him a cup with straw, but we still fed him his larger post- or pre-nap amounts of milk / formula from a bottle.

Since I had read that 1 year old is the target age when a baby typically transitions to a sippy cup, at every well-baby appt after 1 year old, I told our pediatrician that Connor was still drinking from a bottle for his big feedings b/c that's how we could get the most in him (and our little boy is tall and thin, so we wanted him to get as much milk and toddler formula (12 - 24 mos old formula w/ lots of vitamins) as possible. Our pediatrician seemed COMPLETELY unconcerned with the bottle thing.

And, now our little guy just turned TWO in April, and during his well-baby visit, our NEW pediatrician (we just moved to a different city) was also completely unconcerned!!

So, that should tell you that it's really not that big of a deal!!

Now, since we have a new baby coming that will be using the bottles (we are due in three weeks!), we have focused more using his sippy cups for more than just meal-time "sipping". In fact, over the past couple of months, we have gone from using the bottle for his big morning, post-afternoon nap, and before bedtime feedings to only his morning and nightime feedings, and then finally, in the past 3 weeks, to NONE AT ALL...with no problems.

Your daughter will just do it when she's ready and it's really nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps!

I have 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. I have been around the block a couple of times with this. Each child is different, you must be patient. Just because someone says "my child did this at age this or that" does not mean that your child will do the exact same thing. Encourage her to drink from the cup but do not force the cup on her. As you will figure out this will work with all things. Enjoy her and laugh at her antics with learning new things.

Be haopy.

I started my son off with a spill proof sippy cup with a straw and he did great with them. It took him a while to figure out with regular sippy cups that he had to tilt them up to get anything out. Don't get frustrated because your baby is still really too young for you to be panicking already.

Skip the sippy cup and go with a cup and straw. You will be amazed how early a child can sip from a straw. It establishes a better/mature swallow and not the tongue thrusting of the tongue which can lead to dental and speech problems.

My granddaughter had a little trouble at first. My daughter switched to the Nuby sippy cup and she seemed to like that better. She had to be held at first in order for her to use it. She would use the cup during the day and still took a bottle at night. Any change requires patience and persistence. I always try to keep in mind that I never knew anyone who took a bottle to school. She is 15 months old now and loves her sippy cup. You just hand it to her and away she goes. Good Luck!!

Congratulations on your baby! I remember the days of figuring out everything for the first time. I think your friend's suggestion of 4 months is WAY too early. The sucking that your baby does has a purpose, and you shouldn't take it away too soon. As for 8 months? I personally think that is still too early, as many infants nurse longer than that. It's not a race to win status with other moms, every decision should be made when YOUR child is most ready. I would strongly recommend that you check with La Leche League, the women's org. that is knowledgeable on all things related to infant care. :) They can give you (for free) info. on this and many other questions you will have. ( By the way, when my son was finally ready, he didn't take to cups with opaque lids, but when I found one with a clear lid, he took to it right away. To each his own.)

Hi M.-

I agree, it might take longer than 8 months. First off, is your child holding a bottle by herself? If not, try that first...might take quite a bit of time working with her to do it. Just keep putting her hands on the bottle...and maybe also position her in a boppy. Do it over, over, over...she'll get there. It is still SOOOOO early. So it she isn't doing it, certainly don't worry. She is a baby...like others have said. I read a lot about sippy cups and wanted to find the right one...my daughter loved the Nuby soft spout too...with the clear silicone soft top. She adjusted perfect...not sure she ever even knew we got rid of the bottle! :)

You've gotten some great advice so I don't have much to add other than we had great success with the straw cups when mine didn't like the "regular" sippy cups, and also, if you start with a little watered down juice they are usually willing to work a little harder at getting that something sweet. Then, once they "get it" you can go back to water and formula. Good luck!!

You really have nothing to be worrying about. Your goal is to have her comfortable with a sippy by her first birthday (according to my pediatrician). I started at 7-8 months and it took time. Just keep offering it to her every day and be patient! I bought a big variety of cups and tried them all. I found that one without handles was easiest for my girl because she was already used to holding a bottle on her own. You're doing everything exactly right...just hang in there!!

I did not start sippy cup's until after 12 months of age. My doctor said she would like to see the bottle gone by 15 months and we did just fine with that transition.

Good luck!

I don't think we started a sippy cup until my kids were 12 months old and both of them are healthy almost teenagers who can take care of making their own meals. I don't think your child will suffer in life because she doesn't use a sippy cup right now.

4 mo??? I didn't introduce the sippy cup until she started reg. milk at 1 year. It's a different suck so it took my kids a few tries but they got the hang of it in about 2 days. Sound like your littly darling is not ready for it. Kids learn things at the own rate. Resist letting other mom's pressure you about what YOUR child should be doing. At that age the important thing is she's getting the correct consumption of formula per the doctor... not what she's drinking it out of. All that being said... when she is ready for a sippy cup my daughter like the ones with handles on either side. I think their Gerber... try Babies R Us. Good luck and enjoy your LITTLE one... they grow too fast.
C.

Take your time-it is early for her and you don't want her to carry it around like a bottle. When she is walking teach her to leave it on the table or counter or you put it there until she asks for another drink and I assume this is only water. If it is juice it is 1:10 ratio with water because of the sugar.

I've gone through this with three girls and it's just a long process. Eventually, she'll get it so just keep putting it in front of her. With my last one, I started her out using the Nuby brand sippy from WalMart. The sippy part is soft just like bottle nipple and I think maybe that helped her, even though she wasn't a bottle baby. Good luck! Oh, and I just made sure I stopped bottles by age 1, which lines up with what pediatricians will tell you too.

I had the same problem with my daughter at that age and my doctor said take the stopper out of the sippy cup. It helps and we never used them since. Also, I started with a straw cup, Gerber makes a good one and it really works. We learned that way first. Hope this helps.