How Old Is Too Old for Sippy Cup?

My daughter is going on 5 and still uses a sippy cup half the time. Not because she cannot drink out of a regular cup, but she HAS to have a cup of water in her bedroom when she goes to bed. Im not even sure if she ever drinks it, but for some reason, its a neccessity, and you bet she has a sippy cup, shes not spilling stuff all over my house. We also use sippy cups in the car because I dont want her spilling stuff in there either. When we eat meals, and shes in the kitchen, she drinks out of a regular cup. My friend's 4 year old was at my house and called my daughter a baby for drinking out of a sippy cup, but thats because his mother lets him drink soda all day long in a soda bottle with a lid. Whats the difference? My kid is not drinking soda. Anyways, do what works for you, unless there is some medical reason not to that Im not aware of. =)

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I don't think that is too old for a sippy. As long as she is using a regular cup at mealtime and when not at home. My twins are almost 5 and still use a sippy cup when not at the table. I tried using regular cups but got tired of cleaning up the mess every 2 minutes. They use a regular cup at meals, at school and away from home. They only use the sippy if they are taking drink away from the table. I also only allow water in the sippy and keep them on the fridge door where they can get them if thirsty. I got them the playtex big-kid cups. They look like a spill proof coffee cup and don't have the traditional sippy spout.

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I'd say if she's still using it when she's 18, then that's too old!! :) She's only 3, let her use as long as she wants. Who cares what others do w/ their kids, if that's what's comfy for her, then keep it up.

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that's a good question, i hadn't thought of that yet - my son just turned 3 - of course, he's a boy and really has little interest in being "neat" or "careful" lol. but he is capable of drinking out of a regular cup...i just prefer not to have to worry about cleaning up those messes. i have never heard one thing about it being unsafe or unwise to let them drink out of a sippy cup at a certain age. i think we're both okay - especially since they "can" drink out of a regular cup just fine. i think i will start switching at mealtimes too, since we are all right there together and can keep an eye on him. good idea!

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no it isn't to old in fact I've seen kids older than that with sippy cups still. but a good suggestion is do not let her have a cup all the time. especially out of habit. such as the watching tv with it. or just walking around with it. Also make sure you tell the preschool about how she likes to stick her tongue out when she is in a new environment and that she doesn't do it at home. after all they assume they are always right.

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No, I don't think it is to old at all. I mean if she still wants to when she is a teenager then...LOL. My daughter also sticks out her tongue when she is nervous or feeling shy as well. It is pretty cute to me!

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I think what you are doing is fine, I do it too. It's not like she only drinks out of sippy cups. As long as her teeth are comming in well & she doesn't have any speech delays I think she will be fine.
My youngest son will be 4 next month & we have very few take & toss sippy cups & they are only for use on the couch. He drinks from a regular cup at the table & when we eat in the living room we use a lap table & he drinks from the take & toss straw cups.

God bless!

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Hi K.. I don't think that is too old at all. I have memories from childhood where I was using my sippy. I was 5 or 6!! My mom had those plastic tumblers with the lids from Tupperware and she always put the lids on when she gave us a drink to take anywhere that wasn't the kitchen. Saved her lots of clean up and headaches! If she is using a regular cup at mealtime then I think you have absolutely nothing to worry about. :)

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As soon as my girls figured out how to drink from a straw (approx age 2), I eliminated the sippy cups completely. They drink milk from a regular cup at meal and snack times but if we go outside to play or for car rides, they drink water from straw cups. A sippy cup was made as a transition cup to learn to drink from a regular cup. The sippy cup requires a lot of sucking which can lead to tongue thrust (if this is what your daughter has, I can't say) but what I don't like about sippy cups is that it increases the chance for tooth decay. If there is anything other than water in the sippy cup, the liquid pools around the teeth leading to tooth decay. Using a straw or regular cup encourages sipping instead of sucking.
I really like Playtex brand cups - the straw cups have a lid and a closure that folds and covers the top of the straw to keep it clean and eliminate spills should it tip over.

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Hi K., We did the same thing with our oldest, had a new house and did not want juice all over! She was fine. I think as long as she can drink from a regular cup you are OK. And as far as the tounge thrush thing, talk to her teacher who is around her more and ask her if she notices any speech problems. I know that as parents we sometimes don't hear the problem because we are use to listening to our child and we understand everything they say. We did't know that both my girls have a slight speech problem until they started school and the 1st grade teacher for my oldest pointed it out. Both my kids sound like they are from New Jersey - I'm from Texas, my husband from Ohio and the girls have lived in Missouri their whole lives. But their problem is developmental and they said not to worry about it until 2nd grade and if they haven't grown out of it by then, then the speech teacher will work with them on it. And as far as an age for the sippy cup, mine still used theirs some when they were 5 years old. Usually just when they were lounging or sick so that they could take the drink into the living room and lay on the couch. I took the flow control thing out so that they didn't have to suck on the cup. Yes some liquid could get out if spilled, but not much. Good luck and God Bless!!

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She's 3 1/2 - this isn't a big deal; particularly if you use a regular cup and she can use it with no problems. My daughter is 4 1/2 and I make certain she has a cup with a lid. I would say if you're absolutely concerned about it to switch to a cup with a lid & straw. Perhaps one that has the option of a straw and a place to drink from it 'normally'; a travel mug so to speak. Adults use them and it's perfectly acceptable. Don't stress... :)

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Good Morning K., No she is not to old for a sippy. For the same reasons you do it for your new home ( our house is 11 yrs old well used)I still give Corbin 4 a sippy cup for the car, when he is watching TV or playing video games. The sec I give him a reg cup he gets distracted and There it goes on the carpet, coffee table, what have you. I have a light colored variegated loose weave berber carpet that I loved and should of known better then to get it, as it looks like a Dalmation after 5 Gr kids. No amount of carpet spot cleaning shampooing steam cleaning helps at all. So keep those sippy cups around. He does good with cups with lids, Zane won't use them he would rather pull off the lids. Both can drink normally from a cup, but less messy for me caring for them all day to use what is best of ME.
Zane is only 2, so the sippys will be around here a while longer too. Not getting new carpet until they are all married.....LOL

God Bless you and your family K., Congrats on the new house. That is aWOWsome!!
K. Nana of 5

disclaimer: I did not read the other responses. I do know that from working in the dental field for almost 7 years that there is a direct coorelation between spouted cups & allowing your child to drink without a lid. For some children, continuing the bottle - pacifier - or spouted cup will create developmental changes which can adversely affect both speech & dentition. Using a "real cup" without a lid allows children to develop important muscle skills.

& as for the tongue thrusting, I have seen it with many children....& the majority of them were allowed to use either a sippy cup or a pacifier past age 2. This experience is based on not just my years in the dental field, but also from my inhome daycare. & while none of this is scientifically-based, it has held true for the past 20 years...

Our daughter is also 3 1/2 and she still uses a "sippy" cup, but we use the Coolster tumblers from Playtex. They look like a grown up tumbler, but they have the valve. They don't have a spout like little kid sippies, so the mouth problems that can come from using a spouted cup aren't an issue. The parts interchange with other Playtex cups too, so we were able to keep the valves and cups from our old Playtex cups and use the Coolster lids (to give us more options.) When she gets a little older and settles down (we're trying to teach her to stop turning her cup upside down) we can take the valve out and she can still use the cup.

At this point I would transition away from spouted cups, but these are a great solution.

I see no reason to take her sippy cup away from her. Especially when you are using it to avoid messes on carpet and furniture!! Adults use insulated cups with lids on them to take drinks on the go...so why shouldn't she be able to use a sippy cup if she wants to. If it makes you feel better, get her a "jr version" of one of those insulated cups, let her help you pick it out with the picture or logo that she wants!!!

My son is also 3 1/2 and he takes a sippy cup of water to his bed at night. He rarely drinks any of it, but its coforting to him and my husbadn and I keep water next to our bed too so we let him do that. During the day he and my 1 year old drink out of cups with a lid and a straw. I buy the "take and toss" ones from Walmart and Target. (Once you use them a few times with the straws they come with you can start using regular straws, which I think is more sanitary anyway) They hold up great in the dishwasher, too. My 3 1/2 year old can drink out of a regular cup but he prefers the straw, which my Ped told me is better for his teeth anyway.

K.-

I do not think 3.5 is too old for a sippy cup mostly because I do the same with my daughter - we allow her a cup in the living room while watching tv or when she's walking around. I know some people who have cut out sippie cups (instead using a small cup) but their kids only have cups at the dinner table. I will continue to use a cup with a lid for my daughter as long as she's walking aorund with a cup. Once she's older and she has just a regular cup, I will have her keep it on the island and get a drink when thirsty.

Well I would have to say it would depend on what kind of sippy cup you were talking about...If you are talking about the ones with the stoppers (Playtex, etc.) then YES, she is too old for those. If you are talking about the character cups that have a screw on top with a straw then I think those would be fine...even a sports-like water bottle would ok but the kind of sippy cups that you usually give a 1 year old is a bit much for a 3 1/2 yr old.

At this point those type of sippy cups I would think may lead to speech problems because they simulate the same sucking motion as a pacifier does. Thrush is simply a yeast infection in her mouth so it's possible that the sippy cups aren't getting cleaned as well as they need to and they may be harboring bacteria. I found the fastest way to get rid of thrush was to get some Gentian Violet from the pharmacy and swab her mouth...it'll be purple for a couple of days but it generally kills off all the bacteria in the first go around and is cheaper and more effective than a Dr's office call and the Rx they will hand you. Good luck!

My daughter is 4 1/2 and we still use cups that some might consider sippy cups (sometimes), but it's because they have lids (but they're not the ones that my 1 1/2 uses).

We upgraded to what we call "big girl cups" that are a different style but still prevent spills. I got them at Costco for about $17 for four cups. You have to squeeze them to get anything out. She can still use them in the living room, but doesn't spill. We also found another style at Target that our younger daughter can't drink from but they look more grown up. Our daughter thinks it's cool that she has big girl cups. You might also try things with straws instead of sippys. Our daughter likes those too and they aren't baby cups.

Well yes & no over 3 is to old because they need to develop their muscles in their mouth.And you can do this by using a regular cup the constant sucking motion with juice or milk casues tooth decay just like a bottle.So with my kids I started to use a sippy cup when they sat up on their own my son who is 6 now was 5 months old daughter was over 6 months old and now my baby is 7 months old and am offering it to her with diluted juice,water,breastmilk.My son din't spill so he was using s regular cup after his 1st bday at meal times,my daughter I use the Munchkin character cups with a straw and have the Playtex cups that don't look like a sippy cup they are good to have out doing errands she does use a reg. cup to.But the longer you have a sippy cup the harder it will be to break the habit as for the spills I don't let drinks come out of the kitchen if they do it's when they go outside.

Sippys with straws or sports bottles are great. I know your original question was about sippy cups but I wanted to add the info on tongue thrusting. Tongue thrusting can also be genetic in nature. Babies naturally have the tongue thrust reflex. It is essential for infants to eat. Sometimes kids don't outgrow it. Myself and my sibling have this. We were not exposed to pacifiers or sippy cups. Other people with allergies may be mouth breathers and tongue thrusters. If your dentist is in tune to this, he/she may be able to tell if your child really has a tongue thrust or not. You could also get a consultation with an orthodontist or a different speech therapist. It can create huge dental issues -open bites, cross bites, and related TMJ issues. Some are very hard to treat. I had no clue I did this until I got a dental exam in my mid 30s. Tongue thrusting doesn't necessarily create noticable speech issues. I had no speech issues. Open or cross bites are not always as dramatic in appearance as some other alignment issues. However, the impact is more than cosmetic. Because I have this my dentist indicated that I should pay attention to whether or not my children are tongue thrusters. They indicated that speech therapy is useful to eliminate the tongue thrust reflex. So far my kids have had no problems. Your daughter may or may not tongue thrust. However, it is something you could easily get a second opinion on from a different speech therapist, an orthodontist, or a dentist. It is something that creates significant enough issues that it is worth checking out. Although some parents have reported no problems, there is some research out there that indicates that late use of pacifiers, sippy cups, and habits like thumb sucking, and tongue thrusting can change the shape of the jaw. In this case it is not always what the teeth look like. However, if your child does tongue thrust I wouldn't take it as something that you created. There could be other factors as well.
Here is a link to one online article about kid cups http://
www.kidsandkaboodle.com/OT/straw_cups_vs_sippy_cups.htm

I worked in early childhood for many years and some studies show that continually using a sippy cup is just as bad for development as a bottle. The stopper in the sippy cup causes the child to suck to get the liquid out thus over developing the muscles in and around the tongue, cheeks and lips. The recommendation is to take the stopper out of the lid. The liquid will then only drip out rather than spill completely if there is an accident. I always recommended to do that only on occasion when a lid would be necessary. The other times keep the cup on a table for occasional drinks. I even recommended to some parents of older kids to only put water in the sippy cup, it would make the sippy cup less desirable. You can also get a travel mug for times when your in the car out and about or just for drinks that are taken in the living room. The other drinks must stay on the table. Some studies show that the continual use of constant liquids such you have described with the sipping of milk causes tooth decay because the teeth are constantly bathed in milk and added weight gain. Probably more information than you wanted but just some suggested strategies.

my daughter is coming up on 3.5 and we use sippies, straw cups and open cups, depending on where she is drinking. I think your main concern is with the tongue thrust...maybe ask the ped what the signs are and/or look it up (don't think you want to actually GO to the ped right now or you'll end up with the flu--ha). I was told that using a straw actually helps with speech development.