M.B. asks from North Canton, OH on October 16, 2006
My Son Hates Sippy Cups!
Hi everyone! My son is 12 months old, and he refuses to use a sippy cup - he's almost completely weaned off of the bottle (he still takes 1 just before bed and if he wakes up during the night) but he's refused sippy cups since he was six months old! If we hold it for him and give him sips without the lid, then he'll take a little bit, but he refuses to suck on the cup with the lid on. I'm worried about dehydration...has anyone else had this problem? Although he was a preemie, he's devolopmentally normal - he's just very stubborn when it comes to drinking from a cup!
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C.C. answers from Youngstown on November 10, 2006
Hi!
I had the same problem with my son around that age. I had to use a soft tip one at first and when he got used to those I started using the hard ones. It took him a little while but now he loves his sippy. Well good luck!
T.L. answers from Youngstown on October 20, 2006
I do day care and i have a little guy who hated sippy cups also...so I went to wal mart and they have these sippy cups with a soft nipple like lid.....he can chew on it and suck on it and he is now 14 months old and completely off the bottle.
J.H. answers from Columbus on October 19, 2006
Have you tried "Nuby" cups? You can find them anywhere, and they're pretty cheap. I know for a fact that they are at Walmart, so I would start there.
My daughter loved them and so did the little boys that were her age. The top is very soft, sort of like a bottle, so it's a great transition.
Just be patient =) Transitions normally take time. If there are other little boys and girls around the area, it might also be helpful if he watched them drink from cupies, too. Sometimes thats the best way to teach them.
Good Luck!
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M.K. answers from Columbus on October 31, 2006
Actually it is good your kid hates sippy cups, since they actually are really bad for your childs speech development, they actually encourage the child to not use muscles. Try straw cups and the Nuby.
K.P. answers from Columbus on October 17, 2006
I noticed several people said to try cups with straws and I agree, but for some children it is hard to figure out what to do with a straw. If you want to teach your child the easy way to use a straw, get the juice boxes, and squeeze a little bit so he will realize what happens. My own boys wouldn't use sippy cups at first either, but the juice box straw worked great and once they had the juice box down, they happily took the sippy cups sometimes too.
C.C. answers from Youngstown on November 10, 2006
Hi!
I had the same problem with my son around that age. I had to use a soft tip one at first and when he got used to those I started using the hard ones. It took him a little while but now he loves his sippy. Well good luck!
T.B. answers from Tampa on October 20, 2006
My son was the same way. I would just remove the valve from the cup so that he didn't have to suck on it. You do have to be careful because it will spill if turned over.
K.L. answers from Cleveland on October 18, 2006
Don't sweat it, if he drinks for you and you offer it often then he'll be hydrated well. Some kids don't take to sippy cups well. My oldest fought us a while, but accepted them for trips to the store or Dr.'s office, you know car rides. My youngest took them well, and on his own.
My neice hated them.........I thnk it just depends on the child.
If you're really worried, ask the pediatrician you see. He or she may have advice on what to do. But as long as the bottle is being weened, I think you're ok!
Good luck
E.J. answers from Cincinnati on October 16, 2006
There are two things that i can think of that could be the reason why he doesn't want to drink out of sippy cups. First, it could be because he see you guys drinking out of regular cups and he wants to do the same. Or two may be that the top on the cup is to hard for him. They have these cups called Nubys and the top to the cup are like the nipples from the bottles. Give those a try and see if he likes them any better. Let me know if this helps.
J.R. answers from Cincinnati on October 16, 2006
D.M. answers from Youngstown on October 20, 2006
Hi M.!
Have you tried the sippy cups that have the straws in them instead of the little "lip"? My grandson was also a preemie. He was completely breastfed until around 5 months of age, when his Mommy started introducing baby food into his diet. At that time, her Pediatrician told her she should start getting him "used to" a sippy cup. Like your child, he absolutely refused to drink from one. Eventually my daughter-in-law found that he could drink from a straw, so she tried the sippy cups with the straws and he loves them.
The only other thing I can tell you is this: not one of my four children would drink from a sippy cup when they were babies. Sure, when they were 4 they thought they were great! Anyhow, I just put a small amount in a cup and held it for them until they could hold it themselves, then once they could hold it (and were walking steadily), I would just pour about half an inch in the cup at a time. Don't worry about them getting dehydrated, when they are thirsty they will drink! As a stay at home Mom you have the advantage of having time to do tedious things like this with your child--as a Mom who has lost 2 children in her lifetime trust me when I tell you that you have to enjoy EVERY single minute with your child!
Goodluck!
D. M
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