Sippy Cup Issue

Totally use a straw cup!

Hi J.,

I am a mom with a 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl. With my son I had the same problem. I did just decide that the day was the day to put his milk in his sippy cup and not a bottle because he was one. I did this only for the morning bottle replacement. My husband wanted to continue to give him the night bottle. I used a sippy cup with a soft nipple and filled it with milk and some formula. My pediatrician said to slowly transition him to milk by making formula and adding some milk and more milk each day until it was all milk and no formula. The first morning, my son cried. I felt so bad. The second morning, he took a sip and gave it back. I told him that was how he was getting it and I lef it out for him. The third morning, he sipped more and by the fourth and fifth day he was taking his morning milk in the sippy cup. The thing to remember, and I still have a hard time with this even now, is that they will eat and drink when they want. If you decide this is how it is going to be, you have to stick with it. Leave it there and if he is really thirsty he will go to it. Keep trying. Don't give in or up. I felt horrible with my son when I knew that the bottle was part of his routine, but once he realized that was how it was going to be, he took it. Also, offer the same type of sippy cup with water throughout the day. He will get use to it. Hope this helps. Just hang in there.

Be patient, stop offering the cup, and try two weeks later and see what happens, I did that and really worked

I told my children when weaning off a bottle that the "bottle fairy" needed the bottles for babies so I had to send our to her; she needed them. It Worked!

Have you tried a regular cup without a lid? He might be protesting the lid.

hi. since children have that natural sucking reflex until about two, maybe it wouldn't be bad to listen to his need and let him have a bottle. maybe you two can establish a ritual of a afternoon bottle in the rocking chair and an evening ritual as well. i would give that a try myself. have you done research on cow's milk. it is known to some that cow's milk can stunt the brain growth in infants to 2 years old. worth looking into.
all the best to you.

I babysit for an 18 month old boy who skipped the sippy cup phase all together and went straight to cups with straws. I've been told this is better for their tongue and language development phases anyway, so I would suggest to try it. I have three of my own children and wish I would've known this with the older ones. You can get the "disposable" ones at Target or Wal-Mart and wash them in the dishwasher. They come in primary colors: red, yellow, orange and green. Good luck!

Try a cup with a straw. I wasted so much money on sippy cups with my first and didn't use any with my second. Also, even if a cup with a straw doesn't work, keep trying. When he is thirsty, he'll drink out of it. A cup with a straw is better on the teeth than a sippy cup as well. Good luck!

J.,

Okay, you put the drink in the sippy cup and give it to him. Does he refuse to even try and drink from the cup? Or does he try and he just doesn't get the "mechanics"?

If he refuses, what happens next? How does he get fluids? Do you give him a bottle? Not wanting to give up a bottle is pretty common, kids get a lot of comfort from sucking and its what they know.

However, if he refuses the cup and then gets what he wants (the bottle), you're reinforcing his power to refuse that cup and teaching him that he can control you.

I'm not sure what the next step would be, getting rid of the bottles and offering just the cup would work but I'd worry about what happens if he still won't drink. You don't want to have a dehydrated child. Check with your pediatrician on what's a safe way to wean from the bottle and move on to the cup.

If your child can't master the mechanics of the cup, sipping is different from sucking, then wait a few months and try again. Trying to get him to do something he can't is frustrating for him and may turn him away from trying at all.

Debi