Sippy Cup Recommendations

Updated on September 02, 2008
M.S. asks from Greenwich, CT
27 answers

Hi Moms, my daughter just turned one and plain refuses to drink anything out of a sippy cup. I've tried 4 different kinds of sippy cups with everything from formula/milk to water and juice. I would love to hear any tips on transitioning to sippy cups as well as any suggestions on brands/types of sippy cups that have worked for you.

Thanks in advance.

M.

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J.A.

answers from New York on

My twins love the Take n Toss 5 Straw Cups or Nuby Sippy Cups. My BG twins fell like big kids when they drink from the straws and Nuby is the only sippy cup they would take in the beginning.

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D.

answers from New York on

It may be that she doesn't know what to do. Remove the ain't spill so she sees there is liquid inside. Also, I felt that the soft spout ones made it easier as their are more like bottles. Try the nuby ones at wal-mart. If she bites them they come out. But usually I get gerber.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

Munchkin brand makes these sporty bottle type large cups that are a great transtition from bottle to sippy. They come in bright fun colors that just look fun and are easy for their little hands to grasp and drink from. My son drank from other sippy cups before I found these, but he drinks more water then ever before from these. Also, whenever we come accross other babies/kids they all seem to want his cup. My neighbor had to go and get her little girl the same one. It may be that the bottle looks similar to a bottle of bubbles. They also have ones with an attached straw when she gets to that stage.

J.

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M.D.

answers from New York on

My advice...if she doesnt like the sippy then why force her? Skip it & go straight to the straw cup. Thats what all my 3 kids did & I didnt have to worry about the transition from sippy to straw cup. Have u ever tried drinking out of a sippy??? Its so hard & so much effort. Maybe thats why she doesnt like it. Good luck :)

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J.B.

answers from Syracuse on

My son could not use a sippy cup either. He refused to tip it to drink so we went right to straws. I started with a juice box and sqeezed it just as he closed his mouth on it until he began to suck himself. After about 3 times of doing this he learned to drink from a straw himself. Then I went to Target and they sell the Munchkin mighty grip straw cup, that is leak proof, for under $3. Now he is using this instead of a bottle. We started him on this about 13 months as we were having trouble like you, and now he is 14 1/2 months with no bottles.

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A.F.

answers from New York on

try something with a straw, they get a big kick out of it!

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H.A.

answers from New York on

I got the cheap Take'n'Toss and my son took to them immediately. He now also likes the Playtex sippies. There are different levels of their cups. Maybe she likes a faster flow so she might like level 3 or 4.

He didn't like the Born Free.

C.B.

answers from New York on

Try a straw cup or one that doesn't have the leak proof plug.

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L.L.

answers from Syracuse on

My son wouldn't drink out of a sippy either. We took out all the valves and he drank it fine.

L.

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L.W.

answers from Albany on

We took the plugs out until the boys got the hang of drinking out of one (and only water or water with a little juice until they did). It took about a week. I also started at lunchtime first - I read somewhere that in the morning, they are too thirsty and at night, too tired to be successful with a sippy cup at first. Once they were successful with the plug at lunchtime, we used them at breakfast and dinner, too.

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K.E.

answers from New York on

I recommend using one of the straw cups - playtex has some that are insulated. They're not completely spill proof but neither are sippy cups once you take the valve out. It teaches the kids a skill they will use forever - adults drink out of straws still. Also, if you ever go to a restaurant with your child, they always give kids cups with covers and straws. I started both of my daughters by putting my thumb over the top of a straw almost like a syringe and putting the bottom end in their mouth and slowly removing my finger so that some liquid came out. They both quickly learned how to suck from the straw that way.
Good luck!

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M.D.

answers from New York on

First Years Take and toss cups are BPA free! My 10 month old loves them.

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K.G.

answers from New York on

I think the tupperware ones are good if you are sitting in one place.....not the care. They do spill. Straw types are great to if they can figure that out (which is also inportant to do). But the best one that does not spill and is easy to get any liquid is the nuby's. They are a VERY soft tip and the all they have to do is pout pressure on it to get anything out. She may not take to the formula in it right away because to babies formula/milk = bottle but start with the water/ juice and work your way to milk. I have 2 children (2 1/2 & 1 1/2) and it has worked so far. # 3 on the way and I am sure this is how he will adjust as well. :) Good luck

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H.G.

answers from New York on

The Nuk training cup has a very similar nipple to a bottle (even softer than the "soft" spouts), and it really helps with the transition. Also, the Born Free sippy cup can take a Born Free bottle nipple as well as the spout. That can help get her used to the handles!

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K.H.

answers from New York on

Try The First Years Take and Toss straw cups and see if your daughter will use a cup with a straw. I also love the Litterless reuseable Juice Boxes by Rubbermaid - these are also with a straw - you can find them in the grocery store (not in children's items) they are in with the rest of the rubbermaid plastic containers. They are the perfect size for kids, they do not spill at all, they are inexpensive and I read that they are BPA free. I love them and use them all the time. Coincidentally, my son see a speech therapist and I was told that sippy cups are not recommended by them for children - apparently a straw is better for their mouth development and learning to speak - I did not know this when I started my son on a straw cup - I did it because he hated sippy cups. Good luck!

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D.Z.

answers from Binghamton on

Hi M.,

Have you ever tried to drink out of one of those cups? It's not fun. I use the Tupperware cups with sipper seals...they don't have this crazy flow thing that requires you to suck, so they just tip them up and out flows the drink. This is really great for quenching thirst...I don't want to be drinking out of a straw all the time, so I never thought my babies would want to either. The downside is that they are not spill/leak proof...but we're supposed to be making our kids sit to drink anyway, aren't we...HA...mine walk all over the house and I'm continually cleaning up after them, but they have all drank out of these cups from 6 months with no problems.

I also tend to just give them a regular cup at the table and hold it to their mouths for them to drink until they are old enough to hold it themselves. I guess it all depends on how much mess you can handle!

Now that those darn cups with the flow valves are so popular, it is very hard to find cups with the old sipper seals like the ones tupperware still sells, but you might be able to find them...I used to get them at Walmart but in the last 3-4 years I haven't been able to find them there. The Tupperware ones are of course more pricey...but really not more pricey than those cups with the valves, just compared to the sippers I used to get at Walmart.

Ok, I can stop rambling now...I think my point has been made. Have a great day and enjoy your little drinker...don't worry, she'll get it soon, no matter which kind of cup you choose. I guess consistency is pretty important until she has it down.

D.

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D.B.

answers from New York on

Hi M. I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old and for both of them I used the Gerber sippy cups that change color when hot or cold. They are spill proof. They came in a 2 pack and I would let my Daughter pick which color she wanted. We would put it in the microwave to heat the milk up and she would love to see what color it turned when warm. I got them at babies r us and I think they are 10 oz cups. She would get 1 in the morning and 1 at night.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
D.

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A.H.

answers from New York on

Skip the sippy cup and goes to one with a short straw.

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J.H.

answers from Syracuse on

Try the cups with the straws in them...

My baby loves the straw sippys...hope this helps!
J.

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A.P.

answers from Elmira on

We only use Munchkin brand sippy cups & straw cups. They both have soft rubber tops and are spill-proof (at least until some bites the tops too much). My son wouldn't take a sippy cup at all until I found these at Target. And, if the top does break, the company will send you a whole new cup free of charge.

good luck :)
A.

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M.W.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

I began using straw cups with my dgtr at that age - she wasn't so into a sippy either. I bought FOOGO (stainless steel cups w/ very little plastic) after the plastic ones I bought kept breaking and wanted to get away from plastic anyway. She did great with the straw ones and quickly moved onto sippy's as well - different liquids.

As far as sippy cups delaying your child's speech - not completely accurate. There is a correlation to lip/tongue strength and movement being delayed and increased sucking. Sippy and straw cups are great, but shouldn't be used all day . Your child should use them as if they were regular cups - only at meals (or when asking for a drink as well) but to have them at hand and suck all day could potentially cause an issue with speech or oral motor control (similar to just sucking on a bottle all day) (even if using a regular cup - your child shouldn't have all out access to them b/c she will drink too much and fill up on liquids instead of eat). You very well could move directly to a regular cup - especially during mealtimes - but you'll likely have a mess at this point. I would recommend maybe a straw cup (VERY happy with FOOGO - $14-16/cup, but I went through 3-4 plastic ones in half the amount of time we've had the FOOGO cups) and using it only at meals (also with a sippy if you get there - don't let all out access to it).

P.S. - Just for clarification, sippy cups (otherwise known as 'spouted cups' for P.C. purposes once you become an adult - LOL) are not used for old people because they eat in bed - they are used for the elderly when they have poor lip closure. Most of the elderly still use regular cups, or straws, and actually eat out of bed sitting at a table - even if they eat in bed, they are still given regular old cups and straws.

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H.H.

answers from Rochester on

I actually had the same problem. So i went to walmart and got the hot cold cups with lids and i used them with a straw everytime my husband and i got a dirnk and Alexandria started doing it to. The straw was awesome.

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A.S.

answers from New York on

My daughter didn't take sippy cups either until we tried the Born Free sippy cup... the other alternative is to try a "straw cup"

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N.R.

answers from New York on

My son never took a bottle, so when he was ready for a sippy cup, we tried many.

The one below by Nuby was the best by far. He was able to drink from it and not have it spill all over his chest. They make different ones, but this specific one is the BEST!

http://www.amazon.com/Nuby-oz-Valveless-No-Spill-Spout/dp...

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D.R.

answers from New York on

HI M.,
I tried a ton of different cups for my twins and found they had trouble or disliked all of them. Finally in Target I saw these small Take and Toss cups which they loved. They are small, 4 oz. so it was easy for them to get juice out of them. They didnt have to tip them all the way up and they were just right for their little hands. These are still their favorite cups. ANd the best part is they are cheap! A few bucks for a pack of 4 or 5. Babies r us sells the Take and Toss cups too. Hope this helps. good luck

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B.F.

answers from New York on

Dear M., why do you want to use a zippy cup? Why can you not introduce a regular cup. Zippy cups are used for old people who have to be fed in bed. A child wants to learn to grow up. He learns through imitation. Does she see you drinking out of a zippy cup. Did Eve, Moses, Abraham, Salomon, Lincoln, ... use zippy cups? You will keep your child back in her oral/speech development if you use a zippy cup. She does not need lip crutches. Infants should be weened from the suction reflex by 9 month. Nature does not ask for a zippy cup. About me: Speech therapist and movement therapist. Age: 60. Mother of three children. B.

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M.B.

answers from New York on

My daughter would never drink out of them because they were so hard to get liquid out of and she couldn't get a flow at all - she would get little drops, which was a big difference from her bottle.

Instead of the spill-free sippy cups, I ended up giving her the one first steps cups with the tops that have the raised slit that she can drink directly out of without sucking so hard. She has used them ever since and now my 10 month old is starting with them and drinking very easily. But it is a lot messier - I started by only giving them the cups during meals in their chair or outside. Eventually I was able to give my daughter the straw sippy cups once I introduced her to the traditional straw - I gave her some milk in a starbucks cup with a straw or gave her a little of my jamba juice. That ended up working for the car or for the stroller where the other cups were too messy. But she's still confused (at 22 months) about when she should lift the cup up to get milk and when she has to hold it down to get the milk in the bottom of the straw :).

Good luck!

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