So How Did You Train Your Little One on a Cup?

I tried a few cups and had the best luck on the Playtex First Sipster cup: http://www.playtexproductsinc.com/infant/CupsByStage.asp I seated my son in is high chair and sat in front of him with the cup on the high chair tray. Inside the cup was diluted juice and I would pick up the cup and take dramatic sips for him (loud sipping, saying "yum, yum", doing a gratifying sigh and then giving him a big smile afterwards). Roland thought it was hilarious and it wasn't long until he was joining in on the fun. I think the First Sipster cups were easy for him to hold and he enjoyed them for a long while (until we eventually graduated him to handleless cups).

All the best to you!
A.

Have you tried the Nuby sippy cups? You can find them at wal-mart and they're super cheap. My kids both transitioned with these cups very easily. They have nipple-like spouts so it kind of looks and feels more like bottle. Now they use whatever cup I give them. As for the holding thing, you'll probably have to help him with that at first but he'll get it after some practice, don't stress:)

We started ours out at 6 months. I would give it to him at the beginning of each meal (we were doing jarred food then), and for a couple of days, he just played with it. At the end of the meal, I would put whatever was left in a bottle and let him finish it. He gradually got the idea that he could drink out of the cup, and we started removing bottles from his schedule until he was down to just 3 a day--naps and bedtime. I gradually replaced the naptime bottles with cups once he had the hang of it, and by 11 months, we were bottle free. We use the take-n-toss brand, and that's all he would use until he learned to drink from a straw at 13 months.

Are you trying to get him started on a regular cup or sippie cup? I think that it is too early for a regular cup. You can get a sippie cup that is a lot like a bottle to drink out of. If you get the leak proof sippie cups they are a good starter cup because they have to suck on them like a bottle so they don't get drenched with their drink. Show him how to do it and he will pick it up.

If you are looking to get involved and meet other moms to talk with you may want to look into joining MOPS. It is an international group of Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers that meets at a few churches here in the Triangle. You can go to their website to find one closest to you.

E.

K.,
I started Alorah about the same age as your son. I started offering juice in the cup not formula. What you may have to do to get him to get the idea that there is something in it is to take the valve out for the first time. That will give him the chance to see that there is something worth working for in the cup. After he gets a taste of the juice he may be more apt to try to get it out himself. That is how I got Alorah to drink from a cup, and she ended up weening herself from the bottle at 9 months. Good luck!

First of all, my little girl wouldn't hold her bottle either. What I did was put her hands on it as if she were holding it. I would place my hand over hers to hold it in place. I would do this everytime she ate. Eventually she put her hands there herself. Then I started holding the bottle at the bottom so she could get the feel of the weight of the bottle. Eventually she started holding it herself.

As far as the sippy cup goes, I trained my little girl to a straw before going to a sippy cup. I tried the sippy cups and she just didn't like them. She went for a straw first, then she went to a sippy cup. To train to the straw, I would suck on the liquid until it came to the top, then put it in her mouth. She would get the taste and start sucking. It took a little while, but she eventually caught on. When she started daycare at age 22 mo., we had to start using a sippy cup. She took to the sippy cup better after that.

I would definately get out of the house. You don't need to stay at home all the time. The library has some wonderful childrens programs. Most of them are for older children, but if you look hard enough, you'll find some age-appropriate. Also, pick up an Upstate Parent. In the back, you'll find a calender of activities for all ages.

Most importantly, don't feel alone. You have resources available that you don't even know about. It is hard being in a new place with a new baby. I've been there. Realize that no one is going to come to you. You have to go to them. But once you start taking those steps to becoming a member of the community, doors will open. I am a member of the Spartanburg Jaycees. If you would like, come join us. We meet every Tuesday night at Delayney's Irish Pub in Spartanburg at 7. It is in Morgan Square, right off of Church Street. On your first visit, your meal is free. Tonight is a business meeting, but other nights, we have games and fun activities. It is a great way to meet people and gain work experience as well. Also, we do group activities like we are going snowtubing on the 24th. Come out and join us.

I just started giving Emily a cup when she was about 9 months old. I'd put it in front of her when she was eating. Most of the time, it would wind up on the floor, but sometimes, she would do good. I was going to go cold turkey on her first birthday, but she had a bad cold and I wanted to be sure that she was getting enough liquid, so I chickened out. The next week at the daycare, she just started drinking out of her sippy cup and now it's hard to get her to take a bottle. Whenever he's ready, it'll start happening.

K.,

Just to make you feel better, about 40% of children are still nursing or drinking from the bottle after age 2. This statistic comes from Parents magazine.

I think at this age the sippy cup is an exploration thing, for when they should be weaned off the bottle. When is the best time to be weaned from the bottle? The pediatricians will say 1 year. Your son may say, "Uh,uh. I want to cuddle and I'm going to wait until 18 months, two years or whenever I feel like it." Just don't get into a battle of wills over it and worry about dehydration.

That said, my daughter was stubborn and didn't totally give up the bottle until 2 1/2. She got a bad cold and couldn't drink and breath at the same time. Then I found out she liked the soft, flexible straws from the Playtex line. I tried every sippy cup imaginable, including the Nuby, only to have her leave them lying around, leaking. Or she'd press the Nuby on her leg or other stuff so she could do hydraulics experiments without actually drinking from them. It was so bad I truly feared dehydration.

She doesn't have cavities, and I already know she'll need braces, but not from using a bottle.

I don't think a 7 month old can be lazy; at least not on purpose.

Hope this helps ease your frustration.

Don't worry too much about it. I didn't even show my son a sippy cup until he was 6 months old. Even then, all I did was put a little bit of water in it and put it on his high chair tray. I never once pushed it on him. I just left it there for him to discover on his own. He would pick it up and drop it over the side. Around 9 months, I started giving it to him to play with (during play time) and he would start to chew on it and look at it but he still wouldn't drink out of it. Again, I didn't push it. Just let him play with it. Eventually, he figured out that if he sucked on it, stuff would come out of it. He didn't even start drinking out of a sippy cup until he was almost a year old. Don't worry. . you are NOT doing anything wrong!! Sometimes, it just takes some kids a little longer to pick up on some stuff. Once he figures it out, he'll take off with it!! If you push it, he might develop a fear of the cup and not want to use it. Just let him discover it on his own. Good Luck!

he may not be ready just yet for a sippy, he is still young, boys are usually difficult than girls...i have 3 girls and 2 boys...anyway when i took the bottle and give the sippy i had to use the sippy nipples that look and feel like a bottle nipple it really seemed to help out after putting juice or water in it for my boy. we kept something in the cup all the time tho that way if they really want a drink they end up taking it,,but as i said we had to use the sippy nipples that are similar to the bottle nipples...try this and good luck

Just cause the pediatrician recommends something doesn't mean you have to do it, they go in a general age range and not every baby is the same. If I did everything my son's ped recommended, my son would be starving right now!! And how is a 7 month old being lazy when he won't hold his own bottle yet? He is only a baby and may not be ready to hold his bottle yet. My son is almost 9 months old and I've been giving him a sippy off and on for the past few weeks now, he has been holding his bottle off and on since he was about 7 or 8 months but he won't hold a cup with or without handles. He'll drink from it if I hold it but that's about it. I've tried several different styles too with different spouts also. Just give him time and he will do it when he is ready. And as far as him having control, babies have more control over our lives than we think!

http://www.babycenter.com/plus/readyornot/articles/food/1...

I think it's our responsibility as parents to teach our children to be independent and that starts as young as possible. If it were me, I would put the cup in front of him and he will do it. You can help him get his hands on the handles to start with and show him how. But there isn't any reason that he can't start trying. It doesn't mean he has to do it all by himself, but you should give him the opportunity.

My two and a half year old does everything on her own. I don't have to do anything for her while she eats. She can even use a butter knife to spread butter or peanut butter. She has her own cutlery that's not plastic so that she feels like a "big girl". Not only does it give her great pride but it makes me proud that I've taught her how to be independent (with supervision)

Good luck!

Not sure who your pediatrician is but I think 7 months is a little early to push a cup!!!! My pediatrician recommends the transition around 1 year or before if the baby takes interest in it. start by just giving him a cup to play with and then what i did with both of mine is just slowly introduce the sippy cup when feeding their milk, they will take it when they are ready and you will know it! if you stress about it, he will feel your stress and it will only make it harder!! I would only begin to push the cup if he is a year and still demanding the bottle...let him be a baby while he's a baby! Good luck and hope all is going well for you since moving from FL!

Hi K.,
1st I would say join a Yahoo Moms group. I joined one called Mumsandkids and I love it. They do homeplay dates and outing etc. As for the cup thing, what I did was to get the small 3oz. bathroom cups.I would use the small ones b/c If they knock it over,its only a small amount. Then make a BIG DEAL over him drinking it. Say things like " Yeah you are such a big boy" etc. Good luck and it will happen. =)

We started on a sippy at 7 mths and our little one was not holding his bottle to well yet either. Best thing I ever did!!! It is so much easier to switch over earlier than later. I tried a couple of sippys with no success and then my daycare recommended the Nuby brand. These sippys are great for a few reasons 1. the spout is made out of similar material as a bottle nipple making them an easy adjustment. 2. Walmart sells a 3 stage transition pack. Same bottle, but it has a bottle nipple, at sippy spout and a straw spout (stage 3). I just gave him the sippy top and when he was too tired to eat anymore from this sippy, I changed tops to the bottle nipple and he finished his meal (so nice just changing the top and not the bottle). Within two weeks he was finishing from the sippy.

One reason many recommend switching to the sippy early is that babies can regulate the flow (they cannot with a bottle nipple). The plus with this is that they can stop eating when they are full and learn how to stop eating when they are full lessening chance for obesity later in life.

Are you located in Virginia Beach? If so and you ever want to come to a mom's group just email me. I seen that you were looking to connect with some people in your area and we have a ton of great people in our group.

7 months?!??!?! WTF! Your little boy doesn't even hold is bottle. I have no idea why his doctor would've told you to start him on a regular cup. Just bypass the sippy all together??? Don't worry about it. Let him figure out how to hold the bottle first. After his first birthday, then begin thinking of switching. To a sippy first. My daughter is almost 3 and has been on a regular cup for about 4 months now.

Keep in mind when doctors give advice they do just that...advice if your son has not mastered holdong his bottle yet obviously he cannot hold a cup. My son started to use his sippy cup when he turned 6mths. Keep in mind he was holding his bottle at 3 1/2mths (every child is different) don't rush him. Doctors jobs are to give you statistics. You know your son better than anybody else. Give him time to master the bottle and occasionally give him a sippy cup(use the one that come with handle on the side) see if he can grasp the concept, you never know he might skip holding a bottle and go to holding a sippy cup. Good Luck