Trying to Transition to Sippy Cup

do not put milk in a sippy cup. no one says you have to. maybe try a cup with a straw, or a regular cup. my son was 8 months when he could grasp a cup with 2 hands and drink from it. from that point on we always sit him down at the table with a regular cup. sippy's are for car rides and wandering around the house. also try chocolate rice or almond milk. its a real winner when battling babies and toddlers. my son was 19lbs at 1 year. he was also shorter, and in proportion to himself. sometimes you have to forget the charts and let your boy guide you. I try to never let my son cry over anything related to food and drink as long as its healthy and he is hungry. I hear babies will not starve themselves, but they can hold out long enough that I will give in. stay positive!

I tried the Born Free training cups http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2661896 because the top is 'like' a bottle, but not and the bottom fits the Born Free bottle also so it faked out my son then we just used the training cup bottom. It's just a colorful bottom. Then for his juice/water cup I used the Nuby http://www.netkidswear.com/12oznunogrcu.html because they have a spft spout like a bottle, BUT now 16mo I can't get him to drink from a hard spout at all. You could try a straw kind that he sucks from. Maybe it's the technique thing associated with the bottle that he not trying it. I know it can be frusterating buying all these sippy cups to find the right one.

Good Luck. Hope this helps.
A.

If he will take other fluids, why milk? He may be "telling" you he's allergic to that as well. Maybe try fortified rice milk? The vanilla is tasty. I know it costs more, but you're not needing to give him a lot. Eventually he can get the same nutrition from other foods like green leafy vegs and orange juice.
He may use a regular cup. My 10 month old is progressing better with a small plastic cup then a sippy.
And I agree with the others--why force him anyway? What is important is his nutrition, and what's another 6 months of bottle use?
If you have other concerns, I would also recommend Early Intervention, they may have help with any developmental issues you are worried about!

Hi there. I'm not sure which sippy cups you've tried, however, I just purchased the one by Dr. Brown's for my 9 month old. He is getting the hang of it. The other brands were nothing but an aggravation. At the very least he doesn't throw this one!!

Good Luck!

I apologize if I am repeating posts as I didnt have time to read through. Perhaps try a straw,....my son had a hard time with sippys but did great with a straw! Also, the take n toss cups seemed to work much easier at first since there is no valve to suck against and the liquid comes very easily. we did have great luck with the born free cups. my son was also on alimentum and we do not eat dairy or gluten. my son (19 months) went to goats milk and loves it. perhaps you can try that. you can get it at trader joes. good luck!

Why not a bottle??????? We were all raised with bottles until 4 y/o or thereabouts. if he finds comfort in in and it helps him get the nourishment in, I say give it to him already!

Hi R.,

At first, my twin boys didn't want to transition to sippys either. What worked well for me was giving the boys a sippy first at each meal/snacktime (with just a little of their milk or water) and then giving them their bottles. It made for extra dishes but it was worth it, because they gradually chose the sippys over the bottles. I think it all depends on your child and his personality, but I think this worked well for my kids because it gave them a sense of control and time for them to say goodbye to their bottles while getting used to the sippys. You could also take him shopping with you and let him choose his own special cup or try using straws (this worked well for a friend's son). Good luck!

The only thing I can think of is warming some milk & put it in a sippy. Sit in his room & make sure its very dark, hold him as if you are rocking him to sleep & you hold the sippy for him so maybe he wont realize its not a bottle. Good luck

i agree with some of your other posts. give sippy cups a try, but don't take away the bottle completely esp. if you have the nutrition/feeding problems that you list. as a first time mom you believe you have to do everything that doctors tell you--not always the case. when we were infants/toddlers, it was not uncommon for children to use the bottle until around age 3 or so--not preferred-- but not detrimental. like yours, my 3 kids were not great eaters, so i did whatever i could to get nutrition in them. my third seems to be losing interest in milk altogether, but i plan to keep the bottle until age 2 like my first two. good luck...i know picky eaters are stressful.

My daughter went completely off the bottle after age 3 and half. It kept her well hydrated when she was sick. She only had it at night for comfort; she never fell asleep with it in her mouth (a concern in terms of good teeth care and having prolonged exposure of teeth to milk with bottle use). She was good about using a cup at day care. My pediatrician pushed for no bottle at 1y. Her teeth and nutrition are just fine at age 5 y! Good luck. You'll eventually find a cup your son likes.

Hi, I haven't read everybody's response, but the only thing I would suggest is to keep introducing the sippy cup...one day he will get the hang of it!!! Or maybe you could try those strawcups (it worked great with my kids...the ones that are in the cup), or whatever! But then give your little baby that bottle!!! You need to do what is best for your little one (and for your sanity). Why have the little one go through this at this point??? Not worth it. I always say to pick your battles, and if he is so small already, this wouldn't be one that I would care about so much!
The best of luck to you and your family - you are doing GREAT!!!!

As a mom of 4 grown children,I would say let him keep the bottle til at least age 2. Especially if he is underweight, keeping the bottle isn't that big a deal. Some kids don't move along as fast as we think they ought to and if he finds comfort in it I think there isn't anything wrong with it. If it's family or peers that find a problem with it,remind them he is underweight and go on about your way. I would still try encouraging the sippy cup for whatever else,but as far as his milk.......give him his bottle. With all the allergies he has life is already tough enough for him!!! Trust me...he won't want the bottle forever....my 3rd daughter loved her bottle too for security,I guess and altho she hung on to it for a long time,I never let her take it out in public after she turned 2. She is now 21 and doesn't carry a bottle anymore. LOL LOL Do for you what feels right for your little man,trusting your own instincts isn't all bad. Good luck........J.

I agree with a previous poster. You should keep giving him a bottle. My daughter was also a poor eater, and cup drinker. She was on a bottle until 21 months. She was in the 5th% for weight. Once I switched her over it took about 6 months to figure out which cup she would drink milk out of. She now uses the take n toss straw cup. Before I figured that out she would only drink about 1-2 ounces of milk a day.
Remember, the sippy cup is a glorified bottle, unless you use one without suction. There's nothing wrong with keeping him on a bottle as long as his teeth are okay. Don't worry about societal pressure. Good luck!

As a mother of 5. I think all children grow at different rates and need different things some kids are just mot ready for a sippy cup until they are a little older theres nothing wrong with letting him use the bottle a little longer especially if he has feeding problems. I would think the most important thing is to make sure he is getting the milk he needs at least until he is 2.

My now oldsest daughter has celiac disease. She would never take a bottle or sippy. She did however have success with the use a a medicine measuring cup. Not a whole lot to spill, yes you have to fill it several times. But she drank like a big girl.

Give him the bottle at night - why stress yourself out and the baby out especially if he is underweight. When he is ready to give up the bottle, he will be ready. Don't let the doctors force you to do something he is not ready to do. A night-time bottle is not a big deal. (ECE Preschool teacher and mom)

Just a suggestion, but my son who is 12 months loves the NUBY sippy cups. They are a softer nipple. I have tried the hard sippy cups and he does not like them. The NUBY's are nice because they have different tops, but all are still soft. Hope it helps...just keep trying. He WILL get it one day!! Good luck!

both my girls were not even 18 lbs by that age. They didn't hit 18 lbs till they were 18 mos. So I totally understand your anxiety about not getting enough calories.

That being said, I must tell you that once I cut back on their liquids they ate much better and gained weight. So, I would say keep trying. Can you flavor the formula? I don't know if you could get something to add to it, maybe like they flavor medicines, to make it taste better in the cup.

Kids that age should only be getting 16 - 20 oz of milk a day, so I think the same would be true of the formula. More than that and they stop eating food cause their calorie needs are met already.

N.

R. - I know ensuring babies switch to a sippy cup at 12 months is standard medical advice nowadays, but I'm not sure why (is it for the placment of the teeth?). I would find out why, and weigh that against his need to take in milk. PS of course the doctor says let him cry, he/she isn't the mom! Let the doctors stick to medical advice!