Ever Gone from Breastfeeding to Sippy Cup?

I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. My 9 month old is also exclusively breast fed. I introduced a sippy cup around 6/7 months and she does just fine. She picked up very quickly because I think that she sees my 2 year old with hers. Hope this helps!
A.

Hi Denise,

Yes, going straight to a sippy cup is very possible. I only breastfed my daughter and then when she was around 6 months old I started putting a sippy cup of water on her tray when I was feeding her cereal or baby foods. At first she just couldn't get the hang of it and didn't seem to like the idea of it but I kept it around anyway. Every few days or once a week I would try helping her sip out of it. I seemed like she would never get it but somewhere along the way it just clicked and she was using it a lot by 7 1/2 months. A friend had suggested this method of just having the cup around even if the baby isn't too interested and it was a success for them too. Hope this helps!
A.

this might be difficult to do at only 6 1/2 months. I went from breastfeeding to sippy cup, but my son was around 9 months.

Denise,

We intoduced cups about 7 months, she didn't like it, then at 9 months, and then totally trans over by a year. Take your time with it. He may take right to it, might take some time.

GOOD LUCK.

Now, SAHM with six children age range - 22 - 5!! Never a dull moment.

We went from breastfeeding to Nuby's and then introduced the straws and sippy cups. For #2, I'll likely skip the sippy cups but will stick with the Nuby in between the breast and the straws (the soft 'nipple' just seems to make sense to me as a good transition). Our son did just fine without the bottle as part of the transition but he was a bit older... closer to 9 months. Good luck!

Hi Denise,

I went from nursing straight to the sippy cup with my daughter, who is now almost 8. She did just fine with it. We started with water or breast milk in the sippy cup. We never had to use a bottle with her. I have an almost eleven-month old little boy, and I'm doing the same thing with him. He's drinking water or breast milk from a sippy cup, and I'm continuing to nurse him as well. He's doing fine with it also. I didn't want to have to wean the kids from nursing to a bottle, and then from a bottle to a cup. Good luck.

My son, who I also exclusively nursed, refused to take bottles from me when eating cereal. I figured he had to have something to wash the cereal down with and since he would not drink from a bottle I used a sippy cup (I put my breast milk into the sippy cup). It worked out very well for me. My son gave up the bottle all together (from everyone else) before he even turned a year old.

Both of my daughters were exclusively breastfed and both went breast to sippy cup (no bottles) with no problems. My oldest daughter (now 3) started taking a sippy cup once a day at 5 months old (with just water....was trying to get her use to the idea). And when I started weaning her, it was no problem for her to take the sippy cup (with water...she HATED milk, she never would drink it and to this day, doesn't like milk). I didn't completely wean her from the breast until she was 15 1/2 months old, but she was down to only 3 feedings a day at 12 1/2 months old. With my second daughter (now 17 months old). She started taking a sippy cup at 7 months old (w/ water). But she didn't really start getting the hang of it until about 8 -8 1/2 months or so. Then when she turned 1, I introduced milk in the sippy cup, at first she didn't like it, but I kept trying (just like I did with my first daughter) and after about 3 weeks, she drank it no problems and now....she LOVES milk. I actually still nurse her once or twice a day. YES, I know she doesn't "need" it, and she probably could care less. It's more me....she's my last, so it's "sad" to be "saying good-bye" to that bond. Anyway, yes, I'm in the process of weaning her and she will be completely weaned in 2 weeks.
As for sippy cups...with my first daughter I used the Nuby (in the beginning, until she started to get more teeth), then moved her to the Playtex. With my second daughter the Nuby's didn't work...she figured out how to make a mess really quick. SO, I just started her with the Playtex sippy cups....LOVE that brand (I love the insulated ones...the only ones I'll use). They are the only sippy cups that I have found that I have NEVER had a problem with, and I've been using them for 3 years.
Good Luck!

All three of my kids went from breast to sippy cup. My third was the only one who ever took a bottle, and that was only briefly. I started them all at around 6 months, and it took a while of constantly giving it to them, but eventually they all got it. I transitioned with formula, water or juice in the cup so they were getting used to more than one thing at a time(a new taste and the cup). Keep at it - it will happen!

This is usually done a lot easier when the baby is slightly older.

My dd was about 5 1/2-6 months old when I started her on solids. At meal time I would give a little water in a real cup. That was super messy and I realized I wanted her to drink it on her own and I wasn't sure how that would go so I switched to a sippy cup. I started using the Nuby brand with the big soft spout and we have since moved to the others. I think you can go ahead and try. It might just be trial and error with finding a cup he likes. And you can give him water, or 1/2 juice 1/2 water, or just breast milk. If he rejects it just wait a week or so and try again. He will get it eventually :)

Hi - I breast-fed my now 16 month-old twins for their first 13 months. They really only had a handful of times of trying to take bottles while I was out. Funny how I can't remember already exactly, but I think it was between 6 and 9 months that the doctor said they could start having a small amount of watered-down juice each day. We did a bunch of different types of sippy cups. Each baby liked different kinds off and on. They also took pretty easily to the sippy cups with straws. I kind of really liked those at first because they didn't have to hold the hold cup tipped up in the air to be able to drink by themselves. Anyway, I was told by someone that since they recommend weaning off bottles by 12 months, why go on bottles at all for such a short time? If you have the time/patience, you can probably even get your baby to sip out of a regular cup with your help. - Hope this helps!

I have. Started my second son; who was also exclusively nursed, at 5 months as I did with both girls after him. I used the Gerber soft spout cup. I took the valves out first until they started actually sucking to get some out instead of just chewing on it. May take a couple of different cups before you find one he'll take. I also heated the water up a little; with being nursed the milk is always warm so going even to room temp first time might be a turn off.

SAHM of 4: 2 boys 9yr/4yr and 2 girls 2yr/5months

It wasn't difficult at all for my daughter. We tried and tried to get her to use a bottle at 6 1/2 months but she hated them. Our pediatrician suggested at 7 months we introduce a sippy cup and it has worked out great. She never put up a fight and loves drinking flavored water and diluted juice from hers. We use the Avent brand, they have a soft tip and handles so she can hold it herself. But we still nurse at all of the same times, we just add the sippy cup to snack time.

I agree this may be tough at 6 months but I went right from breast to sippy cup - my daughter was 9-10 months though... and it actually helped her to ween herself off of me on her own at 11 months(which was really nice :)

Hi Denise- With my 2nd I went straight from breast to sippy cup- she was 9 mo and we just put breastmilk in the sippy when I wasn't there to nurse. We had no problems. I think if you can hold off on the bottles for another couple months you can probably make the transition very easily!
Good Luck
Beth

Actually I went straight to a straw! I cut down a regular straw to a short length. The sucking instinct was still very strong and she learned quickly! This was very convenient, since most restaurants have straws on hand and I didn't carry the sippy cups. Of course I had to hold the cup and straw until she was able to do it herself, but all in all I think it was a great transition.
Additionally there is concern about plastic products and use by babies, so heating milk in a plastic baby bottle may not be good for any babies!!See recent articles about plastic baby bottles in newspapers and online. http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/environmenta...
Good luck!

We did with both of our girls. We did do sippy cups without valves to avoid pressure on the eardrums and such.