Spilling the Cup

have you tried the other kinds of cups RECENTLY? My daughter used to use the soft silicone ones too, but I later tried the hard plastic top Gerber cups and they are awesome for not leaking! You can try the straw type too.

Personally, I let my daughters have their sippys in the living room when their playing after breakfast or dinner, but that was never the case with the silicone ones b/c like you experienced, they leak a lot (esp. since my daughter broke it sticking her finger in the hole too! haha!). There is nothing wrong with a rule that cups stay at the table.

We didn't let our toddlers' walk around with the cups. If they made messes, we simply said, "Sorry, you'll have to wait until lunch/snack time." Then take it away and put it up high and out of reach. No amount of crying or pouting changes the answer.

Even now, when my kids are irresponsible with food in their playroom, I take away that privileged and they can only eat and drink at the kitchen table. They have learned that I am not here to clean up after them. So they need to act appropriately or be "stuck" in the kitchen. (They are 6 and 4.)

We did the same thing with cups and snacks in the car. They can't behave, then they have to wait until we get home or wherever we're going.

i only put water in them, then if anything got wet, it was just water!!! no biggie!

As annoying as it is, he is exploring the world. He probably likes splashing in the bath too:) My, now 3 YO was notorious for the spill and splash - and might I say the floor was quite spotless during this transition. What I realized is I had to find places where it was OK to splash and make a "mess." By giving him an activity where it is OK to dump and splash (we used the sink and a water table in the yard) you can begin to differentiate where it is ok to spill and splash vs. where it really is not. The verbal and emotional reinforcement at each location (positive joking, good natured where you want him to play and stone silence and clean up where you don't) helps too. Never be mean, but just matter of factly remove the cup and say, "We only do this at our splash table" or wherever. Also by making it less of a forbidden fruit allowed him to lose interest even sooner. He will get the idea. Occassionally my splashing bandit will test limits, but I just reinforce what and where the activity is acceptable.
Good luck!

Take it away from him. let him have it for a drink then put it up where he can't reach it.

Of course he only wants a soft spout cup, it i sthe only one he can make a mess with! I think you have 2 choices, buy one that won't leak, or have a cup stays at the table rule. He is a toddler, you are the mom, give him a choice and stick with it!

I use a no spill sippy. He can't have it anywhere but in the kitchen/living room area and the one we use he'd have to shake the dickens out of in order to get anything to come out of...which is a blessing...

Or it was until he figured out how to unscrew the top and then it was all over...

hey...progress not perfection right??

Good luck to you!!

We have our daughters all food and drinks in the kitchen. It is much easier to clean up! Still working on the 15 month old, but it has worked for our almost 4 year old.