When Should I Start Using a Sippy Cup?

I was told at my son's 9 month appointment to start working in the sippy cup and to have him off of the bottle by the time he was a year old. We slowly gave him either water or whole milk in the sippy, and he did really well with it except for his first drink of the day. At that time, he would scream and would only drink from a bottle when he first got up in the morning. Then, literally the day after he turned 1, I tried the sippy in the morning again, and we have never looked back. He has taken a sippy cup for everything ever since. We have always tried to limit his intake of juice, he mostly only gets it as a treat, or when he's sick and the milk produces too much phlegm. Hope this helps.

I started practicing with an open cup when my twins were 6 months-old. It takes awhile for them to catch on, but by a year they were holding it perfectly, and drinking by themselves. One recommendation is to fill it less than halfway, and to start with water (easier to clean up). Also, use all different sorts of cups to see what they prefer, and so that they don't become overly attached to a certain cup. I think sippy cups are unnecessary and unsanitary. why bother with the extra step? The one concession I make to sippy cups is their baby Sigg water bottles. They have a sports top, and are awesome for on the go, water only! You can buy them from sigg on-line, or at Whole Foods.

Hi S.,
Well I see I'm the first to respond. I was actually hoping to see what responses you got because I have a similar question. I started my twins with water first in a bottle when I started them on solids which was 6 months. I recently tried sippy cups with them. My twins too are only breastfed and are eating some solids, they are 9 months old. But I am having trouble with sippy cups. They don't seem to get it and are not really getting any water out of the cups. I think they should only be given water and not juice, I think it is just sugar and no real nutritional value. Then my other concern is which sippy cups are best due to the BPA issue. I am currently using playtex sippy cups but they seem to chew on the handles than sip from them. So sorry I don't have much advice for you. Good luck!
J.

Hi,
I thought I would respond to this after reading the last response. 6 months is a fine age to start sippy cups or even regular cups depending on your child. You will need to experiment with many different kinds, I have a ton that I recieved as gifts so that helped from spending a ton of money. what I found with my son is at about 8 months he could drink from a straw and they make spill proof BPA free sippy cups.(munchkins) I currently use the nuby straw sippys because that is what was available for him and there wasn't the BPA concern at that time. I tried switching and he won't use the Munchkin one. Also BPA seems to be a concern more with bottles because of heating and cooling that leaches the BPA, whereas the water, juice etc you put in the cup isn't heated. Straws are better for their teeth too, even if you put milk in there, it has sugar which can cause tooth decay. When he drinks from the straw it goes past the teeth so the milk, juice , etc doesn't really wash over the teeth.
Giving them juice isn't bad, it is what kind of juice, I do my own juicing or on the go there is sugar free juice. (only has natural sugar from the fruit) I wouldn't give any now though. I think I gave juice around 10 months when you don't breastfeed as much. I also dilute it with water, 1/2 and 1/2. (That is what my doctor recommended) My son loves it watered down, he won't drink it full strength. Plus I use fluorinated water since we have well water.
M.

The statement "all chillren respond differently" is true. My daughter introduced her son who now is about 30 months to the sippy cup at around 9 months and he did very well but when she tried to do the same thing for her daughter who just turned a year at the end of July, she would not take to it right away no matter which kind we tried. I think that it all depends on the maturity of the child. If they are moving slow, you need to go slower with him/her. They sell a sippy cup that is close to a bottle in stores. We purchased it at Walmart. It is made to familiarize a child with a cup but it resembles a bottle. I suggest starting there and working toward the more advance cups at a slow pace. I feel like around 9 or 10 months they are more wanting to be independant in certain areas of their life. I hope this helps a little.

Hi S.,
We started my daughter on a sippy cup with water only at 6 months old. It took a little time and several types of sippy's before she got the hang of it. Now at 91/2 months she loves her sippy! Has only had water though, waiting to give her juice until a year or so per her Dr's suggestion.