Sippy cup 3 year old how to#

But, as feeding specialists, we have to reiterate that we donвЂ™t love sippy cups and instead recommend you focus on straw cups when on-the-go or in need of a mess-free meal. There are many sippy cups on the market-soft spouts, firm spouts, with handles, or without handles. William, 6 months, learns to drink from the ezpz straw cup. Once your baby has the basic idea of the straw itself, you can choose any straw cup you prefer, knowing your baby can use it.ДЇor more on cups and straws, watch our video here. There are many cups on the market that fit this description, but a shot glass or small glass yogurt cup will do just fine, too!Д«efore choosing a straw cup, we recommend first teaching your baby the skills of using a straw by itself, which weвЂ™ll outline below. A small cup also makes it less likely that your baby will flood themselves with liquid. Since youвЂ™ll be dealing with many, many spills, look for a cup that holds no more than 1-3 ounces. When choosing an open cup, we recommend using a small cup thatвЂ™s easy for baby hands to hold. If your baby seems to struggle with both skills after a few weeks, choose which cup they like most and stick with it until your baby is doing pretty well, then reintroduce the other. If your baby is 6 months old, we recommend starting with both, but at different meals ( i.e.,В an open cup at breakfast and a straw cup at the next meal). And start with whichever-thereвЂ™s no right order! While some professionals recommend a particular order, there is no research to support the benefits of introducing an open cup first and then straws or vice versa. Good news! ThereвЂ™s no need to decide between an open cup and straw cup-we recommend introducing both right away. They will not be harmed if you continue to use these cups occasionally-more on this below. Most babies are adaptable and will quickly move on to new skills. Note: If youвЂ™ve been using sippy or 360 cups and are now second-guessing yourself, please donвЂ™t. And despite advertising claims, both sippy cups and 360 cups encourage a way of drinking that is not ideal for your babyвЂ™s oral-motor skills development. To the contrary, sippy cups and 360 cups are onlyВ for babies/toddlers, so your baby will learn a skill that will be discarded after a few months. Why? Because drinking from an open cup or a straw are lifelong skills-your baby will use both of these skills later on. Like most feeding therapists and swallowing specialists, we strongly recommend using open cups and straw cups rather than sippy or 360 cups. There are endless possibilities for cups, but there are only two cups you really need:ДЄdie, 13 months, inspects the straw on a weighted straw cup. If youвЂ™ve missed this window and your baby is now 12 months or older, all is not lost! Your 12+-month-old still has time to learn this skill! Which cup should I use for my baby? Starting open cup practice early (ideally around 6 months of age) allows your baby plenty of low-pressure time to hone cup skills before transitioning off bottles or breastfeeds. The goal in the 6- to 12-month age range is to practice the skillsВ of cup drinking-not to replace the breast or bottle. 6- to 12-month-old babies are interested in learning and pick up new table skills quickly, whereas it can be more challenging to introduce these skills to a toddler who is very competent and confident in their skills to drink from a bottle. If your baby is older than 6 months and taking solids, we recommend you start now. Your baby should show all the traditional readiness signsВ for transitioning to solids to start cup drinking practice. You can start introducing your baby to a cup while introducing solids, typically around 6 months old. What age should a child drink from an open cup? Stay calm, supportive, and patient as your baby learns. Transitioning from bottles or breastfeeds to solid foods and liquids in a cup (basically eating and drinking like a big kid!)ДЄ small reminder: learning to drink from a cup is a skill, and like all other skills, this will take time and practice to develop.

Sippy cup 3 year old how to#

Drinking skills: how to drink from a cup, including an open cup and straw cup.There are really two parts to transitioning to a cup: Fortunately if you have a plan and consistently stick to it, many babies pick up the skill quickly. Introducing cups to your baby can feel overwhelming and time consuming.