Sippy Cup Starts When?

The nuby cups at walmart have a soft spout that are more like a bottle nipple. It's a good transition. They leak a little but once they get the hang of it with this cup you can move onto other types of sippy cups with harder spouts. My twins are now 9 months old and I have been offering them the sippy cup since 6 months.

The sooner you start the sippy cup, the easier it will be to wean off the bottle. I started introducing my kids to water in a sippy cup at 5-5½ months (per doctor's order). I keep water in the cups all day long so they know they can drink water whenever they want (good habit to get in to). I put juice in the cup at lunch now that the twins are 19 months old.
~B.

Now is the time. My daughter's pediatrician had me start her around 6 months, that way by the time she is a year old (she is 11 months now), she would be used to using one. All I have ever given her in the sippy is water. I have heard not to give juice in a sippy or bottle because it can cause damage to teeth. I offered her the cup with water at meal times and now she is a pro. It will take your son some time to get used to a sippy cup, so starting early can't hurt anything.

I agree with the majority of moms here. My 11 month old granddaughter has been sipping from the cup for a few months, now, and probably could have started earlier - my daughter is breast-feeding her. They love that independent feeling, and love to put stuff in their mouths, as you are probably rapidly discovering!

We actually started to offer our son his sippy cup at about 5 months. He was breastfed so he didn't use an actual bottle much, but really took to the sippy cup. We started him on the smaller ones that have a somewhat soft spout (not hard plastic) and has two handles on the sides...I think they are by gerber. Until he was older we stuck with just water in the sippy and then started letting him have some diluted juice once a day after he was 12 months old.

Hi L.:
We started my daughter on a sippy cup around 7 months (although I read you can start as soon as 6 months). We use the Platex kind with two handles you can find at any grocery store -- it never leaks when turned upside down and the insert can be taken out when they're older. We only put water in it -- never breastmilk -- so she knows the difference between the two. At first she just chewed on it like a toy, but it only took a month before she could use it herself and she loves it. Now she drinks at least a full cup of water every day.

Hi L.!

I gave my son a sippy cup when he was 6 months old. I gave him diluted Gerber juice (3 parts water, 1 part juice, or half and half). I also bought sippy cups that had a wide straw. The fact that he had to suck instead of tip the cup, made the transition so easy. When he got closer to a year, I started putting his formula in the cup and called it milk. I stopped giving him bottles a little after his first birthday with absolutely no problem.

The cups I use are Nuby brand 8oz cups with side handles and a wide straw. I only find them at Wal-Mart. They're about $4 a cup. It hasn't hindered his ability to drink from a regular cup. He LOVES stealing cups from others and drinking from them.

Good luck!

I switched over my two at 12 months. That was when we were told to make the switch from formula to whole milk. We try to water our juice down a lot. It is actually more water with a hint of juice for flavor. The doctor said juice was bad for teeth and weight gain and to use it more as a flavoring of water.

We were able to make the switch within a week. There is a NUBY brand sipy that is a good transition cup from the bottle, as it has a soft nipple like straw. You can get it at Wallmart.

Good Luck,

LC

Mom of an adopted Guatemalan girl(2)and a biological son 1 &1/2.

I started Andrew on a Playtex sippy at 9 months. We put water in it and he would just play with it. Then at 10 months I went to Target in Florence, KY and got the disposable Ciro (I think that’s what the brand name is) sippies and they worked great!! They come 4 to a pack for 1.99 I think. What I like is the liquid flows out easily and that is how Andrew understood that a sippy was the same as a bottle. By 11 months 1 year we no longer used the bottle and hade only sippies. When Andrew understood the sippy we went to Playtex B/C they do not leak. At 17 months old we now use sippies, cups with straws, and just a plain old cups. I also am a first time mom and what I have been doing is introducing things about 6 months earlier then recommended. We don't force things on Andrew we just show him.

Hello, My daughter is 8 months old and has been using the straw style cups for months. She never really understood the sippy cup. More often than not she just turned it upside down and chewed on the bottom. I decided to try the sraw method on the suggestion of my sister who said her boys never get the sippy cup idea either. I don't remember who makes it but it has a no spill valve just like a sippy. The valve also causes the liquid to stay in the straw instead of just emptying out once your child is done sucking. We found that while she was learning to use it this was a great help because we oculd get it started for her so that she would easily realize that there was something good in the cup for her. Another nice thing abouth this cup is that it can be closed up and caried around full of liquid (like a bottle) so that it is ready when ever I need it.

I have been giving my daughter watered down juice for a while now. She also really like just plain water.

I hope this helps and good luck!

We started my oldest son on the sippy cup around 9 mo and he was completely off the bottle by 1 yr. We never gave him formula in the cup, only water & juice, then when it was time, milk. Not giving him the formula in the cup also helped us get him off formula and on to whole milk. We have started the same process with our youngest now. At first they will chew on it like a toy. I like starting with the no-drip parents choice cups, the spout is similar to a bottle nipple and when they chew on it they get a little taste of the juice (or whatever you put in it). Eventually they realize whats in it and will start truely drinking from it.

we started giving our daughter a sippy cup at 6 months. we put her formula in it and then the half water and half juice and by 9 months she was completely on the sippy cup she refused to take a bottle at all. she is 19 months now and we are working with getting her off the sippy cup and onto a regular cup
good luck!
S.

I wouldnt be shy to get the sippy cup started. The Dr. told me keeping my daughter on a bottle to long after age one would cause rotten and bucked teeth. The moms really gave u alot of info on here. The only think i really recommend is going to walmart; they sell these great sippys for starter babys. there by numbs. They hv a rubber like mouth top with 3 or 4 wholes in a shape of a regualr sippycup top. It really helped my daugter take to them . She didnt like those hard plastic ones till somewhere in her 1's. My sister has 5 kids and turned me on to them. It really did work. Plus easyer to keep clean too. Those ones u hv to place a piece under the cup will really hold some ucky stuff. Goodluck:D sounds like ur a great mom.
Just wondering did u wait till 30 to hv the baby or was this little guy a blessing? Take care L..
R.

I'm a first time mom too (31 years old). Our son is 9 months next week and we introduced the sippy cup last months. He has been breast fed and I think that has made the switch a bit more difficult but he is starting to get the hang of it.

Good luck. Just be patient I'm sure he will figure it out as will Cole (my son)

T.

Hi L.:

My son started drinking from a sippy cup around the age of your son. We put his formula in it (sometimes) and very watered down juice (as in just enough for him to taste the juice). He just picked it up and started drinking. I am not sure that is normal or not - but it was easy to transition and lose the bottle by the time he was 9 months old! :-)

They all vary so much, but I started mine around 7 months. He had been holding his bottle since about 4 and a half months. So he was well ready. He mostly still gets formula from a bottle but latley I have been giving him is lunch formula in the sippy. I think now would be a good time to give it a shot and see if he is ready. It may take him a few weeks to really get the hang of it. I didn't notice any signs really, but I had many tell me if he holds his own bottle he can use a sippy. The flo is sorta fast for him though, but we use the nuby with dualflow. Still a little fast for my little one, but he is getting the hang of the flow real well.

Good luck!

Our doctor suggests that we start around 9 mos. My son just turned 9 mos. and he is not interested in the least, but I let him have it around him to figure out how to handle it and gum the mouth piece, he doens't have any teeth either. My little girl, who's almost 4 now, picked it up pretty quickly with juice because juice was like a treat to her and she really looked forward to it.

At first, with both kids, I have had to pull out the stoppers (for lack of the proper word) that make the sippy cups 'leak proof.' This allowed the liquid to come out and they would learn that juice/formula/water comes from the cup. Otherwise they would try to suck a couple of times, not sucking hard enough, and get frustrated and not want anything to do with the cup. After they got hold of the concept I started to use the stoppers again and they did just fine.

We started my daughter on a sippy cup when she started solids, at 6 months. It only took her two tries before she knew how to use it and she's been holding it on her own since about 1 week after we introduced it. All babies are different and will adjust with time.

I only offered water in the sippy for a long time, just because juice doesn't offer any nutritional value babies can't get from fruits and veggies. I finally decided a couple months ago(she's now 1),I'd introduce juice (very watered-down) since I figured I'd like to offer and alternative to plain water. She seems to like the water better.

I've tried to put formula in the cup, but I get concerned because she doen't drink as much from that as she does a bottle so I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I would say you're good to introduce the sippy cup to your son at anytime now.

You can start giving your baby the sippy cup with formula in it so he can get used to the cup. I don't give my daughter (1 year old) any juice yet (only b/c I'm afraid she'll enjoy it too much and not want anything else!) but I do put water in it. I have tried the sippy cups with the soft spouts and handles (expensive for my taste); they don't seem to work out as well as the cheaper cups that have hard spouts and no handles. Oh, and my kid only has one tooth, so don't worry about the hard spouts on the cups... i think kids like to "bite" on them. I don't think there's any reason why your boy can't drink formula out of the sippy cup - as long as he's getting it, right?

All the moms here gave you great advice! All you can do is try and if he's not ready, try again in a few weeks. They do say to try to have them off by 12 months but some take longer. My youngest just turned 13 months and she just got how to use it. I've been trying and trying and just one day I gave her one, she understood and now that's all she uses. It's amazing how w/alot of things they just all of a sudden get it. You can put anything in the sippy cup, forumula, milk, juice, water. I water down her juice STILL 1/2 juice 1/2 water. They sometimes get the runs if they drink it straight. Just don't ever put pop in it (when older of course) it sprays out! lol! I like the suggestion of the mom who said to use the ones w/the rubber sippy, that seemed to help my little one. And my biggest suggetion is once he learns to use a sippy get rid of all bottles, not even one at night. If they can use it during the day, they can use one at night. The longer you let them use a bottle the harder it is to get rid of it. Even one at night is NOT good for them.

Good luck!
S.

For me I started my son on the sippy cup at almost 5 months when he learned to hold his own bottle. I got the cups with the handles so it would be easier to grip. He was a little resistant at first, but very soon caught on. I started out with just juice 2x/day and water. At 10 months he was completely off the bottle. I had ONE bottle left and I just used that to make his formula in and then poured it in his cup. the biggest thing with the little ones are once you introduce something you have to stay on it until they fully get it.
He may be a bit resistant to the cup because hes not use to it. So you may have to try different cups until you find one that he really likes. Good luck hope this helps

I don't remember exactly what age I started my son on a sippy cup, I know it was between 6 and 9 months b/c I breast and bottle fed and wanted him completed weaned from both at 12 months. I put anything but formula and breast milk in it. So his sippy cup got juice, water and later regular milk. These things never went into his bottle. He only had formula or breastmilk in the bottle. It was a sinch to wean him to regular milk without a bottle. He turned one, we changed to vitimin D milk and put all the bottles away, never looking back :) Best wishes! It did take some "shopping around" to find a sippy cup that worked best for him, but it was well worth it!

I gave my baby's juice and water in sippy cups from the first time I gave them Juice. I never gave juice in a bottle, they never had any problems with it. I started juice at about 6 months with my son, about 8 with my daughter. I kept giving them formula in the bottle untill they were moved to cows milk, then I gave that in the sippy cup.