Sippy Cups - Austin, TX

I would designate one as the water cup and ONLY allow water in that one. That way, you can do a quick hot water rinse before refilling. You are not supposed to store leftover drinks because kids have not mastered the total art of swallowing so there is a lot of backwash, food, etc.. back in the cup and that starts breeding bacteria quickly. I won't say that I have never done it, but usually not for more than 30 minutes.

I always handwash my daughter's sippy cups, plastic plates, plasticware, etc. With all the hoopla about plastics leaching chemicals into their food I think it's the best solution. From what I understand the heat from a dishwasher is really bad for the plastic.

As for "how to use just two cups." With handwashing it's not a problem, you just wash it when you are done with it. I do use the same cup throughout the day, refrigerating between uses. But it's probably not the best thing :-(

BTW, I avoid putting plastic food containers in the dishwasher too. I really try to use only glass storage containers now. Hope this helps!

I have to comment on this... what is with all the snarky comments?!?! This is supposed to be a sharing forum not a place to be ugly. If someone asks a question you think is silly for some reason, keep that to yourself. We've all wondered things that others knew the answer to - we don't need a DUH thrown in our face.
Personally, I'd hang on to the ones you've used in the past that don't work as well (assuming that is why you switched) take out the valve (then just use the bottoms) and use when you transition your older child to regular cups. (If that hasn't already happened)
We keep cups in the fridge - even overnight - with no illness. My older has food allergies and rice milk is just too expensive to toss. (For that matter dairy milk is too, now!)

I agree, I only have 2 for now. I only give my daughter juice/water twice a day, so I just reuse the cup or handwash both of them so that they are ready to go the next day. Once we start putting milk in the cups we will probably get a few more, but handwashing is very easy and reusing the cups once or twice will not hurt anything. Hope this helps! :)

Beause I was (and still am) slack about washing dishes, I also put them in the fridge. But this does not replace a good washing! It's just a way for me to keep his drink cool and if it's got juice in it, keep it from souring. I kept it in there when he seemed to loose interest in it and in between meals. Now it seems we have hundreds of cups so it's no longer an issue. But when we first started with sippy's, we only had a few and I made sure he got a new, clean cup every day.

I also put my cups in the fridge. You can have one for juice/water and one for milk. It is stressful to keep up with the milk one though if they walk around....you can't leave it out long. I would suggest maybe buying a third so you have one on hand if you need an extra. When it has been a day or two with the milk one, just hand wash it, dry it, and put it back in the cabinet or fridge. Our daughter always has a drink so having them in the fridge is very handy, you just reach in and grab it...the kids can even grab it if they are old enough or have an older sibling.

I don't think food can leak back into the sippy cups since nothing can leak out. There are ones w/ the valve that is pretty tight and nothing can get in it..make sure it is the tight valve, I am sure you did that so it does not leak out.

W.

I'm sure you got LOTS of responses! I'd say use at least 3 cups:
use the 'water cup' for several days w/o washing.
the 'juice cup' could go 2-3 days if kept refrigerated
the 'milk cup' should prob'ly be cleaned daily (take the rubber valve out of the lid -- if it has one -- for thorough cleaning). Since you have a dishwasher, each cup should go through a cycle weekly or so. Brushes are wonderful for cleaning crevices and holes in all kinds of things (I have a 'thing' about brushes! LOL Love 'em.)

I hand wash all of my kids sippy cups and my 3 month olds bottles also and always have. I don't think the dishwasher does as good a job. I guess I am just neurotic that way.

Generally I washed them in the sink. Also wanted to note that some dish soaps seem to leave an aftertaste in sippy cups so be aware of that. I had to change dish soap and find one that did not make the water or juice taste strange.

Have a great day!

my daughter uses the same one all day, but after a meal or a snack I dump out what's left and rinse it well. I wash it after dinner. In my mind, there's probably a lot of bacteria in the cup if you leave the drink in it and stick it in the fridge after the child had drank out of it.

Hey i understand what you mean about having too many around, i have four boys. I have found that four is a good number, have two in the refrigerator and i do that for maybe two days, wash them, then use the other two the same way. I hope this helps you. If not this is all i can think of. I do know a mom who handwashes her every day however she has only one child. Me with four it does not always work out well doing it that way i have found. Www.workathomeunited.com/myfoursons I DON'T USE MILK BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ANY OF MY KIDS TO DRINK MILK. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THAT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL THINGS.

my son has about 8 cups, but only 2 that he really likes. i fill one in the morning with milk, and then just rinse really well after he uses it. i can reuse the same cup for one day, then the other the next day. just make sure when you are rinsing it out, that you take the spouts and everything apart so that you can get all of the milk or juice out of the lid.

I bought one of those wands that have the sponge like thing on the end & you can put dish soap in the handle. That way you can wash one out right quick & have it drying while he's using the other one. I have 5 children and we've done that to keep our glass use down to manageable. (of course, now I'm down to 3 kids at home with our 19yo getting married in Jan--having only 2 at home will be so strange).

Once I found out what sippy cups would work, I did buy several and I hand wash all mine. I still have my bottle drainer and I just let them air dry on it and they are ready to use whenever I need them. The only time I put one in the fridge is to keep his milk cold for a few more hours, but if by morning it still is not used, I pour it out.

I operate on 3 sippy cups. When she gets through with lunch, I will rinse it out and fill it back up and set it in the refrig and then when she is thirsty later, I open the refrig and she can get it out herself. That way I don't have to take the time to fill it up again if we have just come in from the outside. When one is dirty, I grab the other. Most of the time I am operating on 2 anyway because one usually gets left in the car. I usually use one all day long and then put that one in the dishwasher about supper time and get the clean one for supper, then run the dishwasher at night after we go to bed and then start all over again the next day. It isn't that hard and you get use to it.

ok, you can not clean sippy cups in the fridge. Only with soap and water. I keep about 4 sippy cups. and keep a spare in the car. Good luck getting by with only 2! Remeber to NOT use sippy cups with the #3, 6, or 7 on the recycle triangle!

I have 2 sippy cups for my daughter. I wash them out after she has used the 2nd one. It really isn't that bad. If she had a sippy cup of water then I don't see anything wrong with doing what your neighbor is doing with her child's sippy cups.