Switching from Bottle to a Cup

I suggest taking it easy and keep trying to transition slowly without stressing it too much... she'll be ready when she's ready, and it's okay if she likes the bottle for a few more months. Have you tried a cup with a straw? Everyone told me that my daughter wasn't ready for a straw if she couldn't yet do a cup, but she loves straws and it works great. I really like the "take and toss" cups w/ straws by First Years. You can find them at Target. I don't toss them, they wash great and don't spill. She still hasn't mastered the cup alone yet, but she does great with straws of all types.

Hi There,

I have a 21 month old son and we used Avent bottles as well. I tried several sippy cups before getting it right. I use playtex sippy cups and the First Years disposable cups and lids. They are great for outtings. My suggestion is to try a few different ones and see what works best for your daughter. Also, the plastic thing they place inside to prevent spills makes it harder for them to drink out of. I removed them and just dealt with the spills. I hope this helps.

I use the Avent cups and the spouts (sucky things) are interchangeable. The hard one that comes with the larger cup is made for older babies - 18 months and up. You can use the spouts from the smaller cup and save the harder spouts for when she is bigger. Just push the spout from the inside of the lid and it will pop out. Take off the clear plastic circle on the bottom of the spout to wash them. Those cups are great!

Also try Babies R Us. I have been able to find the spouts sold separately there so you don't need to spend the money on the entire cup.

Aren't all Avent bits interchangable still. I was able to buy the softer spouts and put them into any size I wanted. Also I got my kids onto open top cups as fast as possible because of the problems sippers can cause with oral development. I have Playtex straw cups for water on the go, but we just use small open top cups with limited amounts in them. It might be a little harder on you and maybe her at first but well worth it. (We have TWO speech therapist in our family.)

We used the first years sippy cups without a valve for our boys when we were at home and the platex cups with a valve for traveling (water in the car). Because the drinking action is different without the valve (swallowing instead of sucking) the transition was pretty easy. An added benefit was that we didn't have to work hard at the transition from a sippy cup to a regular glass then either.

Currently my almost 3 yr old drinks from a regular glass although he does have a sippy with water in it by the bed.

F.

Arwen is right (and has a great name!). I did the same thing as she did with Avent. But mostly, don't sweat it too much. They get it faster if you are not stressed out about it. Just keep offering. And when she is hungry, it will be fun and new and novel for her. It is a "big girl cup" and who doesn't want to try one of those, right?

For my first child, I went cold turkey and he had no problems, my second requires high amounts of special formula (40 oz per day) so I had to relax a bit with him. But if you offer fewer options and do it more consistently, I think it's easier for them. Also, make it clear that this is a "big girl thing" once she accepts it, and you'll be doing yourself a future favor with potty training too...

Good luck!