How to Teach Your Baby to Drink from an Open Cup
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Teaching Your Baby To Drink From An Open Cup
That moment when your pediatrician asks if your baby drinks from an
Uhhh – what?! She’s a baby?
She’ll spill! She’ll make a mess! There’s no way!
Well – I have a secret for you, your baby CAN drink from an
These cups are perfect for little hands, especially for those learning to drink from an open cup.
The cups are difficult to tip, easy to grip, and a great price.
Why Should My Baby Use an Open Cup Instead of a Sippy Cup?
Sippy cups just seem like the natural right of passage, right? Well – many professionals say to skip them if possible!
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it’s best to wean your baby from the bottle by 18 months of age, as it can cause tooth decay or the potential for drinking more fluids than needed.
In fact, skipping sippy cups all together is greatly encouraged in an article on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association blog for 3 reasons:
- Overusing a hard sippy cup spout can get in the way of development
- It can impact speech and language development
- It can change appropriate facial development
Now, do I think these things are going to happen because you used a sippy cup a few times? Of course not! I’m totally guilty of that.
However, it definitely made me want to look at some alternatives and see what all the hype was about a baby drinking from an
Alternatives to a Sippy Cup
If you can’t quite jump on board with an
Many speech and language pathologists recommend other types of cups for babies and toddlers that are much less likely to spill than a completely
If you’re looking for some great alternatives to a sippy cup we love and highly recommend the open cup.
You can't go wrong with these spill-proof, leak-proof, break-proof and insulated toddler cups at a great price.
These cups are perfect for little hands, especially for those learning to drink from an open cup.
The cups are difficult to tip, easy to grip, and a great price.
These dentist recommended cups eliminate spills and automatically seal when you're done drinking.
The handles are great for little ones learning to drink from a cup!
What Open Cup Should You Get?
As you probably can guess, choosing the right
I truly thought it would be SO hard to teach my baby to drink from an
You’ll want to look for an
- A weight base – so it doesn’t tip as easily
- Easy to grab sides for little hands
- Durability, because chances are good it may drop a time or two
So what
It checks all the boxes above and even our 3 year old likes to drink out of it – just for fun!
How to Teach Your Baby to Drink from an Open Cup
Okay, so now that you’ve got your
Starter Tips for Parents:
- Try not to stress – messes will happen, but watch the progress!
- Having a
bib like this one has been a LIFE SAVER. It catches the milk that will probably be spilling down your baby’s chin (at least in the beginning), so you’re not worried about it ending up in her lap. - Attempt it in the kitchen only
- Have an easy to wipe down
high chair – like this one! - Practice in the bathtub
- If baby doesn’t catch on right away, stay positive. You want your baby to have a great experience and want to learn this. Not be afraid he’ll upset you by trying.
How to Teach Your Baby To Drink From An Open Cup (step by step):
- Start by putting your baby in their booster or
high chair with a great open cup (your baby has probably seen you do this many times) and repeat!
Keep in mind that depending on your baby’s age and development, he or she may pick up the process of drinking from an
Chances are good it’ll take a while for your baby to have absolutely no spills, but just keep practicing with him or her and it will come!
When Should I Start Teaching My Baby to Drink From An Open Cup
Figuring out when to start teaching your baby to drink from an open can be tricky. Many experts suggest starting at 6 months old, when babies can start having just a little bit of water added to their diet.
I’ll admit, we didn’t really start trying to teach drinking with an
Here’s a great video of a mom teaching her baby how to drink from an
The Best Way to Transition Baby from Bottle to Open Cup
Whether you’re breastfeeding or formula feeding, weaning your baby off a bottle by 18 months can be stressful.
By starting to introduce an
Have you transitioned your baby to an
Related: Baby Led Weaning – 3 Months of 1st Foods
Related: How to Start Baby Led Weaning (And Why You’ll Want To!)
Related: How to do Baby Led Weaning When Your Baby Goes to Daycare
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