Can't Get 11 Mo. Old to Try Sippy Cup.

I agree with the Nuby too!!! It worked wonders for my son who was having trouble learning how to use a sippy cup. It was a frustrating process, but the Nuby helped tremendously!! Good luck!

We tried several types of sippy cups before my son finally took a Nuby. This one has a soft spout--more like a bottle nipple than a hard sippy cup top. Once he got used to that one, we had no problem transitioning to the other ones. Careful, though--they are not quite as spill proof as some of the others out there. Good luck!

I applaude you that you are trying your best to do what mom wants for her child, but have you talked with her about what she does at home to make this transition? Let her know that you are trying all different kinds of cups and tactics and have even sought out advice from other women, but that ultimately you need to be on the same page as her. Tell her if she wants him off the bottle at daycare then he also needs to be off the bottle at home. Find out if she has had any success at home and what has worked for her. It could be that she expects you to do it all for her, but only consistancy at home and with you will help the little guy understand what to do and get comfortable with the different cups. I don't think you need to buy more cups, but if you want to try the Nubby's the other women suggested they are very inexpensive so even if they do not work you are not out much. I have found that if the cup I give my kids is there only option they will eventually drink from it if they are thirsty. My daughter loves her Thomas the Train cup and will freak out if I give her an Elmo one, but I say, "No, train cups all dirty." Until she just gives up. I will not stop and wash out the one she wants when the Elmo one is exactly the same cup but different character. She is spoiled enough by Grandma:) Hope you have gotten a lot of great ideas and can work something out with the mom. Good luck!

My son struggled with a sippy cup at first too. He couldn't figure out how to suck out of it - So I found some plastic cups that look like juice boxs that had a straw. He got the straw figured out and loved it. Just have to make sure they also realize they can't tip it up like a bottle or sippy cup... or huge mess. ha In another 6 months he figured out the sippy cup. Good luck!!

V.,

Whether or not this boy uses a sippy cup is ultimately not your problem. It is the parent's problem. So don't let them put any guilt or pressure on you. He knows that you are eventually going to give him the bottle so he is holding out for it. When I gave my children sippy cups I started giving it to them at meal times and when they were able to use it well then I gave it to them between meals. I took out the little plug at first so they realized there was something in it. It was a slow process. I started giving them sippy cups as soon as they could eat by themselves so about at 8-10 months.

My daughter was the same way. I guess I let her decided on her 'own' to switch. I am not big on forcing a child/baby to do something (unless it will save there life).

I kept using a bottle with her till she was 13 months mixed with trying a sippy cup. In the bottle I would put whatever she had in the sippy cup, except I would way water down whatever was in the bottle (milk or juice). So it was pretty much water... she finally decided she liked the sippy cup and refused the bottle. I did try just about ever suppy cup out there, she was extremly picky on the cup part or she would figure out how to take it apart.

Hope you find something that works for the little one you are watching.

Why does it have to be a sippy cup. Long before the sippy cup a plain old cup or glass was used.;-) Find a small cup that will fit his hand, put in enough liquid to cover the bottom of the cup and let the boy go to town.(yes he will make a mess but that is what kids do, life is messy with child.) :-) I found the Tupperware smidget worked awesome with my children when they were that age. Or Kraft has the cheese spreads that come in those thin glass jars. The edges are rounded and smooth. Perfect for a child's hand.

If nothing else. Your not mom, your the baby sitter. Do your best but it's the parents responsibly to train and bring up their child not yours. So don't take it badly when the child digs in their heels and wont do it. Hang in there!

I am also a childcare provider. When a parent is asking for my help in transitioning them from a bottle to a cup, they bring in the sippy cup they would like me to use. Of course if the child drinks out of the cups I have, we use them. But it sounds like you are having trouble with that. It is not your responsibility if the child won't drink out of it. Just keep offering it with each meal/snack and they will get used to it. Good luck!

V., not sure, where they are found, but seems they sell sippy type nipples, for a bottle, i had them once with one of my kids, but they are older now, not sure if you can still find them, but take a look at a baby store, type, seemed like i found mine at like a toys are us, store or one that carries alot of stuff, any way , this can help to adapt, and you got two months yet before he is off the bottle, alot can happen by then, so keep smiling and dont give up, D. s

Keep trying. My youngest resisted until I got rid of the bottles all together. It was no problem after that.

Can he drink from a covered cup with a straw?

His mom may have another thing coming. You can insist they don't do this or that until a certain age but if a child is not ready good luck in getting that to happen. My daughter did not want anything to do with a cup for a while. I tried several different kinds, etc. Do you use one with a plug or nonspill? If so try one without. I know how messy this is-only offer in a high chair. Eventually you can put it back in. He may be having a hard time trying to get milk out of it. Eventually he will get the hang of it. My daughter probably started earnestly on the cup at 11 months- she was off by 13. It will come when he's ready just keep trying.

If mom "insists" then she needs to provide the cup that he will drink from.

My little dear never took a bottle - never. We tried every kind of sippy cup in the world I think. She like the NUBY's the best - but amazingly, what worked was any kind of little kid cup with a straw. She LOVED straws. They make a lot of "sport cups" by gerber and other baby brands that are relatively non spill with straws. You'd think that is too young, but you might be surprised. Give it a try!

Hi V.,
I am a mother of five and I have to tell you not everyone uses sippy cups. My second youngest would not use a sippy cup for anything. I ended up using a spill proof cup that had a straw instead and he took right to it. It worked like a charm and I think that it may be better for him too in the long run. Also another thing to try is using a sippy cup or a cup with a straw that has handles on the side sometimes if they haven't already been using a cup yet it can be hard for them to handle especially if they are eating and their hands are slippery so a handle works very nice. I hope these ideas help. Good luck!
J.

I agree with a previously posted response...the Nuby cups are great and easier. Have they introduced juice yet...that sometimes works once they get that taste of the sweet juice. Goodluck!

When the child turns 12 mos. old, take all his bottles home with you at the end of your shift and announce to the mother that you'll be out of town for a week. Then you'll see if she still insists on it. (I'm kidding, but you get the idea.) ;)

Try giving him a regular cup? Or make sure that there is nothing wrong with the sippy-cup... ensure that the fluid is getting through it.

I really cant remember at what age I gave my son a sippy cup but it was young he just chewed on it first but the ones that worked for him to start with were the nuby ones form Walmart. Of course I didnt like them cause they really leak but they have a very soft nipple. He would take his with his meals but never very much out of it at once and at 13 months I took all the bottles away cold turkey and he did start to drink more from it. If that is the only thing they have to drink from they will get use to it.
Im also a daycare provider and I have a 10 month old now he was 6 months when he came but he drinks pretty well from a sippy and has since oh about 8-9 months old and its whatever ones we have here for my son, they are from gerber and the nipple is not real hard so its easy to drink from. Now my son drinks from any kind of sippy, weather hard nipple or soft.
Your not the mom and your having problems with getting him to use a sippy cup so his mom needs to find one that will work. You both need to work together on it but its best if she starts it and you keep going with it of course. Its best that he is taking a sippy cup before taking the bottles away.
Talk to his mom and let her know that your having problems with it and let her know that its best if she starts something new with her own child.
I wouldnt start out with just a cup with no lid just because nothing really goes in their mouth much only down the front at this young age. His mom probably wants something he can use throughout the day that wont spill all over so the sippys work best for that. My son has used a cup without a lid only a few times and he tips it up so much and most of it goes down the front and hes 17 months old, I figure we have plenty of time to teach him that. Good luck to you!

Hi V.,

I don't know when you started trying the sippy cups, but when my daughter was 5 months, I gave her a handled sippy cup to play with so she could get use to the cup. At 6 months, I offered her water/juice (half water/half juice) in that cup. She did not get the bottle if she didn't want to drink it and I assisted her with the drinking. Once she got comfortable with drinking her water/juice in the cup, her servings of water were also given in that method, and then her milk at 12 months since she didn't need breast milk throughout the day. By then she had graduated to the smaller regular cups and didn't need the bottles anymore.

I think it helped that when she was at home daycare she saw the baby slighly older than her drinking from a sippy cup and I drink from a glass because now she's 2 and will drink from her small glass sometimes instead of the cups. I can understand why the mom wants her off the bottle at 12 months because my daughter's pediatrician wanted the same thing. However, he has until 18 months to get off the bottle. The main reason has something with when the infant falls asleep with the bottle in its mouth, it can cause cavities. My daughter was drinking everything other than breastmilk in a cup by 10 months because I wanted her off that bottle ASAP after hearing the reason why. I'm sure that's the mother's reasoning too.

Make sure that you are positive about this whole experience too. It sounds like you disagree with when the baby comes off the bottle, and I am finding that my attitude towards something does affect my daughter. Infants are good at feeling us out that way so maybe the boy is reluctant because you are too. I have to remind myself or be reminded by others to relax and enjoy the challenge as well for the same reason.

Things you could try: offer a variety of cups to the child to walk around and get comfortable with first. Also ask the mom if the boy is drinking from a sippy cup at home and what strategies she's doing to make it happen. Everything I do with my sitter is a collaborative effort, which means we work in tandem. If the mom is expecting you do do all the hard work and waiting until you are successful before doing it herself, it's not going to work. I agree with the others. She is the parent. It's ultimately her responsibility to raise her child. However, at least in my situation, my daughter is with the sitter 10 hours 5 days a week so it has to be a collaborative if I want to be successful.

If she's frustrated because she has successfully weaned him from the bottle at home, then I would recommend asking her to bring one of his favorite cups with him and offering at first his water/juice in that cup and see how you do. If he doesn't drink, offer it later in the day. If he refuses, then no water/juice that day. He can have plain water in the bottle later or milk, but no juice. Eventually, he will get on board.

I have found in my experience at least that slowly weaning my daughter off the bottle worked better than cold turkey. Especially if you are giving in and giving him a bottle, because all he's learning is that if he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to. Water and breast milk/formula he needs which is why I would establish him on something he doesn't need and then ween him off the others. By then the cup won't be scary and he will hopefully be use to it for the other fluids. I hope I've helped.

have you tried the nuby cups from walmart? They have a silicone top, similar to a bottle, it may help transition him to a different type of sippy cup.

Hi V.!
I TOTALLY agree with the other moms that suggest the NUBY cups/bottles. My son will turn 2 next week...YES...I said 2!!! He just would not take the sippy cups and always wanted his "bubba"....until I found the nuby! Now I just call it his "Big Boy Bubba" and he loves it! Again....like the other moms also said...they do not seal very good! When the nuby falls to the floor I usually have a mess but it is sooo worth it! As for the mother of this little guy....SHE is the mother...not you and she has to take some responsibility here! Good Luck!

The day my kids turned 1 year old, they had no more bottles. I put the bottles away so they would see them. The doctor told me when they get thirsty they will drink. I didn't believe him, but it did work!