Finding the Right Sippy Cup for My Almost 1 Year Old

Updated on August 27, 2008
J.C. asks from Billings, MT
23 answers

So I have been trying to get my almost 1 year old son to take a sippy cup and it's just not working. I'm just wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a sippy cup that will make the transition easier for us.

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J.T.

answers from Denver on

My 15 month old loves his NUBY silicone top cups! The only advice I can give is don't put them to bed with a cup. I have seen from a family friend the how quickly their teeth can rot and possibly have to be pulled which can make learning how to talk hard.

I do like the other advice though about teaching them with an open cup so as not to have to wean again. I take a little time each day on the kitchen floor with a towel and let him try drinking a little from a cup, then I put another couple sips of water in the cup.

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M.W.

answers from Casper on

Nuby is the only way I was able to get my daughter to transition from the breast/bottle to a sippy cup.

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S.M.

answers from Casper on

my son is now 15 months old but with both my boys I really just did a regular glass. Juice and milk just rots teeth, so I only give them water, and mostly I just end up with a few wet t-shirts, which I can handle. at that, they get pretty good real fast at holding a cup and drinking without pouring on themselves. I use a thick glass mostly, because they are not done with all the research that is linking cancer to plastics that are supposedly food-grade, and particularly those in sippy cups and bottles.

Anyhow, almost from the start my son prefers a regular cup to a sippy cup.

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T.S.

answers from Grand Junction on

My daughter will be 11 months old tomorrow. I have been trying to work with her on a sippy cup too. I use Avent sippy cups because they have a soft spout. I take the "spill proof stopper" out of the lid and just hold the cup for her pouring it into her mouth (especially during meal times when she should be thirsty). She has started to realize that she wants what is in there, so she has started to suck on it - I have put the stopper back into the lid a couple of time since she also likes to shake it! She now knows there's something in there that she wants, so she sucks. We are still working on getting her to suck hard enough to get the drink out.
Another way I got her to be interested is by putting juice in it instead of just water. I use white grape juice instead of apple (less sugar) and mix it with an equal amount of water so it's not too sweet.

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M.S.

answers from Boise on

Try using the soft tip sippy cups. We used Nuby brand at first. With the soft tip it is sort of like a bottle, but yet they still learn how to use a sippy. Once they get that down you can easily transition to a hard tip sippy cup and also straws (straws take a little more work, but kids catch on fast). Good Luck :)

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K.M.

answers from Denver on

Try the Nuby brand. They have a soft, silicon nipple that is easy to get the fluid out of. It is the only kind of sippy cup that my son would use when started on sippies.

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C.E.

answers from Provo on

the best one for us was the nuby cup with the soft mouthpiece. they are $1-2 at walmart, depending on the time of year. eventually my son would bite through them and we switched to straws, but for the initial transition, these nubys were great because he was so attached to the bottle.

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L.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

My daughter didn't really take anything besides the Nuby cup---it is spill proof, has a straw, and handles. I have only seen them at walmart, and she loves them. She just turned a year a few weeks ago, and it made weaning really easy because she just figured out straws. Good luck!

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S.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

The biggest thing I have to say is just keep introducing the cup. My twins had a hard time with it at first but after presenting it to them at 1-2 meals a day they started to get the hang of it. My other 3 just took it, so I expected them to do the same, but they finally did figure it out. The sippy cups they like best are the Gerber Graduates (7 month +). They have handles and a soft spout. I tried the Nubby ones from Walmart that many suggest, but they didn't like those. Good Luck and just be patient.

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J.N.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Skip the sippy and go straight to a regular, non-lidded cup. Help him at first, and be prepared for a wet mess while he's learning, but it saves you having to wean him again from the sippy. He should only be drinking at the table anyway (carrying around a bottle or sippy with anything but water to drink from whenever he feels like it can lead to tooth decay!) He's old enough to learn!

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E.S.

answers from Denver on

My daughter also struggled with sippy cups, and is just now (at nearly 2) really good with them. I used straw cups instead and she had that figured out by about 14 months. Nuby makes a cup that has a straw with a slit so it is more leak proof like a sippy cup. Also, Thermos makes a couple kinds (Foogo and Funtainer) that will keep liquid chilled for 6 hours.

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B.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Hi. I have found that some children just pass up the sippy cup, or take it if you train them to take tiny sips from a regular cup while you hold it, then later when they try to take it from you, hand them the sippy with the same liquid in it. Also there are sippy cups that drink like a bottle you might try.

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A.M.

answers from Pocatello on

The best cup I found was a cup made by NUBY. The entire top of the cup has a soft tip that fits in a ring that twists on the top of the cup. Unfortunately the only place I have been able to find them is at Walmart (I hate Walmart). These cups are very inexpensive, I think around $2 each. They come in blue, red, light green, yellow & purple. When I found them they were usually in a bin below all of the expensive packaged cups. The only problem with these cups is that they are an awful lot like a bottle and kids have to be weaned from them eventually, just like a bottle. When I took the bottle away from my daughter she would NOT take any other cup and my babysitter recommended these to me; my daughter loved them.

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H.C.

answers from Provo on

I agree with the other mom who suggested the Nuby sippy cup (and yes, the only place I've been able to find it is at Walmart). It was great because the whole top is soft just like a bottle nipple is and so the transition was easier. Then after my daughter got used to that cup I would incorporate a regular sippy cup with a hard lid every once in a while to get her used to that. I'd say the transition was almost painless and she never looked back because to her the Nuby was similar to the bottle top. Good luck!

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R.A.

answers from Provo on

What I did with my kids, is just put water in the sippy (I ONLY put water in the sippy cups) and just leave it around where he can get to it. Eventually he will figure it out and it will be his new best friend :) It's worked for 3 out of my 4 kids (the youngest is too young for a sippy yet).

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J.O.

answers from Boise on

I've found that the newer sippies are just too difficult for young toddlers to drink from. It requires them to suck and tilt and only rewards them with a small amount of liquid. My kids always became really frustrated. I think the older, non-spillproof ones are best to teach a child how to take a cup. As they master that, you move on to something that requires more sucking. This worked for both of my kids.

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D.V.

answers from Denver on

Hi. I wish I could see other responses first...so here goes. Why won't he take it? What do you think? That would help in problem solving. Is it that the spout is too hard, too soft or the valve is too hard for him to get the drink? I am a speech therapist...and mom :) That is why I ask about the difficulty of sucking through the valve. You may want to try without the valve...but be careful and hold the cup with him as the water will come out. Then as he learns how to use a cup, you can put the valve back in so he learns to suck. You are a mom of an older child, so you know that :) In my opinion, you can start with a sippy cup but don't forget to eventually try a straw. The straw is better for the mouth muscles anyway. ...different action of the tongue and lips/cheeks get a workout too. I like the cups from tupperware. They are plastic tumblers. Some are small and have a sippy lid you can purchase and others are larger with a straw top lid. The seal doesn't spill..even with the slot for the straw. (I do not sell tupperware by the way) Search for tumblers on the site and you'll find them. I use with my daughter all the time.The straw ones are green. Straw not included. Good luck.

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D.E.

answers from Fort Collins on

Hi J.,

We used the Nuby sippy cups after the bottle to help transition our daughter to the sippy cup. The Nuby's have soft tops so it's easier for the babies to drink after being so used to a nipple. Good luck!

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P.H.

answers from Denver on

My 8 month old didn't care much for the Gerber sippy cup we tried first. Then we were in Babies 'R Us and found the multi-colored pack (4 or 5 small cups with lids that snap into place) for a low, low price! I can't think of the brand... they are part of the group where everything is a bright, primary color and in some cases is considered "disposable"... yep, they are that inexpensive! I think we spent around $3.99 for the set. Anyway, he does GREAT with those cups... doing it completely on his own!

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R.M.

answers from Denver on

I'd recommend a BPA free one with a soft silicone spout. Try Think baby Sippy or Born Free Trainers. They are the closest I've found to a baby bottle nipple, both with handles, and safer than many of the less expensive sippy cups.

http://www.modernmommygear.com/Safe_Drinking_s/688.htm

Most moms tell me their kids destroy the soft Nuby spout very easily.

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J.L.

answers from Denver on

Go with the regular cup. My daughters were both taught from around 9 months. If course we used disposible sippy cups when we are out and about but a regular glass is best. You'll have to wean him off eventually from the sippy cup so why not even start. We started out with shot glasses. Try that. Good luck.

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S.B.

answers from Denver on

I liked the Gerbers I only found at Babies'R'Us. they have the rubber tip with two handles for this age and then no handles and plastic top for older. The two are interchangabe ad use the same stopper. I found the stoper easiest to clean on these as well. then you take the stopper out when they are older for a training cup.

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C.K.

answers from Denver on

Nuby makes a good one that is a nice transition from bottles.

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