My daughter likes her sippy cup. She is able to drink out of regular cups, but does spill a little....she prefers the sippy cup. I'm not sure what the right timing is for making this switch permanent. She likes to take her sippy cup to bed. I had a little bit of a hard time getting her off the binky. She asked for it for about 2 months after I took it away. Now I'm dealing with the sippy cup. Any advice would be helpful.
Best regards,
M. Mlady
Ok, thanks to everyone who responded. Just last night I tried to give her just a drink of water before bed. I told her no more sippy cups in bed and and now only some water out of a cup at night. I put the cup on the nightstand after she had some and said if you get thirsty later we have water right here for you. She woke up at 4:30 am, and asked for another sip of water - PLUS, I've been potty training her and this is the first time she woke up with a dry diaper. She does real well during the day, but not at night. I forgot to say she was 2 and 8 months old in my original inquiry. Thanks to all of you.....I'm very exited. I couldn't believe she went along with me with this idea last night, as she is very hard headed. The potty training part is just a plus to me. I've been waiting for the day I don't have to buy diapers again! Have a great week everyone.
M. Mlady
I am shocked that a 7 year old is drinking from a sippy cup! My kids stopped around 3 years old. They are not allowed to have sippy cups at bed time. They drink water before they go to bed. No problems.
My big kids(5 in March and 3.5) both get sippy cups of water to bring to bed with them at night. During the day my 5 year old will have water in a water bottle if she wants a drink anywhere else besides the kitchen or dining room table. My 3.5 year old doesn't mind getting a sippy cup still if he wants water somewhere else too. In fact my 5 year old wouldn't care about a sippy cup either, but I think she's a little old for one.I don't want to deal with spills, and they don't mind the convenience of not having to get up to have a drink of water. They both get regular cups at meal times, and so fine with them, so I don't really care that much if they get sippys or wter bottles other times.
My 4yo still asks for his sippy cup sometimes. I can't come up with any reason it's a horrible thing for him to have it as long as he also knows how to use a cup - maybe you could have the sippy be the before-bed cup or something like that and not the all-day choice.
M.,
I would say that during meals and snacks at the table she could always use a regualr cup. I use those cups with the straw when she wants a cup in the family room or take it with into the car. These straw cups are a good transition from sippy to regular. I would say that 2 1/2 and 3 is a good time.
You didn't say how old your daughter is. Whatever her age, allowing her to take the sippy cup to bed is not a good idea--unless it is empty. Many have been the stories and studies of young children who have suffered the rotting of their front teeth because they are allowed to lie down while drinking formula or juice (both of which contain sugar, which accumulates on those front teeth). Additionally, the risk of continuous ear infections rises when children are allowed to lie down while drinking. Somehow, some of the liquid they consume migrates into the ear canal
Try putting the sippy cup in a mutually agreed upon location before your daughter goes to bed. Assure her that her cup will be there waiting for her when she wakes in the morning. Make sure to clean it after she's asleep and then return it to that location. After several night of this, she may be more willing to go to bed without it.
I started giving an open cup to my girls at meals just before each turned three. They would still use a sippy cup for around the house (only water, not milk or juice). My oldest is now 4-1/2 and when she is really thirsty she prefers a sippy cup so she can chug a cup of water. I have been lucky, not one of my kids likes juice, so I haven't had an issues with that. And both prefer to drink milk out of a cup with a straw. I think my girls like the mobility of having a sippy cup and I let them have it on the carpet, but not an open cup-table only. Now that my son is one he carts his sippy cup everywhere and my three year old wants hers a little more b/c her brother has one.
I am sorry...I just had to chuckle...I am sitting here at my desk drinking from a water bottle..( isnt this an adult sippy cup?). Compared to what is to come, (ie teenagehood) this is a minor thing. With my daughter (now 20) I just let her drink from the cup until she stopped. What happened was that she saw others around her with a regular cup and decided she wanted to drink like the "big kids". And it did not take very long for her to figure it out!
My daughter has been off of sippy cups since she was about 18 months old. It was actually a pretty easy transition for us. Once in a while for about 6 months after she would ask for a sippy cup at bed time but we just sat her up in bed and gave her a drink of water out of a regular cup and that was it. She does great with the regular cup now at 3 years old.
If it's that big a deal to you, start with cups that have lids and straws and transition slowly that way.
However, I have a 7 year old and a 5 year old and until recently they've both taken sippy cups to bed. (Now I make the 7 year old take a water bottle, he's old enough now not to dump it over.)
I should say that my kids have never taken anything but water to bed in a sippy cup, so there is no danger of cavities. If your DD is wanting to take a bottle, cup, anything of milk to bed then you've got to get her off that first...water only in bed. But little ones get thirsty and a sippy cup is perfect for bed. (And if it gives her a self-soothe to have it, it's all good!)
As for during the day, I think it all depends on when you're comfortable with her having open cups that can spill.
:)
I trained my son to drink from a regular cup by giving him a Dixie cup half or a third full of water at his high chair. Sometimes he spilled, sometimes he had success. It was just water in the beginning, so it was no big mess. Then I started putting other liquids in it after he got a little experience.
My son is 5 and he still gets a straw cup in bed at night with water. Our ped recommended that we get rid of the sippies as soon as possible because they can disform the teeth and jaw with excessive use. Straw cups were our answer.
Good luck!
A.
What is the rush! Both my girls still use sippy cups. The are mess free and the contents can be stored in the fridge if there is any left overs! The travel well too! Again why rush?
M.
I have three kids ( 7yrs,6 yrs and 2yrs) I have saved cups from resturants with the lids and that is what myolder two boys drink from. Somtimes if you just go in and ask for them they will either give them to you or sell them. They reuse real well. Sometimes I will let my 2 yr old drink from them, but not all the time and I need to be right by her when she does. The cup I give her is by Playtex, its called cool Tunmbler (or soemthing like that, i know the word tumbler is in it) it Looks just like a big kid cup but its non spillable. She also drinks out of cups with a straw that our non spillable. Bur if she is attatched to teh sippy I would try the Playtex Tumbler mentioned above its like a sippy, but but not the spout kind. They are insulated too so things stay cold longer. The other thing I use by Gerber, its a water bottle spout that is non spillable too, its fits on a reg water bottle, good to travel with.
Hope this helps. If you need to know the exact name of the cup ask I can look it up for you. ____@____.com
Good Luck
C.
dear M.,
you dont mention how old your toddler is. i take care of 2 toddlers, age 16 mo. and 3 yrs. my 16 mo. old is on the sippy cup and my 3 yr. old is on a regular cup. i started him on a reg. cup at age 2. he also prefered the sippy cup. i can understand why, the sippy cup is a step above the bottle! they still suck and draw on the sippy cup like the bottle.it took awhile before he got used to a reg. cup. but he has adjusted. i dont believe a child should go to bed with any kind of cup. i'm old school. you drink your water before you go to bed and thats it.if you allow your child to go to bed with a sippy cup it's just like giving them a bottle.i also think children should eat and drink in the kitchen at the table only. they dont need to walk around with a drink in their hands. they will let you know when they are thirsty. i raised two boys age 20 and 28, neither one ever used a sippy cup. hope this helps.
I say who cares if they use sippy cups before they go to school. My daughter is in first grade and there is a boy in her class who brings his drinks (snack and lunch) in a sippy cup. I don't think the mother realizes how babyish this makes him seem to the other kids. At least she could give him a sport bottle! (and by the way, I think sport bottles are a good way to transition...not a sippy cup, but not as spilly as other containers).
Hi M.
I run a daycare out of my home and this is how I do it. When the children are 1 & 2 yrs old I put them on the sippy cup, but only in the kitchen area. They are not allowed to walk around the home with their cups!!!
Then when they are 3 yrs old I give them a regular toddler cup which again they are only allowed to drink in the kitchen area. When the children are 4 & 5 I will have them use the same toddler cup but by then I will pour the amount of water, juice, etc up past the half mark. When they are 3 I only fill it up half way in case they do spill. I think the best advice is not to let your child walk around with the sippy or go to bed with the sippy. Then it has become a replacement for the pacificer. Not good. Good luck though!
