Sippy Cup Question

Well, I'd say whatever works for you. My three year old drinks from cups at the table, and drinks from sippy cups in the car. It works for us!

My five year old still sleeps in a pull up - he does not wake up dry. My three year old wakes up dry each morning, so he sleeps in underwear. It depends on the child.

Don't worry about it, I think you are doing everything just fine.

In the car, you are never too old for a sippy cup. I still use one for my coffee :)

Pull-ups? Stop when he stops wetting them at night.

Good luck!

I agree with other posts stating to use the sports squirt bottles and the ones with straws. They have some very cute ones on the end isle at Target right now that look like cows and other animals. Also in the lunch box row they have other bottles that you can reuse. I think now would be a good time to switch if he isnt ready then you can always store them and take them out in a month and try again.

Hi,
I don't think it's a big deal if he does that in the car. My kids are fully capable of drinking out of regular cups too, and do at home, but if we go on trips or are late i will surely give them a sippy for the car too. After all, many adults still drink from a closed container like cup in the car. I know I do.

As long as he can drink from a regular cup, then I wouldn't stop using the sippy cup. We use a form of sippy cup when we get a lid and a straw when we go through the drive-thru.

I started both my kids on big boy cups before age 3. But only at the table. They are both very good at it and had no problem transitioning. However, we carry water everywhere we go. My boys are 5 1/2 and 3 and I still carry straw cups in the car for them. But everywhere else it is a regular cup. Sounds like what you are doing is fine. As for the pull ups....After I went through 2 weeks of dry nights we went to underwear and had only a couple of accidents. I felt that if he was dry for 2 weeks I did not want to pay for pull ups or diapers any more! Good luck.

Never too old for a sippy cup in the car. There is nothing worse then spoiled milk in a car seat. I would have him use it any other time though. My daughter (soon to be 4) still uses a sippy cup (or drink with a straw) in the car and regular cups the rest of the time. If he can use a big kid cup and doesn't "nurse" the sippy, no worries.

I'm not sure when is "too old", but every child is different on their ability to drink out of a big kids cup. My daughter started at 12 months. My son is now almost 14 months and he isn't quite ready yet. Once he starts walking, I'm going to teach him. It is definitely easier to use a sippy, but I prefer them to be more advanced and independent. My daughter (who just turned 3) still has occasional accidents, but that is only because she doesn't watch what she is doing and knocks it over on the table when she is reaching for something else.

a sippy cup in the car is a good idea for your peace of mind on spills and such...If you are concerned about "babying" your growing boy, then simply replace the sippy cup you are using with a travel mug, your child will still not have a spill easily and you will feel better about him being out of traditional sippy cups. If you think about it, even restaurants and fast food places offer cups with lids for togo orders, so why shouldn't it be okay for your child to have a lidded cup he can drink out of for traveling??

The best thing with kids is to go with your instincts and what they are showing your they are ready for.

Good luck and enjoy your precious little bundle!!! ;-)

We still use a covered cup in the car, but our son was very independent and insisted on using a big boy cup when he was about 2.5 or 3. If he's in a day care or pre-school program, what are their guidelines? A couple of the places we looked at were very strict about what the kiddos had to be doing at different ages.

Regarding the pull-ups, our son wore those forever too! When he was about 3.5, we insisted it was time to go. He was fully potty-trained just after 2yo, and it was getting to be ridiculous. He did have quite a few accidents at first, but we instituted a calendar/sticker program that worked wonders! Every morning he got up dry, he got to put a sticker on the calendar for that day. He got motivation for staying dry at night (getting up to go when he needed to) and also learned about time. At the end of the first week dry for 6 days (all on his own due to the sticker motivation), he got a small prize which we did not tell him about beforehand. Then we made a deal that he would get the loft bed he really wanted after a month dry. We just couldn't imagine changing sheets on a loft bed every day. He made it with only 1 more accident that entire month (when he was sick) and he reminded us of our promise. =o)

I feel like with our son he sometimes just holds himself back. He goes full force in the beginning on everything, then will hold on to one little thread. When we encourage him to be a big boy, he does great!

my daughters will be 5 and 3 soon. my almost 5 yr old has been drinking out of regular cups since she was just 4 (well, practicing a lot sooner!) the rule in our house is, she can only drink if she's standing in the kitchen or on the rug that's in the dining room (or sitting at the table of course!) if we are in the car, I give her a sports bottle type cup (where the top pops up to open you know?) they have kids' ones that are kid-sized

My son is 5 and still uses a sippy cup or cup with a straw and a lid in the car, if he is not drinking water. The car needs to last a long time and the cup makes sure there are no spills - even if we have to hit the brakes.

As long as your child can drink from the regular cup, you don't have a problem. We started at 3 1/2 with eating at the table using a regular cup. But Zachary always had a cup of water all day long (the child loves water), so we continued with the sippy cup around the house for a long time. He asked to not use it about the time he turned five, so did.

In regards to the pull-ups... If your child can go through the night dry, get rid of them. We never used them because Zachary potty trained himself at 3 and had been waking up dry for a year before that. Every child is different.

Good luck with the new baby. Zachary was adopted as an infant. He is our greatest gift.

L.

as far a sippy cups go I would suggest that you let him use the sippy cups while traveling. I have 3 children 12, 9, and 6. still while we travel I give them a sippy cup so they don't spill anything in my van. As for the training pants try to not give him anything to drink (not even water) after 7 (I know it's hard i had the same problem with our youngest) but he will soon not be "peeing" and he will be able to recycle the potty pants (only use 2 times) and make sure he also goes potty brfore bed even though he doesn't have anything to drink. It has worked like a charm for our youngest

This is a question for your Pediatric Dentist. Our Dentist advised me have them off the sippy cup no later than 3. The only drink my kids get in my car is water and I give it to them in a cup with a straw. Kids are kids and there will be accidents. If he is having breakfast in the car during your commute, you might want to have him finish his milk before hitting the road.

Hi S E
I think you should let him use his cup as long as he needs to- especially in the car- no spills- using the sippy cup is no big deal------ as for the pull ups- I think you should use them on him until he wakes up totally dry every day- and when he no longer has accidents during the nite. I have one grand son who had to use the pull ups until he was about 5.5 and a grand daughter until she was 4.5- using the pull ups at nite is better than having them go thru the trauma of bed wetting.
Good luck
blessings

Cups with straws would be better at this point. You can buy the ones that don't spill either. I still use them with all my kids. To wash the straws - buy some long bamboo skewers for shish-ka-bobs and clean them with one. Works like a charm.

Pull-ups. He may still need them if he isn't waking up dry or has occational accidents. He's not too young for pull-ups at night.

My oldest 2 are 4 and 3 yo. They are both drinking from a regular cup, and have been for about a year. I do have my children drink from spill-proof cups (a nice decorated cup that has his/her name on it, with a straw ) in the van, but not at home. At home, only open top cups are allowed.

About the pull-ups, I'd only stop using them when they are dry when he wakes up. My daughter "night time" potty trained well and rarely ever wet the bed. My son is not the same. He rarely ever wakes up dry. So, I'm tired of changing the sheets and smelling urine in his room, so I am starting to put a diaper back on him now, so that I have to change the sheets less. My opinion about the pull-ups is.....if he wakes up wet, keep putting them on him. I don't know how to "night time" train kids, so I cannot give you advice if that is an issue for you. I know that, personally, myself and my husband both wet the bed til we were older children, around 8 & 9 yrs. So, obviously, I don't know anything about night time training. If you, or any mothers that may read this post, know how to night time train, please let me know. I need to get this taken care of so that I don't have to keep putting him in a diaper.

Good luck and God bless!

Hi there!

Just my opinion but I don't see anything wrong with you son using a sippy cup in the car. Unless like some posters said, you give him water in a sports type bottle. My 6 year old still uses a sippy cup at times when I don't want spills in the car. No big deal, it's not like she's walking around the house with it like a bottle. As far as pull-ups go, again, I agree with the other Mom who said it depends on the child. My 9 year old was completely out of diapers/pull ups a little after 3 years old~nighttime and all. Now my 6 year old was completely trained but still had nighttime accidents until she was about 5. I limited her liquid intake after 7pm and I'd take her to the potty right before I went to bed. And all of a sudden one day she just stopped going at night or she'd wake up and go. It just clicked. So, it really depends on your son and I think he's so young right now I really would not stress about it at night.

And Congratulations on your second child! That is so wonderful!!!

He sounds like he doing great! Each child meets this at their own pace.
The sippy cup should stop when he can drink from his regular cup without spilling it. At day care during snack and lunch, do they drink from regular cups? I remember being totally shocked that when our daughter was 3, the children were pouring their own milk from a pitcher into their own cups at daycare!

Remember, being able to drink from a cup and from a small milk carton without a straw is one of the developments needed to begin kindergarten.

You may want to continue the sippy cup in the car, just so it will not spill. Even I use a cup with a cover in the car, cause I spill, hee, hee.

The pull ups can be stopped when he can go through 4 to 5 nights in a row without any accidents.

Being able to go to the potty without any assistance is another developmental marker for being ready for kindergarten.

I got my son a travel mug that was all his for trips. He didnt have a problem at all with the change, and totally loved the idea of his own big boy travel mug like dad's. The sport's bottles with the straw are a cute idea too, but my dentist told us to be careful with using a straw for prolonged time. He said it could weaken the teeth. I didnt test that to find out. Best wishes on your new addition too!

Well- I really think the issue is not a developmental thing but a practical one. I always use the closed coffee cup in the car for safety reasons and I purchased straw type cups for everyone for CLEANLINESS reasons. So- I think the sippy cup in the car is a sanity issue! Also- I have teens still at home and grand children- and I have those kind of sport bottles with the retractible lids that I put the grandchildrens' drinks in for casual meals etc to protect carpet, save tears, save hassle. Long answer- but find what works for you and don't worry about what others think is right! Take care of yourself- you are doing a great job!

when my daughter was four years old i took the sippy cup away and told her she was a big girl and didn't need it any more, and she was ok with it.....the pull ups she was almost 4 1/2 and i took them away when i started to notice she was waking up drier and also when i asked her when she sat on the side of the bed what she was doing....and she responded by telling me that she was peeing in her pull up.....is when i took them away too.

personally I would continue using the sippy in the car unless you do not mind the smell of old milk in your car (ha ha a funny) and as far as the pull up at night my son is 3 and will be 4 in November and I would rather not have to change his sheets more than once a week so personally depending on how much free time you have keeping him in a pull up is not to ridiculous. I am a stay at home mother and I do not want wash sheets everyday that would just be to much on anyone!!!!!:)

I agree with all the others...it depends on the child and the situation. At home we started using regular cups for my son around age 3 1/2 and sippy cups everywhere else. He's now 4 1/2 and I still use an insulated sippy cup (the kind that flips up with a straw) which I send to preschool for his milk. We only allow water in the car but it still goes in a flip-type or straw-like bottle.

My daughter is 8 and uses a Thermos brand bottle that also has a lid with a flip up straw. I send her milk in that too. It has a funky pink & blue pattern design on it--cute! They come in all kinds of patterns--better selection at back-to-school time but I know our Target and sports stores (like Academy) have a small selection year round. She likes it b/c she really does like milk (which I like better for her than juice) and she doesn't have to be "embarrassed" about not having juice or something else like all the other kids (the getting embarrassed thing is a whole new ballgame for us--maybe I'll do a separate post about it! :-) )

HTH!

I agree with the other moms that it's a practical thing but personally, my husband and I got sick of the whole sippy cup mess. They are just something to keep up with and I felt like those little valves are just little germ factories.My daughter will be 3 at the end of April and we got rid of hers about 3 months ago. I keep one for special circumstances. I'm guessing you are driving accross town to day-care? Does he eat breakfast there? If so, I'm sure they give him something do drink with his meal. Are they using open cups at day-care? That makes a difference too. My daughter knows that she can only drink in the kitchen. Our kitchen is close to the family room so it's not a big deal for her to go back and forth. This is just what we do.

As far as the pull-ups- I'd say it's fine to keep him in it until he can stay dry at night. I don't think you can really teach them not to go at night. You can only limit the fluids before bed to help.

Seems like you have it right to me. In the car a lid makes sense. Even we adults use them, right? If the sippy part seems too young, get one with a lid and straw. Then continue the open cup at mealtime so he gets that skill as well.
As for the nighttime pull-ups, I'd say you use them until he's consistently dry at night. (unless you love washing wet bedding every morning!) My oldest son was nearly 7, so you may be in for a few years wait, or maybe not. Keep a chart and do rewards if he needs a visual, but if it's all wet nights right now I wouldn't start that yet, he'll get too discouraged and it's not something he can really control until , well, he can!

I agree with the person who said it's not a developmental thing; it's a practical thing. We made sure our daughter learned how to drink out of an open cup when she was still a baby, but rarely give her one at home because EVERY time she has one it is knocked over. She does have open cups often at church dinners and some restaurants where straw cups aren't served and she does fine as long as it isn't knocked over.

I use the "Big kid" munchkin sippy cups now in the car and whenever she wants to take a drink out of the kitchen. The newer ones are BPA-free (there is a label on the original packaging that lets you know). I also keep the straw cups we get at the zoo (with the thicker plastic reusable straw) to use when friends come over so they can all have cups with lids but they are much "cooler" than toddler cups. And, I have some small plastic cups with lids and "spouts" that don't have valves (so they CAN leak, but only a little at a time) to use at dinner time as well.

About your pull-up question, it all depends on how dry your son is at night. Some kids have an easy time learning how to hold their bladder while they sleep and some really need to wear them for years and that's really OK. There shouldn't be any shame involved. I think for some kids it's a neurological thing and you aren't going to be successful "teaching" them to do something particular while sleeping. My daughter was an easy one, but when I was a kid, I had a much harder time staying dry at night and needed help longer. (Some of it may be genetic; she is adopted, so she and I are not biologically related.)

I dont think it hurts a bit for him to have his sippy cup while traveling in the car. Whats the difference between that and a cup with a lid??? My grandson is 4 and still takes his sippy cup in the car. He's drinking out of a regular cup, you know he can, so, give him a few more months before you completely take it away from him. Its not going to hurt a thing for him to have it in the car for now.

I save all the plastic cups with lids that we get with kids' meals at various restaurants and use those for my older two in the car--and even at home since they have a baby sister who grabs stuff off the table all the time! My 4yo still asks for a sippy cup with her lunch at school, though, because she wants to have the rest of her drink after I pick her up in the car. :)

My almost 3 year old hasn't used sippy cups in a very long time. I don't remember when we quit exactly. At home he has a place that he is allowed to drink things (at his little table). In the car I have bottled water that I give him and he is able to put the top back on when he is finished, so there is no mess.

As to the pull-up issue, it totally depends on the child. My almost 3 year old hasn't worn pull-ups for almost a year, while my 6 year old still needs them. There is a hormone that some kids just don't produce right away that allows them to be able to hold it while sleeping. Some kids don't get to that stage until they are much older. If your son is dry in the morning then he doesn't need it.

Let him keep it in the car. I found some of grandma's old small jelly jar glasses. They are perfect for training to a regular cup.