Sippy Cup Suggestions?

Updated on March 05, 2008
L.E. asks from Deerfield, IL
16 answers

My son is almost 14 months, and I have been trying to transition him to either a straw cup or a sippy cup. He does great drinking cold water out of a sippy cup, a few sips here and there, but I can not get him to take milk out of a sippy cup or straw cup. Any suggestions? Additionally, he will not drink cold milk. I have to warm it up to room temperature, and I would like to stop that as well. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

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K.E.

answers from Chicago on

I like the Nuby cups with the flip top that folds down the soft straw. They sell large ones in a two pack that use the "safe" plastic.

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E.C.

answers from Bloomington on

I have 3 boys of my own and have worked in an infant room at a daycare for 10 years. In my experience, you need to take it slow. How long do you warm the milk for? Maybe next time take a couple of seconds off the warming. A couple of days later take a couple of more seconds off. Keep doing this until the milk is cold and he takes it.
If that doesn't work, keep trying it cold, but don't offer it to him warm even in a bottle or he won't drink it from the sippy cup. Be patient...keep trying and he will eventually take it.
He may also be testing you to see if you will give in to what he wants. Don't give in...you are the mom.

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S.M.

answers from Chicago on

Use the Nubby training sippy cups available at Wal-Mart. Present it to him first thing in the morning when he's thirsty and has to take it. Best thing that worked for us was the cold turkey method.

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J.P.

answers from Bloomington on

How weird---I thought it was only us! :-)
My first daughter did the transition so smoothly. Then my youngest refused to drink milk out of anything but a bottle. I tried once a month for about 4 months. She would take a sip, determine it was milk and just spit it out. I could put the same milk into a bottle and she'd drink it up. I even tried letting her get thirsty, but it didn't work. So, I found these cups--called Nuby. The spout on them is silicone, similar to bottle nipples. She took it on the first try. She's now just about 18 month and we've been doing this for about 3 months now. I tried a regular sippy cup the other day to see if she would do it now--no go. But, we're still not using a bottle, so I'm not complaining. I found these cups at Meijer, Walmart, and Jewel. I got a supply of 5 to get us through--they were about $1 each, so easy that way also. Hope this helps!!
p.s.--As for the temp, I always just transitioned them to cold milk by warming it less and less slowly. Every 4-6 days I would warm it a little less until right out of the fridge worked.

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T.W.

answers from Chicago on

I had trouble getting my daughter to take a sippy cup at first. One day we were at a friend's house and we borrowed one of their small sippy cups from the disney store. My daughter loved it and took to it right away.

We realized later, the sippy cups that we had been using were kind of big for her and heavy.. The small disney store ones were perfect. I would only buy one as she outgrew that size right away. It only holds a few ounces.

I am not sure why the major brands don't make them that small for the beginning.

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A.R.

answers from Chicago on

When you sit him at the high chair, give him his milk from the bottle but also put out the sippy cup with milk in it. Keep it on the tray and let him get used to the idea of having it there. He will eventually get the picture.

Our son took to the sippy cup at 12 months and was weaned off the bottle no problem. He started on the sippy around 8 months with water at snack time. About 2 weeks before his 1st birthday, we would give him his formula bottle as well as a sippy cup with 2 ounces of milk. Once we ran out of formula, we were done with the bottles. He got a sippy cup with milk when he ate his meals and transitioned nicely. It went way easier than I expected.

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N.H.

answers from Chicago on

Hi, L.. Your post didn't mention if you breastfed your son or not, but if you did, that could be why he doesn't like cold milk - he's used to it being warm. Maybe just decrease the amount that you warm it over a few weeks until he likes it cold. That worked for my son, who is now 17 months.

As for the sippy cup itself, you might experiment until you find one that works for your son. A friend recommended the Avent Magic Cup after she used it for her daughter, and my son seemed to like that one. He also likes the Playtex, and we have a couple of the Nuby that are mentioned in another post here. It could be that your son just doesn't like the particular cup he has, so try getting a few different ones.

Most important, don't worry! He will drink when he's ready, even if it's not on your timeline.

Good luck!

N.

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

Some childrens tummies don't like the cold. You may have to keep warming a little longer. Don't confuse him with 2 ways to drink. Stick to one cup or the other. Boys have a harder time with making decisions some time just like men (haha).

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D.L.

answers from Chicago on

Hi L.,

I don't see the problem with warming his milk. If it keeps him drinking milk then just keep doing it. I stopped drinking milk altogether when my mother switched me from a bottle of warm milk to a cup with cold milk. To this day (I'm 43) I won't drink cold milk (Yuk). For my kids I warm up their milk & put it in a sippy cup. The most important thing for me is that they keep drinking the milk for protein & calcium.

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G.T.

answers from Chicago on

My suggestion is using the Nuby 3 stage feeding bottles. It's what FINALLY got my trio to drink from sippy cups. As for the milk, mine refuse to drink it cold so I just warm it up for them. As long as they're drinking it, that's what's more important to me.

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C.R.

answers from Champaign on

We had our daughter winged from the bottle at 12 mo old. She only got one bottle and that was at night. I would suggest to ease him into it and make a game out of it. Show him how fun a staw can be by making bubbles into the drink and let him see.

C. R.

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A.V.

answers from Chicago on

I had the exact same problem with my son. Water he would take fine out of a cup, but milk no way and it always had to be at least room temp. Well to get him to drink cold milk, it caught on real quick in the summer. I just gradually heated it up less and less, and with it being so hot out, he almost seemed grateful for cold milk. Then it was a lot easier to get him to drink it out of a cup. We also had bottles at bedtime for awhile. But out of the house or during the day was strictly cup use. Now he's got a cold and I can't get him to drink anything warm to sooth his sore throat. Go Figure!

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D.G.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter will be 14 months next week as well. We started the sippy early as our doctor wanted her off the bottle at 1 year. I agreed as she has a lot of teeth already. Anyway, it may seem harsh, but I suggest going cold turkey with the bottle. After a few days, he will take the milk from the sippy. In a few weeks, you will be surprised how well he drinks milk. I know it feels like forever in the moment, but it goes quickly!!!Try finding a sippy that he likes. My daughter likes the playtex ones that have a soft rubber spout. I think it was easier for her, plus she was teething so it felt good on her gums.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter hated sippy cups at first. I nursed her for 13 months and I had the hardest time getting her to drink from any sippy or straw cup. I noticed that she did like to sip occasionally from my regular open cups, though. We started using the little 2 oz plastic dixie cups. She handled them well, and if they did spill, it was never much of a mess. I actually got the sturdier ones from the party stores and they'd last forever - even making it through the top rack of the dishwasher. I always had a couple in my bag or in the car in a ziploc bag so we were ready to go. It actually made life a little easier, knowing we could get a drink whenever or where ever we were. People would comment on how small she was to be drinking from a regular cup, and it was pretty cute. Eventually, she did like the Rubbermaid 8 oz plastic cups with the flip top straws and also the Gerber insulated sippy cups, but no other style of lid suited her.

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A.L.

answers from Champaign on

We transitioned our daughter at a year old (She is 3 1/2 now) from the bottle to a cup using cups we found at Walmart. I don't think they were a name brand. The looked somewhat like a dumbbell and had clear rubber tops (resembling a nipple). They are sold individually and are sold out of a bin (shelf) rather than on hooks in packaging. She used them for about six months and eventually opened up to drinking from any cup.

As far as wanting the milk warmed...she still insists on "warm good-milk please". She really doesn't like cold milk (not even chocolate milk). It is a bit of extra work still but the way I see it...if they are still willing to drink milk I will take the time to be sure it is warm.

Good Luck!! Angela

R.T.

answers from Champaign on

Unfortunately I didnt discover the Nuby until my 4th and last child. They are inexpensive and indestructable. I especially like the soft top as opposed to traditional hard sipper cups. Check out the product line, www.nuby.com

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