I am trying to introduce the sippy cup to my daughter. I've had it out so she can see it, hold it, play with it, etc. just to give her exposure to it. However, she thinks it's a toy and that it's just fun to play with--you know, the water rolling inside of it... yea, so cool. She will hold the sippy cup correctly, put it in her mouth correctly, she just won't SUCK on the sippy cup! She will drink from a cup correctly... putting her tongue under and swallow the water/juice just fine. But I can't keep giving her a cup to drink from. What about in the car traveling, messes on the floor from a cup, etc. I have got to get this sippy cup thing figured out!!! How do I teach her to suck from the sippy?
P.S. I won't put water/juice in her bottle, so that's not an option.
Thank you all for your advice. I personally don't think 7 1/2 mo. is too young to give her some experience with the sippy cup, so I'm going to keep trying. I took the nozzle out of it so the water would just flow through. Now she seems to be getting the idea that it's not a toy! I'm going to keep doing this for awhile and then try putting the nozzle back in. I may also try the bottle with handles to see if that will help her get the idea that if she sucks on it she'll get something! :) Thanks again for your time and advice. It is greatly appreciated.
When I started giving my son a sippy cup i would hold it for him while he drank. That let him know right away what it was for and soon after that he started wanting to try it himself. He now drinks solely from a sippy cup, even to drink his milk before bed! I agree with some of the other moms though, seven months might be too early and letting your daughter play with the cup only reinforces the idea of it being a toy.
My daughter is 11 months, I introdauced the sippy to her at 8 months and she also played with her cup, she likes the cups with handels, I also have a bottle with handels on it and she loves to drink her formula out of it, I have her the bottle when she was 7 months and it helped with the transition (the bottle having the handels). On her not being able to suck the juice out, you may want to try different brands, the more expensive cups are easier to suck out of, and the ones with the soft tips help! I hope I could help you!
My daughter wouldn't either....I think from being breast fed only. She refused to waste her time sucking for next to nothing to drink...SOOOO...we got the kind of sippy cup that pours without being sucked. Of course over hard moppable floors and/or with water initially.... Try that....good luck!
How long have you been trying? We started to give our kids sippy cups of water with their meals as soon as we introduced solids... around 4-5 months old. At first, of course, we had to hold it for them (for about a month). We also removed the plastic insert thingy (we use playtex cups, not all brands can do this) so water flowed pretty much freely out of the holes/spout. They'd get water coming out everytime we tipped it up to their mouth so they got the connection and knew that was what it was for. They'd naturally start sucking on it to get more. After a week or so, we'd put the plastic thingy back in and they could drink normally out of it. Both kids were using sippy cups on their own by 6-7 months.. it took a month or two.
-D.
She is 7 months old?! She will grasp the concept soon enough, not all kids figure it out so soon. I say take everything away and when she is thirsty she will pick the cup up for a drink. When I say take everything away I mean for a few hours, not like allday or anything. With my 4 it wasn't hard because they grasp the concept. I also had one that refused a sippy and only wanted cups. What we did for our trips were get sport bottles they worked for us..Good Luck!!!
Seven months is a little young to start a sippy. My daycare providers (and experts I've read about) for my three girls (my current daughter is 5 months old) say to start trying at 1 year. I'd hold off a bit. She's probably trying to tell you that she's not ready yet.
Here's an article I just read too, about this subject:
http://www.babycenter.com/news/?id=536426&scid=momsba...
First of all I do not recomend leaveing it out for her to play with that only encourages the concept that it's a toy. Only bring it out when it's time for a drink and to start with remove the valve that way the fluid flows into her mouth. After doing that a few times she should get the idea that it's for drinking then put the valve back in and when she is thirsty offer it again. It may take a few trys but she will figure it out. You could always try the nubby brand with the soft nipple like spout but thats essentially the same as a bottle. You have plenty of time to help her figure it out.
It is possible to completly skip the sippy cup many people do it and there was a time when there were no sippy cups.
