Hi everyone! I was wondering when you guys started using sippy cups with your child...My son is 5 and 1/2 months and I have started using them...And he does fine, but a friend of mine yelled at me for giving it to him already, but I read in one of my books that it is fine, as long as they like it....He seems to like them better then bottles...So I was just wondering your guys oppinion...Thanks :angel:

that should be fine .my son is also 5 and a half and just started him on sippy cups to. it's still hard for him but he seems to like it .he has so much fun with it .plus it's better for his teeth that should be coming is soon .he is also teething.

Sounds like your friend needs to worry about her own kids and stop trying to parent yours. Unless of course she has no kids. You're just fine. If he's showing that he's ready for it, then he's ready for it.

Thank you guys :angel:

My son is 5 and 1/2 months and I have started using them...And he does fine

I have always thought that this was one of those issues that the child pretty much dictated. I have heard of children using them as young as yours, and others who do not use them until over a year.

In my own experience, my firstborn started using one at about ten months, although one of my nephews started at six. I would just go with whatever your child seems comfortable with, which seems to be what you are doing.

My DD started hers at 6 months. She is almost 15 months now and is doing just fine. She took to the sippy cup right away. Just gave it to her one day and that was that. We started with the soft spout and the moved the the hard spout. Switching from the soft spout to the hard one wasn't diffcult either. We did the soft one for a couple of months and then switched to the hard one.

I say good for you that may be an easy switch. Everyone needs an easy thing once in a while :)

We started at 5 months, and I exclusively BF. It took him a little while, but now, at 7 months, he's got it, and loves it!

My DD started using one at 9 months, and she did great with it. My DS is 5 months right now, and acting as if he'll be ready to use one soon. And just remember, people are going to yell at you no matter what you do. There is always going to be someone who thinks your doing something too soon, or too late, or whatever. Just remember to do what it best for you and your little guy, not what works or didn't work for others. And I think you'll find that works better than any advice others give you. After all, you are the one who knows your baby the best.

For those of you using the sippy cups, what did you put in them? Formula, juice, water? And how much?

Thanks!

DS is 5 and a half months and has been using a regular cup since about 3 and a half months. He has the concept down but in the beginning a lot of water would run out his mouth but lately he has gotten better and maybe a little drips out. The only thing we put in the cup is water. I have never given him a sippy cup. I have one but I don't think he would know what to do with it. He doesn't choke at all with a regular cup. He will swallow all that goes in his mouth even if he is holding his breath and getting red in the face. We hold the cup for him and he sips from it.

will swallow all that goes in his mouth even if he is holding his breath and getting red in the face.


Why would you do this? If a child that young is holding his breath and getting red in the face, my guess is he doesn't like the cup. WHY is it wrong for him to have a bottle at this age instead of a cup? I feel sorry for him, can't he be allowed to be the tiny baby that he is?

I know all parents have to make their own decisions for their kids, but wow, that's really extreme in my opinion.

AllTheLarsons - First of all, he gets a bottle every 3 hours. Secondly, he will cry if you take the cup away. He loves it and if he sees anyone drinking from a cup he will cry and reach for it. If he can reach the cup he will do his best to get it out of your hands. We try not to put so much in his mouth that he is getting red and holding his breath. But it is hard to judge when you are helping a baby sip water. My point was, that he does not choke, which at 3 and a half months it would be a normal reaction for most babies.
Thirdly, I would have love to have a baby that wanted to be a baby. But from day 1, DS did not want to be a baby.

Lastly, why am I defending myself??? :rolleyes:

I know I put forth alot of effort to be the best mom I can be to him.

2fast4u

You definitly don't need to defend yourself, I've read that baby as young as 3mo CAN use regular cups or sippy cups just fine. I think AllTheLarsons woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and is not having a good day. I was just reading about it myself yesterday. They were just saying that if you start w/ regular cup, be prepared to have more mess than w/ sippy cup, but the good thing w/ regular cup is that children practice using different muscles in their mouth than w/ sippy cup.

also they were saying that if you use the sippy cup where you have to suck to get the liquid (the spill proof), some children may have TEMPORARY speech development problems, but agian that does go away. Research has shown that starting liquids other than formula/breastmilk, such as juice or water in cup rather than bottle BEFORE 5mo, makes it's acceptance easier. If you put everything in the bottle for first year, it may be difficult to switch after. But of course you go w/ what your baby loves. Of course we all know kids that don't want to part w/ their sippy cups either.

As to what to put in it, the book suggests that WATER is the best, especially if you use sippy cup that baby sips from all day long. Don't want the baby to get cavities or spoil its appetite.

After reading 50 pages on using cups, I was going to get one today for my son, he's 4mo old, to see if he'd like some water in it. Unfortunatly it snowed like crazy last night, so the cup will have to wait. I thought it would be good even if he practices holding it or biting on it, since he got his first tooth today.

i think every mom knows whats best for their baby!!

but anyway i just wanted to tell u ladies that i was able to stop DD bottles in one day by using the nuby cups.. she loves those just as much as the bottle... the only thing is that alot of liquid comes out so i wouldnt recommened it for small babies... but when its time to stop the bottle its a good cup, at least it was for me!

I agree with Jamie that a good first sippy is the Nuby ones. I got mine at Wal-Mart, and they have a soft spout, so it's a lot like a nipple. It worked really well with my DD, she was 10 months, and we just stopped the bottle and gave her the sippy and she did fine.

I agree with nuby cups too the ones with the silicone spout. They do leak a little so keep light stuff in it but are only like $.99. I got mine at babies r us and then saw them at wal-mart and got more. I saw some that are "sport bottle" type but look just like bottles so I avoided those.

I apologize to everyone, I didn't "wake up on the wrong side of the bed". Of course you are all being the best parent you can be, I didn't mean to offend anyone.

My point was this, and obviously I didn't make it well. I think society as a whole puts a lot of pressure on Mom's and Dad's (whether they're parents of 1 or 15) to have their children advance and take on new things too quickly. I myself still cave to the pressure and I'm on my 4th baby! For example, I was ready to wean Drue, I knew she was ready, yet when I was frowned upon by a few people, I second guessed myself and felt guilty.

My sister-in-law thought I was a complete idiot over Thanksgiving because Drue is 8 months and not using a sippy cup. Her son is 6 months, he can't hold anything, yet she only uses a sippy and won't give him a bottle at all anymore because she "read somewhere" that it's better. There I sat, second guessing myself and wondering if I should really be giving Drue a sippy, even though I know at her developmental stage (hers and hers only, not generalized for everyone elses' children) she isn't ready.

Hope I explained better. I like this board, I think it's very helpful and I wouldn't want to be ostracized just because I posted something not everyone agrees with.

Allthelarsons,

I understand where you are coming from. I am tired of people telling me when it is best for me to do something. I personally think that having a baby start using a sippy before they are near their 1st birthday is too early, but, if that's what the parents decide to do, and if that's what's best, then I am not going to criticize them for it. I started my DD at 10 months, which worked well for her. I now have a 5 month old, and if he's ready before 10 months, great, if not, we'll wait a little longer. I won't push it with him. I do however think that at a year they should be using a sippy, but again, that's just how I do things. The way I see it is in their first year of life they have so much going on developmentally that they need time to get used to things, and putting extra pressure on them to do something because others think it's good, or because someone read something isn't always the best thing to do. So back to the original thread, is it too early for lil*hotties baby to be using a sippy? Not at all if that's the decision she makes and is what works the best for her and her little guy.

I was PMSing but now we can see where you are coming from. But I am easily offended and always worried about taking care of DS. But I know when it comes to drinking out of a cup of water it is his choice. No matter what he is always reaching out for more.

You can let your little one have a cup at 6 months old, don't think they'll do anything but bang it around alittle and move it from hand to hand. You can show them what is for by pouring some formula in it and putting it to their lips, they'll soon grasp the concept. I introduced the sippy to my kids at about 9 months and they knew what it was for right away, no prompting necessary. I weaned them from the cup at about age two, there was lots of spills, but it was a "now or never" type of thing. A cup with a straw is an excellent way for the little ones to develope healthy oral habits for language skills as well.