It's about that time. In the next few months we will be making the transition from bottle to sippy cup. What's the trick? Baby "I" is already taking small sips from the cup and he's lots better at actually drinking it now and not choking anymore. I have a feeling this may be a very difficult change for him though. He LOVES his bottle. The pediatrician suggested that we get him off the bottle at 12 months. Please share your successes and all that you've learned.
11 comments:
First of all, you need to do what works best for your son and family. Sometimes I say who cares what the doctor says :) None of my boys were off the bottle by 12 months and they are just fine. Truthfully, my two older boys had the bottle until they were 18 months. Of course they were restricted to only having it at certain times.
Personally, when you choose to rid yourselves from the bottle, I would first wait untill your son can do the sippy cup really well.
I do think that easing him off is the best way. Start by taking one bottle feeding away a day. And replacing those times with the sippy cup. So he can practice, but also, so he can get used to the idea that this is the way of life now.
Don't be surprised if the amount of fluids he drinks significantly decreases. Especially at first. I know my boys always drank a lot less when the bottle was gone. But, don't worry it usually will pick back up again when they are more used to only having the cup.
Well I hope that I was of some help. Don't let the doctor pressure you into something that your family is not ready for.
The feeding therapist in me might come out here. We do recommend that kids use a cup by 12 months. It's partly for oral motor strength and coordination (which can affect speech and feeding) but it's also because it often gets harder after that to break those habits once you get nearing those idependent twos! But I also want my "kids" off pacifiers at a year and my little one still uses one for going to bed so you take what people tell you and do what works for you!! A couple of ideas though:
1. Use a cup that spills. I know spill-proof sippy cups are tempting, but take the valve out and let it come without sucking it out or they're just sucking the cup like they were sucking the bottle and they need to learn to use their lips and jaw to drink.
2. Try a straw cup if they are overewhelmed and "choking". (And try to be calm when they're choking, it's okay!)
3. Offer a cup at every meal so they get used to it and can play with it and get comfortable.
I like Kristi's point about the fluid level decreasing because that freaked me out! I was worried about my baby getting dehydrated, but it picked up again when she got the hang of it!
Good luck if you use cups that spill. Be prepared to clean a lot of messes. I personally use spill proof, but that is my own personal perference. That way they can have them in the car or on the go. Again, personal preference.
With both of my kids I took all the bottles away one day and only offered sippies after that. Cold turkey and no problems, so I have no big advice for you.
Marissa never took a bottle too well anyway, so when she started drinking other things besides my milk she just used a sippy cup. It annoyed me, though, because she was lazy with it and wouldn't tip cup herself. I wanted to make sure she drank enough so I would tip it for her and then she would take her hands of the cup so I basically did it for her. Then we tried the cups with straws and they were wonderful! I was worried that she wasn't going to learn to tip a cup to drink, though, but now that she's older she can tip the cup just fine - so just remember that kids need to go at their own pace and if it doesn't work out right away it will eventually. Good luck!
Both of my girls struggled with the cup at first, so I used a thermos-type kid cup (it has a straw built in to a domed lid and is easy to hold--found in every Target sippy cup section). Once they got used to the idea of drinking from that, the sippy cup came a lot easier. And when their drinking decreased, I just added more fruits, soups, etc. to their diets (and added more water to #2's oatmeal, when she eats it).
It's true! I clean up milk spills a lot! (especially now that we're in the cup shaking phase! :) So I do take spill-proof cups to church and public places like that! :)
I have a question for liz&meg. I had just recently heard that about the spillproof sippy cups as well, and I was wondering if you take out the valve right away. Like, I know I'm supposed to start introducing the sippy cup with water around 6 mos, when she eats her solid foods. Do I give it to her without the valve right from the start, or will the flow be too much for her at that age??? Thanks for your expertise on this topic!
If you're willing to take the mess, don't use the valve from the beginning. Because it absolutely does make a mess. But right now, I don't let Megan use cups unless she's in her high chair. We don't eat or drink unless she's in her high chair, IN GENERAL! Because you're right, giving it to them with water at the beginning and to practice is great. Some even suggest using an empty cup and just letting them explore it for a few weeks as soon as you start feeding solids. Then add a liquid. It's also good to start using traditional cups just as early in situations where you can control it. Use modeling, gently guide the cup with your hand at first so you can also ease it away when you can tell that she's had enough and might start choking/gagging. This is an article, similar to a handout we give parents about transitioning and why, written the "wholefoods lady" :) http://www.articlealley.com/article_101594_61.html
I forgot a part to your question, Steph! You can also find cups that have slower flows at first. Look for less holes and especially at first, don't get the cups that just have a slit versus holes because that will let way too much liquid through at first. The ideal first cup as two handles to make it easy to lift and hold because it's heavy for their little hands! So, you have the fun task of inspecting all the holes in the cups! :)
Thanks!!!!
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