Holding, lifting, and tipping the cup to drink is an important part of the learning process for your baby. Some companies sell handles that fit on bottles, sippy cups, and straw cups interchangeably, which can make for an easier transition. However, because of their ease of holding and carrying around, many toddlers will hold onto their cup of liquid all day long, much like a security blanket.
These are great reasons to seek out open cups with handles made for babies and toddlers and provide liquid at meal and snack times. A worn cup with scratches is more likely to harbor bacteria and, if the damaged cup contains bisphenol A BPA , may release small amounts of the chemical. While research on the effects of BPA on humans continues to advance, there is enough evidence confirming risk and, many manufactures no longer use the chemical in their baby cups.
Toddler sippy and straw cups with lots of parts have nooks and crannies may trap bacteria and other germs — yet another reason to promote open cups as soon as your baby can handle them!
Separate all the valves from inside sippy cups and take out the straws to clean the cups thoroughly before hand-washing or running through the dishwasher. Look for toddler cups that are easy to separate, clean and sterilize to make your life easier. If your baby falls asleep while drinking from a toddler sippy cup or bottle, the milk may pool in the back of their throat and coat their teeth with sugar-containing liquid for the entire night.
Be sure to separate your baby from their drinking source and brush those teeth before bed. We know parenting often means sleepless nights, stressful days, and countless questions and confusion, and we want to support you in your feeding journey and beyond. Chat Now! Read more about the experts that help write our content! Healthy eating for kids. Introducing solids: Different approaches and strategies. Choosing the right bottles and nipples.
Alternatives to sweetened beverages and juices. Milk and milk alternatives for baby and toddler. Using sippy cups promotes good oral hygiene and prevents speech issues that could develop.
It has long been understood that long-term pacifier use can cause dental problems. Similarly, it has now been shown that prolonged bottle use can contribute to dental problems. In particular, it is recommended that children do not continue to drink formula after 18 months and that they begin to transition away from bottles as soon as possible after six months of age, otherwise they risk dental and speech problems.
You can start to offer a sippy cup once your child is six months old - provided certain developmental milestones have been reached. But of course, no two babies are the same, and children reach various milestones at different times. Here's how to determine if your baby is ready to move from a bottle to a sippy cup. Transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup may not be a welcome process for you or your baby. To make the journey as smooth and stress-free as possible, consider the following tips:.
While research shows that teeth problems can occur from prolonged bottle use in babies and toddlers, there are still certain precautions that must be taken when transitioning to formula in sippy cup. Try to avoid hand tip or spout sippy bottles, instead, look for sippy cups that help with transitioning to an open cup such as a cup When your baby is developmentally ready, transition to an open cup. Reasons for transition from bottle to sippy cup Just like pacifiers, using a bottle for extended periods may end up causing problems.
Some issues that may occur from extended use of a bottle are: Speech problems Dental issues Tooth decay, misalignment, overbite Ear infections Obesity Eating disorders picky eaters Bad eating habits Poor nutrition Every baby is unique and develops at their own individual pace, so not all babies will be ready to transition at the same time.
How to know if your baby is ready to try using a sippy cup: They are over 6 months old They can sit up alone They can grasp things tightly in their hands They have started eating They may want to try drinking from your cup if you are using one How can I transition my baby to a sippy cup?
Here are some tips to make transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup a fun and pleasant experience for you and for your baby: Start early — introduce a sippy cup at the same time as you introduce solids.
Your little one will only need sips at first, especially if starting with water. Allow your baby to play with an empty sippy cup to experiment and see if you can get your baby to copy you drinking out of a cup. This will allow them to get used to the idea of the sippy cup. Start by using a trainer sippy cup. Trainer cups usually have handles that make them easier for your baby to hold, and most have a soft spout similar to a baby bottle.
This will make transitioning from a bottle to a cup easier. Try offering any liquid other than formula to make the experience a completely new one for them. Tasting something new will make it an exciting new experience Try a few cups until you find the right one for your baby, then stick to that same cup because using different types of cups all the time, cause it may be confusing for your little one.
Offer a sippy cup in place of a bottle during the day once they have become accustomed to using it. Transitioning is a new experience for them, so it will take time.
But be patient and be consistent. If you give in once, they will keep protesting until you give in every time. Try to ensure your baby is completely weaned off the bottle between 12 and 18 months. Some babies go straight to a regular cup from the breast or bottle. But if you want your baby to use a sippy cup, try these tactics that other parents have used successfully:. Using a sippy cup may seem like a piece of cake, but there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid:.
If your baby is younger than 6 months old, simply give her a portion of her breast milk or formula in the sippy cup each day. Generally, water and juice are unnecessary for breastfed and bottle-fed infants in the first six months of life.
And don't give your baby cow's milk until she's at least a year old. Babies 6 months and older can be given up to 4 ounces of percent fruit juice a day in addition to formula or breast milk. But don't give it at bedtime to prevent tooth decay. Once your child starts drinking whole milk at age 1 , experts recommend giving her no more than 32 ounces of milk and a half cup of juice per day.
Otherwise your toddler may be more likely to get cavities and be too full to eat at mealtime. Plastics in baby bottles used to be made with the chemical bisphenol A BPA , but this has been banned since And many manufacturers had already stopped using BPA before that because of public concerns over exposing children to this chemical.
Just to be safe, don't let your child drink from a plastic cup or bottle that is scratched or damaged. A worn cup with scratches is more likely to harbor bacteria and may leach chemicals. But any plastic can leach chemicals. Two recent studies even found that some BPA-free cups leach even higher amounts of synthetic hormones than those made with BPA. If you're worried about plastic, consider using steel or glass cups. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world.
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