When to use a sippy cup?

[olim]

DD is 5.5 months old and is always wanting to hold her bottle to feed. I normally let her hold it and I can kind of steer so that it is at the right angle. Is she getting ready to use a sippy cup? I was just curious as to when you introduced the sippy cup, and did you also use a bottle?

SAHM to Madeline Penelope Jan. 9 2004

[mommd]

Our Pedi told us we could start trying the sippy cup at 5 months. Mainly this was because she never really took the bottle, so he said no point in trying to get her to take a bottle now only to switch to a sippy in a few months. We tried a few and the take n toss ones have worked the best. DD takes it with no problem! HTH

[Sarah1]

We introduced it around 6 mos. We used the ones with the handles (the Gerber soft spout ones worked great for us, because the texture of the spout is more like a nipple). We didn't really expect her to drink much out of it; it was more to get her used to the idea of a cup. This approach worked well--we never "pressured" her to drink from it, she had time to play with and explore the cup, and gradually figured out how to drink from it. We still used the bottle in the morning and after her PM nap.

By 10 months or so she was drinking pretty well out of it, and around 13 months we stopped using a bottle altogether and replaced it with the cup. I know it takes some kids a lot longer than that to transition, though.

[Laurelsmom2002]

We tried sippy at 6 mo w/out the valve w/ water in it, and we also tried just a regular cup w/ a very small amount of water in it and parental help to pour. However she never really took to the sippy ( until the nuk (sp)lately while teething) she was a straw pro at about 9-10 mo, (which some ST people say are better for mouth development, and some say it makes no difference)

[olim]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll get a sippy cup and let her explore it. She plays with a plastic cup in the bath and sometimes drinks water from it (I know ....ick....but it is only a little) so hopefully the transition to the sippy won't be so bad.

SAHM to Madeline Penelope Jan. 9 2004