5 months and starting sippy cups

[mominmarch]

My DD is almost 5 months and I was thinking about allowing her to experiment with a sippy cup (Dr. Spock's book suggests doing that before 6 months). She is formula fed and uses Playtex Drop Ins for 5 six ounce bottles a day. I figured we would start with a tiny bit of water or formula for experimentation.

There are a lot of threads addressing this topic but I figured I would ask again if anyone has recommendation for a child this young. Sippy or straw cups? She has her two bottom teeth if that helps. That's one of the reasons I thought to start this - she really bites on and plays with the bottle nipple a lot, so she is clearly curious.

Thanks!

[LarsMal]

I started giving DS sippy cups (with a little water) during mealtimes when he was six months. He would just play with it for the most part. I'd say it took him a good month or so to figure out what to really do with it. I think I started letting him try the straw around 9 or 10 months.

DD is definitely more interested in the cup, but at 7 months she still doesn't do much more than attack the cup and gum at it! If I hold it up for her she'll suck and drink a little of the water, but she hasn't done it on her own yet. So just be patient, it takes time, but it's good to start eary- it will help when you're ready to wean her off the bottle!

Good luck!

[lilycat88]

We loved the Take 'n Toss straw cups. DD started on them at about 5 months. She didn't figure out a sippy until over 15 months old. I liked using straw cups because once she got it, I never had to worry about being "out and about" and not having a sippy cup for her to use. Nearly everywhere has straws.

[mominmarch]

I figure all of this is experimentation now anyway. I was the one who was trying her on solids (just rice cereal) at 4.5 months. Well even though she sits up well and doesn't push the food out of her mouth, she refuses to eat the rice cereal or banannas - she just purses her lips shut until you offer her the bottle and then gulps it down. So we are stopping doing that for a few weeks to try again later. But she still looks at us at meals and wonders why she isn't getting anything, so I thought the cup might be fun...

What brand do you use of sippy cups? I saw the playtex one at the store today and bought it to try...

[Clarity]

We started with an ounce of water in the take-n-toss sippy cups at about 4 1/2 months and we had a lot of success with them.
(From kellymom.com "when your 4-6 month old baby is learning to use a cup, giving him a few sips of water a couple of times a day (no more than 2 ounces per 24 hours) is fine and fun.")

I was really happy with the ease in which dd used the take-n-toss. I also had gerber and avent sippys which had handles on them, but she never took to them - personal preference I suppose. Oh, and we didn't start the straw sippys until she was 8-9 months old. I'm not sure a five month old would be able to manage a straw.

[Clarity]

I stand corrected. Apparently a five month old CAN manage a straw!

[lilycat88]

LOL. Yes, we STARTED at 5 months and by 6 she was pretty good with it. The "sucking" was still very instinctual for her. But, she couldn't figure out a sippy cup for a long time. She couldn't figure out that she had to tip it up to get anything out.

[LarsMal]

I mostly use the take-and-toss cups (both straw and sippy). I also have a bunch of Nuby cups that DS likes. I have a few Playtex and Gerber, too. Oh yeah, and an Avent! DS will drink out of any of them, but DD seems to prefer the take-and-toss right now.

DS has a straw cup (pretty sure it's Playtext) that has a top that flips over the straw. I love that cup for outings. It might also be somewhat insulated to keep it cooler when we're out.

[mominmarch]

Ok well I just found the take-and-toss straw cups on One Step Ahead and I will order some now. Thanks for all of the input - I am glad I asked (and feel free to give me more advice!).

[pb&j]

We started DS on Take N Toss sippies when he was this age, and by the time he was 6-7 months, he could handle the sippy totally independently. We tried the Avent ones with the handles, but it was easier for him to grasp the cup than the handle. I think that sippy or straw is just up to your preference. We tried straw cups a few times, but stuck mostly with sippies since he's a thrower, and the Take N Toss straw cups will just pour out liquid if they're dropped. I wish we'd been more diligent about giving him a straw cup, because ever since he got teeth (just before a year) he bites straws, and can't get anything from them.

-Ry,
mom to Max, age 1.5
and my girl in heaven

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