teaching DS how to swallow after drinking from a straw

[candaceb]

I just read a ton of older threads on teaching LO's to drink from a straw but didn't see my particular problem mentioned. I have been working with DS for a couple of months, trying to get him to drink water from a cup. We have tried at least 7 different sippies and straw cups. He doesn't get sippies at all, and the problem with straw cups is that he doesn't close his mouth after drinking, so everything spills out. We literally end up with a river of water running out of his bib pocket, down the highchair and onto the floor.

This has suddenly reached a crisis stage because my milk has dried up over the last week. I need him to be able to take formula and water from a cup. He has not taken a bottle in months (since at least February) and I gave up that battle. I have tried open cups, and he works his bottom jaw like he does while nursing, which results in the water spilling out. I can get a small amount of liquid in him that way. In the meantime, we're trying to give him foods with a high amount of water content and cereal made with formula, along with ice cubes in the mesh feeder.

Does anyone have tips for getting him to understand how to close his mouth and swallow the liquid? I have been trying to use juice, hoping that would encourage him. Last night we took five different cups in the bathtub because I decided it was a better place to experiment - he likes the tub more than sitting in the highchair, and the mess wouldn't be an issue. The two that he seems to do the best with are the take & toss straw cup, and the Playtex straw cup with handles. We happened to have his 9 month well visit this morning, and the pediatrician assured me that if I keep offering it to him, he will figure it out and they've never had to hospitalize a kid because they couldn't figure out how to drink. I'm fearing that mine will be the first...

[ckso]

Here's what I did with DD. I used a regular straw and put it in the cup of breastmilk. Then I put my finger on the top of the straw to retain the small amount of liquid in the straw. Put straw in her mouth and let her suck on it while slowly releasing the liquid by lifting your finger from the top of the straw. I didn't release it until she actually pursed her lips like you would drinking from a straw. Hope this makes sense.

[TwoBees]

Have you tried demonstrating for him?

[LMPC]

I agree with both PPs. DD got the hang of it when we did the finger over the top of the straw trick. FWIW, DD never got sippies either. We went straight to straws at 6 months.

[candaceb]

Thanks for the responses. I had read about the "finger over the straw trick" here, and used that to teach him to suck out of the straw. He picked it up in a couple of days, no problem. Now he can suck the liquid up into his mouth, but then it mostly spills out again before he swallows it.

I drink from an insulated straw cup with a cap all the time - like an adult sippy... so I keep showing him how I drink from it, and let him try my straw, but it still ends the same.

At this point, I'm having the most luck getting liquid into him with an open cup that I hold, but it makes a huge mess so it's not ideal for anything other than water. I'm very concerned about the 90 degree weather that we're supposed to have in the next 2 days but I guess I'll just keep trying. I can get liquids in him other ways - like eating watermelon, very watery cereal made with formula, yogurt, etc., but he is just not having the heavy wet diapers that I know he should. It is SO frustrating because I have been working on the cups with him for months, and then we reached a crisis point when my milk dried up after a nursing strike.

[TwoBees]

At this point, I'm having the most luck getting liquid into him with an open cup that I hold, but it makes a huge mess so it's not ideal for anything other than water. I'm very concerned about the 90 degree weather that we're supposed to have in the next 2 days but I guess I'll just keep trying. I can get liquids in him other ways - like eating watermelon, very watery cereal made with formula, yogurt, etc., but he is just not having the heavy wet diapers that I know he should. It is SO frustrating because I have been working on the cups with him for months, and then we reached a crisis point when my milk dried up after a nursing strike.

I would just keep at it. It took DD a while to get it but now she is a pro. We had lots of messes too. Stick with water so it's easy to clean up! :) FWIW, one of the peds at our practice said he's not too worried about DD's fluid intake as long as she is eating, because she'll get liquid that way. As long as your DS keeps having wet dipes, even if they are not as wet as usual, you are probably ok.

[weech]

DS did this the first few months with straw cups, too. It took him a while to learn to regulate how much liquid to take from the straw and then to swallow it instead of spit it out (or just let it flood out of his mouth). In our experience, it was more about when DS was ready to do it than actually having to "teach" him anything.

[candaceb]

we had a little bit of a breakthrough yesterday. I made a "smoothie" with yogurt, fruit puree and some formula. It was thick enough that it didn't fall out of his mouth as easily as water. I'm hoping if we do the smoothies for a couple of days, he'll get the hang of it and we can transition to water and formula.

[marymoo86]

Has anyone tried the playtex straw trainer?

[TwoBees]

Has anyone tried the playtex straw trainer?

This (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10828398) one? We use it and like it a lot. Here's more info about it that I posted in another thread:


We use both the Take&Toss straw cups and the Playtex learner straw cups. DD likes them both. Here's my take:

T&T: Great cups, inexpensive, easy to fill and easy to clean. The only problem with these is that they are not leakproof. If turned upside down or shaken, liquid will come out of the straw and the straw-hole. Occasionally the lid will pop off if thrown hard enough. The plastic is sturdy but thin enough that you can squeeze the cup to push liquid up the straw and teach your child how to drink. No travel cover.

Playtex: These are more spillproof than the T&T, but will still leak some if turned upside down and shaken. I like that they have handles, even though DD doesn't need those anymore. The top of the straw is a nice soft silicone. Easy to clean but not as easy as the T&T. The lids fit other playtex bases and vice versa. The straw closes into the lid, great for travel. However, the pressure in the cup tends to rise over time and the liquid is pushed up the straw and spills out of the straw making a mess. Also, sometimes liquid "flips" out of the straw when the lid is opened. I find these are best for single use (ie, not storing the filled cup in the fridge and using multiple times during the day but instead washing after each use because of the straw leaking issue), travel, and daycare (where cups tend to end up on the floor more often). More expensive than the T&T, but not very expensive (about $6 each, IIRC).


http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=399222