Help! My 16 month old son refuses to drink milk from a sippy cup. I have tried several different types. I want to start giving up the bottles but he will only drink his milk from the bottles and I'm worried he won't get enough. Any advice?
N.,
My son was the same way with every cup except the Nubby - its got a softer more nipple like top. He refused the hard plastic ones. I hope this helps! good luck!
A. Haddigan
www.BabysitEase.com
Have you tried a regular cup at all? My kids are in a montessori daycare, and they started on regular cups (no sippies) at 16 mos. Both times I was extremely suspicious of how well they would do, but they have suprised me, and both have done very well. Even my DD, who doesn't have very good eye-hand coordination, has done well. Now at 19 mos she pretty much uses a regular cup all the time, unless we are in a car or something.
I started by just filling the cup up with a sip or two of milk at a time, so if they did spill it, it wasn't a big deal. As they drank, I added more. As they got the grasp of it, we worked our way up to more liquids. It's rather high-maintenance to do it that way, but it worked well.
I also recommend the straw cups, although sometimes it takes awhile for them to figure out how to use them. I found starting with a juice box, where I could squeeze the liquid into their mouths first, worked well to help them understand the concept of the straw.
GL!
Is it very important for you to have him give up the bottle now? I'm only asking b/c my son (who is now 2.5) was the same way. I had made attempts to wean him from the bottle and finally just gave up. He would only drink milk from a bottle however eventually would drink water and juice from the sippy cups. So, I let him keep his bottle. With time he started taking milk during the day from cups.. but not at night. And now he's finally given up the bottle on his own - no pressure from me. Every once in a while he'll still ask for it and I have no problems giving it to him b/c I know most of the time he'll opt for the cup. Slowly I weaned him off the bedtime bottle.. give him a sippy cup an hour or so before bed, while he plays/we read, etc. They do make those sport bottle type cups..that kinda look like bottles.. I initially tried that as a switch. It didn't work. NOW it works...and likely was what got him off the bottle on his own.
If its no big deal to you, give him some time to do it on his own. But if you are wanting him off the bottle.. try out various sippy bottles (not necessarily cups) and see what works. Yes..it can get expensive. You should see our collection of cups!! But now we are actually using them.. so. Does he drink other things from the cups?
N.,
Have you tried the sippy cups with straws (very soft ones). Both of my sons went straight to straw cups and never used regular sippy cups. You could also try a regular cup (non-sippy). He is a little young but he might be able to drink just fine from a regular cup. My younger son starting drinking out of a regular cup at about 18 or 20 months. The best advice: just keep offering it. My younger son refused all cups at around a year old but then finally started drinking out of the straw sippy cups after about two months or so. I hope this helps.
