Sippie Cup Use

My daughter is almost 10 months and we reuse it through out the day. I personally think there is no harm. I just look at it like this- If I have something to drink and I don't finish it for whatever reason some times it goes back in the fridge and I get it out later. I'm fine. :)

I always discarded mine. Recently I saw a report on refilling water bottles. So much nasty bacteria grows in there. I think the same thing could posibly happen with kids sippy cups.

i have two boys 18, and 5 both happy and healthy. both have drank from a sippy cup hours old in the fridge. i wouldn't so much for the 7 mnth old, but after a year it get's much more lax.

have fun, be happy and i pray you still remember the love with your husband when your 50

I would say with Juice I would put it back in the fridge all the time. But with Milk I wouldnt reuse it unless its been less than 30 min bc bacteria can grow FAST in milk products. Also with the baby food its the bacteria from the baby's mouth that will start to grow and can cause sickness, maybe not today but its not good practice. I have always used a different container. You can put a little bit in the bowl at a time and if she/he doesnt finish it then you know that you arent waisting an entire jar. Remember this is just my way of doing things. You as a Mommy need to use your ownd judgement. Best of Luck
S.

My kids have one cup they use all day, just like I do! I rinse it when they change what they are drinking, or if it's been laying around for a while.

We can go too far with germ control, you know! Be reasonable but don't drive yourself crazy!

L.

I think it's a preference thing. If I had extra baby food, I put it in the fridge for up to a day (when it was used again). However, I had read somewhere that it could be stored open for up to three days. The same went with juice and/or milk. My girls, when that age, were huge sippers, so they would take a drink or two and then get some a little while later. So, there was always a sippy cup in our fridge. If you're not comfortable with that, then just put a little bit in the sippy cup and refill it if she wants more right away.

My 12 mo. old daughter doesn't drink much at one time, and i usually use one water cup and one milk cup all day and start with a fresh cup in the morning. we try to always put the milk in the fridge when she's not really drinking. as she has gotten older, i also started refrigerating baby food if she didn't eat it all, and make sure to use it by the next day. i think by now their immune systems can handle more. my sister does the same with her boys bottles...after all, formula is expensive, why waste it! one suggestion, always take the valves out of sippy cups when washing. i thought everyone did this, but i had a friend to doesn't and i know that milk/juice or whatever does stay between the valve and the sipping part of the lid! yuck.

I've done that many times, though its usually with soy milk, and haven't had any issues. One thing that might help is to rinse off the lid and valves first. But as long as it isn't sitting out all morning or something like that you should be fine!

Do you put your cup back in the refrigerator every time you are done drinking out of it for a few mins? There's no reason then to do it to your daughter's. There's nothing wrong of course with putting it in the fridge, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Paridoxially, worrying too much about bacteria making your child sick, can inadvertantly make your child sick. Overuse of antibacterial products has caused mutation in many illness causing bacteria, making them harder to treat, and because children are not being exposed to some bacteria in small amounts so that thier bodies can build anti-bodies prior to serious exposure - they become much sicker than they might otherwise. Their bodies have to start from scratch against a large infection instead of being able to rely on previously created "tools" to fight it. There was truth to the old mothers' saying that kids should eat a tablespoon of dirt each year. Of course I'm sure they meant collectively, not literally.. :)

I've always left my kids' cups out all day (provided they are not drinking milk, and all 6 are perfectly healthy. "They" also say that kids should have fluids available all day, and if you know anything about a busy-discovering toddler, once they get playing they're not likely to think about that sippy cup again (and your daughter of course is too young to ask). So leaving the cup out where she can see it has other benefits as well. Besides, you can rest even easier that it is harder for "backwash" to get into a sippy cup due to the valve than regular cups.

As far as leftovers, I have to agree with other posters that as long as the babyfood jar is returned to the refrigerator in a reasonable amount of time, there's nothing wrong with leftovers either.

Is your daughter 12 or 7 months or do you have 2 daughters 12 and 7 months?

I am not a medical expert, but I would definitely put the juice back in the refrigerator if it hasn't been out for longer than 5 - 10 minutes. However, use your discretion and motherly instinct. Since you are questioning it, then I would say to discard it. Do what you think is best for your daughter.

I would use it again within a few hours, but no more. The reason they say not to reuse baby food is if the child has eaten out of the container the bacteria from their mouth could be in the food and begin multiplying. So, I always served the food in a different bowl so that I could save the food for later in the day. I would suggest the same for sippies - give less so it's not an issue. If a sippie cup is working as it should, fluid only moves one direction (out), so saliva should not be in the cup....but I know it doesn't work this way.

Use your judgement, though.

We use the same cups all day, some juice(usually watered down), another a water bottle. They go in and out of the fridge, then discarded at the end of the day if any left. This does not include the ones you find face down in the couch or on the floor next to the dog - they go straight in the sink!

It doesn't hurt to put it in the fridge for later use. It also doesn't hurt to put baby food in the fridge. YOU eat leftovers, don't you? As long as the items haven't been sitting out longer than the mealtime they should be fine. I always used the leftover baby food and juice cups...my kids are still alive (ha-ha) they are 25,27 and 30.

I think it is all right. As long as you put it in the fridge. I mix my juice with water. I don't have that problem because my daughter chugs it down. To be on the safe side next time fill it with less liquid then if she wants more than you can give her some more.

My daughter uses the same cup all day long. I don't give her juice, so she only has water. I just wash it out at the end of the day. A little dirt never hurt. ;-)

Yes you can reuse it.

Hi K.!

What if you had a lid that was specifically for refrigeration of the leftover drink?

I'm just curious, have you heard about problems associated with giving children juice?

I'm excited for you that you get to be a SAHM to treasore this time with you daughter! That is so valuable.

M.

With juice I let him have his sippy cup out for at least an hour and I rinse and refill it throughout the day. With juice I have never had a problem. I don't let milk sit out for that long so it goes back in the fridge if he isn't drinking it and sometimes I give it back to him the next day even. Never a problem here.

I use the same cup all day..

fill it up for breakfast, my duaghter drinks some and then I put it away.. refill it for lunch..put it away.. refill it for dinner..

each meal it is only out of the fridge for less than 30 minutes..

I do it all the time for my 15 month old for juice, milk, water. My sister, whom has 4 kids, does it all the time too. I've never heard that there is a problem with it and I have never had a problem.

K.,
I keep my sons sippy cup in the fridge too. Although we don't use the cups with the flow control so if he has been drinking it while eating I always check for floaters and if there are any I just pitch it.

I don't give my kids juice (personally I think its nothing but sugar water) just milk and water. Sippy cups with milk in them that are still good we save for later. I do leave a sippy cup with just water out all day and available to him so he can take a sip whenver he's thirsty. When its empty he will bring it to me to be refilled and I will rinse it out good before putting more water in it. Hope this helps.

Not sure if there is a rule about this...but I do it all the time with my daughter. It would be the same if we took a drink out of a water bottle or cup of juice and put it back in the fridge.

I am sure that you will hear from "experts" that you shouldn't do this, but I have been doing it since the kids started using sippy cups. My kids don't get sick very often at all so I tend to think that it's fine if you don't let the drink get warm in the first place.