Sippy Cups and Pacifier

I used really small open cups. I had some tupperware cups that were actually toys, but they were the best things for small hands. They only hold about 2 oz. and I'd give him one ounce at a time. It really did work. I gave it to him at meal times when he was able to hold it, and then we just worked up to bigger cups more often.

When those cups were ruined (they are so small, they fell into the garbage disposal on occasion--LOL) I used the midgets from Tupperware. They are about the same size.

As far as good training cups I got my son ones with the rubber tops so he still felt like it was a bottle but it wasn't. I think they even have cups called transitional ones that are made for transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup. I think they are made by gerber.

I got my son onto a regular cup just a couple of months ago (he's two in two weeks) by not offering the sippy anymore. Just cut it out completely. I tried that when he was about 18 months, though, and I really don't think he was ready. I would keep offering drinks that he really wants in a regular cup at meals (milk v. water, for example, I wouldn't start giving juice just to get him to drink out of a cup since it is so bad for them), and then maybe gradually phase out the sippy. Or try letting him drink out of wide mouth water bottles, like gatorade bottles (rinsed and filled with water). My son really liked that.

As for the paci, we took it away one day, and we had a few days of crying a little when we put him down (more like complaining, really), and that was it. Some people start by removing it after they fall asleep (if he doesn't spit it out already), limiting it to sleep times, only, etc. Why don't you look into some of the gradual removal threads at www.babywhisperer.com. They are really helpful.

I have a daughter that had problems with swallowing when she was younger, and we were told the same thing about sippy cups. She couldn't handle straws very well either, she would always suck in more than she could swallow and it would all come right back out. We just had to practice a lot with small cups and a small amount of liquid. It was a messy process and took quite a while but eventually she did learn. It just took her a little longer to develop the muscles.

Some of the things that I remember that were suggested by a physical therapist and that we tried were muscle exercises for her mouth. Blowing exercises like on a pinwheel, or blowing bubbles, or even through a straw onto a piece of paper with a little bit of paint on it. They think it is just having fun or doing "a project".

There are some other things that I can't remember right now, but I got advice from Parents as Teachers, too. If you can talk with them, they should be able to give you some more suggestions as well.

I know how frustrating it can be. Good Luck to you and your little boy!

I find the "feeding therapist's" advice really odd. The swallow reflex develops in the first months of infancy. I would venture a guess that most 17 month olds are still using sippy cups. Usually kids can drink out of a cup with someone holding it but I would think, and I'm not a feeding expert, that might cause the aspiration more since the drink flow isn't as restricted with an open cup as with a sippy cup.

Here are some developmental statistics from the WIC website...
Drinks from sippy cup without help - 42 percent of 7- to 8-month-old infants, 70 percent of 9- to 11-month-old infants, 91 percent of 12- to 14-month-old infants, and 96 percent of 15-to 18-month-old infants demonstrated this skill.

• Drinks from a regular cup without help - 10 percent of 9- to 11-month-old infants, 14 percent of 12- to 14-month-old infants, and 34 percent of 15- to 18-month-old infants demonstrated this skill.

I think the straw cups sound like a good compromise.

I have a 15 month old who loves using a straw. He did, however, go straight from breast to straw (the whole sucking thing was a natural transition), and then to the sippy cup (tipping to drink was then new part). Don't be fooled by the "spill-proof" cups with built-in straw - the soft straw and built in design are great, but so far, every one I've tried leaks to some extent. I still use them, but carefully. I'd suggest you use a straw more often and your son should naturally want to imitate you.

As for the pacifier, begin by restricting him to bedtime only. We started my son on that a couple of months ago and he hasn't missed it. I plan to start restricting his bedtime use as well around 18 months, so we'll see how that goes.

Good luck with all of it.
-Letha

I like Playtex and Nubi (available at Walmart and Babies R Us) straw cups. Good luck!

Tupperware has cups that have lids and are not as easy to spill but yet let the child learn how to drink without sucking like sippy cups. My daughter had a cleft palate which didn't get repaired until she was almost 18 months old so these worked really well for her. Hope this helps you.

In regards to learning how to use an open cup, I only use open cups for meals, when my daughter is sitting in her high chair. (this is the same tactic I used for my now-5-yr-old.) When I say ONLY, I mean that the only way my daughter drinks when she's sitting in her high chair is with an open cup. I started this when she was a little under a year old. She is only 15 months now, so I still hold the cup for her, but when she gets better coordination, I'll put just a small amount (maybe one sip-worth) in a cup, and let her pick it up and drink out of it. As she gets the hang of it, I'll put more in the cup.

I don't know that there is a good intermediate cup to "train" him with (though I've seen the ones with the soft lid that they have to push with their upper lip). Seems that those cups just add another thing for them to learn (like having to push with their upper lip when drinking). Even if he doesn't get much from the open cup at first, letting him drink from a sippy when he's out of his high chair will let him get all the liquids he needs. When he gets good at it in his high chair, offer him the occasional drink from an open cup when he's walking around (if he resists, you can give him drinks from YOUR cup. Kids love that.) Good luck!

I don't have any advice on the sippy cup but I can offer you some on the pacifier.

So when he wakes up in the morning let him keep it like usual but if it drops out of his mouth then pick it up and put it somewhere where he can't see it. If he wants it or asks for it try to redirect him to something else. As you get down to him not having it as much in the daytime start leaving it in his room and then he only gets it at bedtime and nap time. Work on these areas at a later date.
Hope this helps you W.

It was "hard" for a couple of days, but my daughter gave up her bottle & pacifier at 12 months. We talked about how she is a big girl now and has to give them up. She even threw them away in the garbage. We had a couple of days that were a little harder than normal. The first & second nights without the pacifier (I never gave her a bottle to sleep with) were harder, but I have never been a night person. I am not kidding (your child may take it differently) but she was fine and everything was normal in about three or four days. Use a long weekend when you and your husband can tag team checking on your son. But don't start another "bad habit" like bringing him in bed with you, giving him a drink at night (hard to train overnight drynesss that way), etc. Just tell him he is a big boy and he will be fine. Just go (back)to sleep. Let him know you love him. It is in his best interest and you are doing the right thing, although it may not seem that way.

Dear A.,

I would have to aks the question, Before I remove this cup from does henot throw it on the floor? It all depends on how well he does with his cups. Does he give to you when he is , or does he throw it? How well does he hold it? I think you would like the Nuby sip cups. They look like the sip cups from tupperware, except you don't pay $10 for cups and $10 for lids. The are somewhat spillproof. and are inexpensive. AND a big plus are made in the USA!!! Honestly it really depends on what he is comfortable with. Don't force him or he will start to deny things. Hope this is helpful, Tara

I used juice boxes with the straws and would squeeze some juice into their mouth and that would make it easier for them to learn. Also for the pacifier just cut a little off of it each day and when he realizes it doesn't feel the same ( hopefully ) he won't want it as much. It may be a rough few days but it will be worth it

Hey A.! I don't know if your son knows how to use a straw yet, but if he doesn't, here's how I taught my two: I would put something that they really wanted in a cup. You know, smoothie, yogurt milkshake, etc.. Then, I would put the straw in the cup and plug the top of the straw with my finger. Put the bottom of the straw, with the "stuff" in it, and put it in his mouth. Tilt the straw downward, just a little bit, and loosen your finger on the straw (just a little bit!). When he starts to get the hang of it , tilt the straw down a little more. If he has trouble, tilt the straw upwards a little to make it easier. Soon your little man will be using a straw by himself! Sorry for the lengthy message. Hope it helps!

One thing you might want to try is to remove the valves from the sippy cups. The little holes in the sippy cups would still help the liquid from coming to fast, posing choking issues, but at the same time, the liquid would come freely instead of having to be sucked up. I've tried sucking from those sippy cups, and it is hard work with the valve in!

I second those cups! They are GREAT!

I work with people who have swallowing difficulties and I suggest that you not use straws. When your son uses a straw, he is skipping a step in the normal swallowing process (holding the fluid in the mouth)and this is why the sippy cups and pacifier are blamed. The therapist is probably a speech therapist. I think the only thing you can do for the time being is to keep thickening his fluids (to prevent aspiration)and give him an open cup. Have there been tests done on him to see if all his swallowing apparati are fully developed? I recommend a cup that mimmicks the open cup but has a flexible lip inside. His upper lip will press down on the inner lip of the cup and allows the fluid to flow out. I bought mine at walmart years ago. About the paci, I hope someone has good advise on that because I had to endure the screaming.

You are right...who doesn't use sippy cups?! That is too bad about your son's condition, but hopefully it will get better. Playtex used to make a cup that had a fold away straw built into the lid and was somewhat "spill-proof". They aslo sell those disposable packs now with Mickey Mouse and differnt patterns on them that come with lids and straws. Another option would be the kid cups that you get at restaurants where the lid has a hole in it for a straw. You can wash the cups and lids, and just replace with your own clean straw. I do that quite a bit and let the kids take them outside... no big deal if they get lost or ruined. Can't be tipped upside down though, will definitely spill. The Disney Store also sells lots of cups with lids and straws... could try there too. Good luck!

My husband and I use to buy sippy straw cups at Wal-Mart. They are just like a sippy cup, but they have a straw top. The lid would flip up or down to open or close it. The best part was if they threw it down it would NOT leak. They were spill proof like a sippy cup. Good luck to ya!!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4631093
Here is a link to get an idea what they look like!!

~S.