Transitioning to Sippy cup....HELP

Updated on April 06, 2008
J.B. asks from Buford, GA
31 answers

I have an eleven month old daughter, and I am trying to transition her to a sippy cup. She is NOT interested at all. I have been giving it to her once a day since she was 6 months old trying to get her interested, I have put, water, formula, juice everything that I can think of and she just throws it down. Does anyone have any tips or advice to make this process a little smoother? She now has 4 teeth and I would like to start the transition to table food as well, so any tips or ideas regarding that would be wonderful as well. Thanks!

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So What Happened?

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to try another brand of cup, I guess I just assumed they were all the same! I haven't been able to afford to go and purchase any of the ones mentioned, but I do plan to get a Nuby and some of the disposable ones with my first paycheck! Oh,yeah, she is exclusively on table food now...she just absolutely refuses to eat "baby" food :-) My big girl! I can't believe in just 2 weeks she is going to be a year!!

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M.B.

answers from Peoria on

When my daughter was that age we had just gotten a puppy that had to be house broken and it was pooping all over the place and she would come running in and tell me that the doggie pooped and I had the idea to make all the bottles disappear (if all she has is a cup then that is what she will deal with, if she knows that she there is a bottle then that is what she will throw a fit for.) I pitched them all and told her that the doggie pooped on all her bottles and all we had was this "cup cup" (thats what she calls it) Then I took her to WalMart and let he pick out a few "cup cups" all by herself and she was very happy with it. Only took about 2 days from getting the idea to the bottles being gone FOREVER!!!!!!! Now on to potty training ....AHHHHHHH

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T.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

J. have you tried the nuby sippy cups w/the soft tops they have some that kind of look like bottles but they're not you can get them at wal-mart thats how i did it w/my son cause i tried everything else and he wouldnt have it and they worked for awhile until he got to where he could bite them then i switched him to regular sippy cups and told him thats all he was getting but they do work for the transition well good luck

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S.R.

answers from St. Louis on

Nuby was the magic cup for my youngest daughter. Another cup she liked was a cup that Gerber makes, it has a soft spout and handles on each side. I would diffently try the Nuby first because it more like a bottle and they only cost about $1. Good Luck!

S.

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S.E.

answers from Tulsa on

I agree with keep trying different kinds - and yeah, the soft-top Nuby seems to be a winner (but keep a close eye on it - the spout is easily chewed up). The only other thing I'd add is - involve your daughter in the selection process. She's at an age where "being in control" is just really starting to be a big deal to her. Take her with you to the store, give her a couple of options to choose and let her pick her "new big girl cuppy". Good luck!

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S.O.

answers from Kansas City on

My 2.5 year old hated sippy cups for the longest time. We tried straw ones and did great! There are some that are mostly spill proof that the straw folds down when not in use, they work pretty good! Good Luck!
S.

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S.W.

answers from Lawrence on

with my first, he was not interested in a sippy cup...he went straight to a straw cup...have you tried that?

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T.D.

answers from Springfield on

The best thing I can tell you is to just keep trying to give the sippy cup to her. She will eventually take it. But one thing I did with my 3 girls was I took the bottle away during the day and only gave them the cup then at night right before bed was the only time they got the bottle. If they got thristy enough during the day, they would drink out of the cup.

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C.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I would just take it away. That's what I did with my son who is now 2. They'll cry for a little bit, but then they just realize that it's gone, and they have to use a sippy. I did the same thing with his binky's, and he was upset for about half a day, and then he got over it. Just don't make a big deal out of it, and they won't either. Good Luck!

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J.S.

answers from Springfield on

Have you tried the cups with straws? I know they aren't as spill-proof as sippies, but if you are just wanting her off a bottle, that might be an easier step.
As for table food, just cut it into tiny peices, mash what you can, and give her just a few bites at a time, so there won't be much wasted/thrown.
Good luck!
J.

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I had a horrible time with my son getting him to drink out of a sippy. Walmart carries a brand that is hanging with the nipples..it is a transitional cup, one is nipple like, one is more spout like, he took to this one over several others. When giving up the bottle (accomplished at 13 months) he refused to take milk out of any of his sippy cups, so I tried the take and toss sippy cups and he did great with those. I suggest trying the take and toss sippy cups, they are inexpensive, have no flow control so that they can get a good feel for the sippy. Don't give up, it takes time to find just the right one

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E.R.

answers from St. Louis on

NUBY was the transition cup for us.....
It was a nice inbetween before a hard spout cup. Also...another thing that i did (which may sound mean) is I just up a took away ALL the bottles. I took her off cold turkey. When she asked for milk, I would put it in the Nuby...she would cry, but I wouldn't give in. Eventually she started using it....and has never asked for a bottle since.
Good luck!

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T.T.

answers from Wichita on

Well, I can't wait to see what people say to this, because I'm having the exact same problem with my 10 1/2 month old son. I wish I had some advice for you.

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W.B.

answers from Kansas City on

hi J. on the sippy cup try putting formula or breastmilk which ever you have done and warm it to the same temperature as what you gave it to her in the bottle each day get a little cooler. you'll have her off the bottle within a week. as for table food have you started snack like things such as cheerios, ritz crackers if not start there if so go for the next meal lets say lunch, give her macaroni and cheese on her high chair tray let her touch it and pick it up as shes doing that feed her some from a spoon or fork, before you know it she will eating only table food. move up from there on meals toastor waffles with only butter for breakfast. you can buy a can of green beans and carrots and give her those but do the same thing. hope this helps mom of 4 and child care provider
W.

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E.B.

answers from Topeka on

Hi J.. I have 1 yr old twin girls and I am also trying to transition to a sippy cup. Have you tried different brands of sippy cups? I ask because with my girls, they like different ones. One of my girls likes the NUBBY cup because it has a soft nipple like the bottle. I have also been told by other moms to try the sippy cup that has the silicone straw. That works as well. For my other daughter she lokes the Gerber cup with the handle to drink out of. As far as the table food, my girls like the ravioli. All I do is smash it up. You don't have to make it like jar food because they still can use their gums to chew. Just try different foods. One of my twins if she doesn't like it, she will just spit it back out. A food processer works good to. My friend bought me one for my girls. Hope some of this helps.

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D.P.

answers from Chattanooga on

for a cup try diff ones. my dd is 10 mth sold and i have found the nuby ones to be great with her and the ones you can throw away or reuse, yes they leak but she'll drink them dry! i have a cabinet of sippies that she doesnt like.
for food i give dd cut up bites of stuff plus i give her the puree food i froze earlier this month still and she helps feed herself now and loves to have chunks of food in front of her to eat. i leave a small bowl of cheerios on the coffee table all day for her and by the end of the day they are all gone.

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C.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I used a cup I found at Walgreens and Wal-Mart called NUBY. It has a soft tip similar to a bottle for about a month or so with him. After that he liked the idea of his BIG BOY cup so then using a hard tipped sippy cup was easier and he didn't feel like he was losing anything.

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D.M.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My 22 month old would not take a sippy cup either at that age either. I gave him a juicebox with a straw and he took right to it! When I re-introduced the sippy cup it was no problem. I also have a nephew who was the same way. So you might try it.

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C.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you tried the sippie cups that have a straw? This was one of the first ones my daughter used. We taught her by using a "Honey Bear" container and a piece of refrigerator tubing as the straw. You can squeeze the bottle and it will come through the straw to show her how to use it, then move her to a regular sippie "straw" cup. Otherwise, I am sure you have tried all sorts of cups, soft nipples, plastice, etc. It maybe that she isn't ready yet, don't worry it will come.

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A.H.

answers from St. Louis on

My pediatrician advised me to only give juice in a sippy cup. My son really liked juice and therefore was willing to drink it from anything in order to get it. After that the transition to drinking milk this way was very easy. He was drinking from a cup by the time he was 10 months old. I had to find cups with measurements on the sides to make it easier for formula. (He took himself from my breast at 9 months)

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M.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My son is almost 11 months and still doesn't "get" that he's supposed to suck out of a sippy cup, BUT if I use the kind that just drips right out, he'll take it. He still doesn't know how to hold it himself and tip it into his mouth, but if I do it for him he can drink from it. Hope that's helpful. He'll also drink out of a regular cup, but it's a little more messy and dribbly. So, it may be a while before your daughter is independent with sippy cups, but there may be some other ways you can make sure you're getting fluids in her.

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M.H.

answers from Tulsa on

We have a ton of "Nuby" fans from Wal-Mart and I have to tell ya I AM one of them!!! They work great and I think the cup is key!!!

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S.L.

answers from Tulsa on

Hi my son takes the tippi but if he has the bottle and his tippi to chose from he will chose the bottle. Have you tried diffrent kids of cups. I know they have the bottles that has the tippi lid that is soft in stead of the nipple. As for table food, you can give her mashed potatos, green beans, hot dogs, bread, cookies, carrots. I usually steam or cook the veggies to where they are pretty soft and then put them in a bowl and let him eat it. I only give soft fruit like Banana's. He just turned one and we are only on our second tooth. But I have been giving him green beans for about a month now. He loves them. I have hot dogs cut up really small for the first time last night. Must of liked them I have not seen any around his chair. Oh mac and cheese. That is a good thing to give. Plus they have those dinner things for toddlers in the baby food section. Those are good as well.

I hope I have helped you some. I have 4 kids so I know who frustrating it can be when your baby does not follow your plan..lol

Good Luck!

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M.L.

answers from Rockford on

What I did with my lil guy who is now 2 is I started out with the rubber topped ones that way it felt kinda like a bottle but was a sippy cup.

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J.D.

answers from Oklahoma City on

hi there,,

I used a brand called nubby sippy cups from walmart to get my son on sippy cups.. I would only offer him the sippy cup durning the day and bottle at night until he got use to it.. I would fill it full of his favorite drinks and have him try it slowly the first few days and then after about a week of doing that, that is the only think I would give him was the sippy cup..
same thing with the straws....
As for table food, we started him out on mashed potatos and just gave him small bits of our food at first.. really anything we were having we gave it to him, but made sure it wouldn't be hard for him to eat it....
I hope this helps you out.. smiles

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M.S.

answers from Joplin on

We just told our stubborn little guy that he was a big boy and no more bottles. We put everything in a sippy cup and left a sippy with water in it out all the time. We also let him take lots of drinks out of our "big" cups, so he got to where he would rather do that than anything else. It may be tough at first, but it won't take long before she learns that this is the way it is and that will be the end of it. Best of luck to you.

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T.M.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter hated the "transitional" sippy cups...the smaller kind with handles and soft top..the Avent kind. Then I switched her to the Nubby and she loved it and didn't have a problem and never complained the way she did with the other "transitional" ones. And my daughter liked the fact she could "hold" onto it and hold it closer to her.
Don't give up and keep offering it up and one of these days she will pick it up and drink. ;o)

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K.T.

answers from Chicago on

I have an 11 month old son that within the past week started drinking out of a sippy cup. I too tried everything. Not sure why he finally started to drink from it. I would continue to offer it to her. That is what I did with my son and like I said, he finally took it. As for table food, try Gerber (or Walmart brand) fruit puffs. They dissolve in the mouth so it makes it easier for them to "chew". Have you tried any table food yet? Just take it slow and experiment. Always pay attention when you introduce something new. My son didn't seem to chew much at first so I was afraid to give him anything to hard. Now he has learned that he can use his teeth/gums but he hasn't learned to bite off pieces yet. I've tried biter biscuits and zwieback toast but he tends to bite off big chunks. It scares me to death so I don't use those anymore. Just take your time and take her cues. Good luck and I hope I said something that might help.

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J.G.

answers from Topeka on

Just put a juice/water mix in the cup and put it on the floor for her to play with. Eventually she should examine and try it. I did that for like a week or two before my son started to understand, but it was always there so he could do it when he wanted and didn't feel pushed to do it.
Good Luck
J.

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K.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I found my son hated the sippy cups with the spill proof valve in them. He would only the take-n-toss from Wal-Mart or the tupperware sippy cups.

It may take a few different types of cups to see what she likes.

Sorry I don't have much advice on the table food, my little guy already had 5 teeth by the age of 6 months and hated baby food and he loved regular food.

I would just suggest starting of small with small pieces of soft fruits, soft veggies. Meats can be a bit hard for them to chew so cut it up well and mix it in with some veggies.

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J.P.

answers from St. Louis on

J.,
We had to try out like 5 different kinds of cups before finding "THE" kind that he would like!
Maybe try a different type of cup?
Good luck!!
J.

P.S. - he loved the Nuby cups from Wal-Mart as a transition. They're the most like a bottle. Then once he was used to those he was open to using other types.

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J.O.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had the same issue with Jessi and I ask the doctor and she said that really is ok if they dont use it. You can prevent tooth decay and a simple cup can improve speach,and also you could try a straw my daughter loves it! I can make her drink anything. Sometimes you cant force things on them.... I even bought the super cool sippy cups and all diferent kinds and NOTHING.
I hope this helps

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