When Matthew was 8 months old, my husband and I had to leave him to a friend to see a holiday concert for the evening. When we picked him up, the friend reported that he was extremely interested in their child’s Playtex sippy cup. At the time, Matthew was
still using Avent baby bottles for milk. Occasionally I gave him Avent Magic Cup for water but he was never enthusiastic about it. I thought I would take advantage of his interest and bought Playtex Stage 3 cups the next day. I chose Stage 3 as a starting point because the friend was using the same, and her child is only 4 months older than Matthew.
I handed Matthew the colorful cup and his eyes lighted up with excitement. He placed it in his mouth though I had to tilt it for him. Some liquid dribbled on his chin and he coughed. After a couple of days of the same thing, I went back to the store and picked up Stage 2 Playtex cups. This one worked better than the previous, but some liquid still dribbled out. Considering this is the first time Matthew used a cup, this was a great success. I gave him juice and water in the sippy cup, but baby bottle for the milk.
After a few days more, the dribbling was still happening. The next time I went to the store, I saw Nuby bottles by Gerber. Because Nuby has a softer silicone nipple-like spout, I thought Matthew may do better with this so I bought a few. Matthew took to the Nuby sippy cups like a pro. No more dribbling and no more coughing and best of all, no more baby bottles!
A month or so passed by and I began to notice a problem with the Nuby. When Matthew took it around the room with him and dropped it on the floor, fuss and dog hairs stick to the nipple. I was constantly having to wipe the Nuby nipple clean. So again, I brought out the Playtex cups. By this time, Matthew did just fine with the Stage 3.
At 13 months, I bought one Playtex Stage 4 cup (this one is with a straw). Again, Matthew was a pro, though it wasn’t going to be regular just yet. He tilted the cup, as he did with the previous ones and left a little bit of a puddle on the floor wherever he went (not to mention he barely got any to drink!).
Now 15 months, Matthew has learned that cups with straws are never to be tilted. He is actually showing interest in using grown up cups. During baths, he plays with a couple of cups I have for him to play with and puts it against his mouth. I have not taken advantage of this interest just yet, but I will one of these days.
Some babies will show signs when they are ready for something new. It’s up to us to read these cues in order to encourage our children’s curiosity and use them to our advantage. But if they don’t show signs, it will not hurt them if we show them something new and see how they respond. If they don’t respond favorably, then put things away and try another day.
Some info on the cups I’ve used:
Playtex cups http://www.playtexbaby.com/cupsandmealtime/products/stage2.asp
They are inexpensive! The spouts are hard plastic and use a no-leak valve. You’ll have to remove them and wedge it (there‘s a specific place) under the lid when washing in the dishwasher. But the valve comes of and you may have to dig around under the dishwasher to find it. I've noticed that when Matthew use this he has to open his mouth to ease the pressure that builds up every so often. There are 3 pieces if you disassemble it to clean.
Avent Magic Cup http://www.avent.com/uk/en/toddlerfeeding_magic_cup.php
If you’ve used Avent baby bottles, you’ll already know that Avent products are pricey. Taking this cup apart to clean it can be a hassle. There are 5 pieces if you take it apart (6 if you use the handle).
Nuby http://www.nuby.nl/en/frameset.htm
This is also inexpensive. The spout is a soft silicone. The nipple will break if the child chews on this frequently. Matthew can continuously suck on this with no pressure build up problem. There are 3 pieces when taken apart to clean.
Munchkin Dishwasher Basket http://babyproducts.about.com/od/feedingdrinks/gr/munchkin_basket.htm
To make washing sippy cups easier, consider using a Munchkin Dishwasher Basket . Place all the sippy cup parts here and never hunt for the lost parts again at the bottom of the dishwasher. This is also great for straws, as there are specific places for them on the sides.
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(July 2006) (
