Transitioning your baby from bottle to sippy cup is the best option to wean it off the baby bottle. Some babies happily accept their first transition to sippy cup, while others don’t like the change.
This will help your baby learn that the bottle or the breast is not the only source of liquid. Your kiddo will then move to open-top cups, and transitioning will continue like this.
But if your little one is bottle-loving kiddo, no need to panic. Instead, prepare the transitioning with easy to use cup while waiting for the right time. Remember, good-bye is never easy, so don’t force the transition.
In this article, we’ll guide you with choosing the best cup for your baby and the tips to swap quickly.
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When should I introduce a sippy cup to my baby?
Most parents ask about when should I introduce a sippy cup to my baby? Introducing the sippy cup to your baby is advantageous for the baby for many reasons.
Several health issues like tooth decay, obesity, misaligned teeth, ear infections, and poor nutrition, etc., are linked to prolonged bottle usage.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should stop suckling the bottles at about 12-18 months. Some 9-12 months old babies are naturally fed up with bottle-feeding and are easier to wean off the bottles.
Pediatricians recommend that at the age of 12 months, babies should stop bottle feeding. After 15 months of age, completely abandon the usage of bottles. According to recent studies, the ideal age to transition the baby from bottles to sippy cups is nine months.
Different types of sippy cups
Are you looking for the different types of sippy cups for your baby to help the transition? Keep reading to know the best sippy cups as they are easy to clean, chemical-free, and spill-proof. Sippy cups are of four different types:
- Flat lid (also called 360s)
- Straw
- Hard spout
- Soft spout
How to Transition Your Baby from Bottle to Sippy Cup?
Are you looking for the ways of how to transition your baby from bottle to sippy cup? Training to transition your baby needs trial and error to get the desired outcomes. To make your effort of transitioning fruitful, follow the following tips:
- Start with placing an empty cup near your baby while drinking milk. The baby will think of it as a toy and let her handle it. This trick will help her to be familiar with it and will accept it at mealtime.
- Offer the sippy cup to your kid without expecting that she will drink from it readily. The kid may throw it on the floor at first, but eventually, you will succeed in training your baby.
- Fill the sippy cup with formula or your breast milk in a small amount. Show your kiddo how to handle it and to take the first sip. Let her lips get wet with some drops.
- Keep one feeding per day and gradually increase the number of feedings per day.
- Don’t forget to make this transition fun. Show your kid that you are excited about the new sippy cup, making them think that change is not a scary thing. Once the transition is completed, celebrate this achievement.
What are the Best sippy cups?
Here are our top picks from the market. Read and decide what are the best sippy cups for your baby.
- Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup
The flat lid of the Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer cup without spout allows your kid to suck the liquid from all sides of the lid. It can help your baby develop mouth muscles and automatically shut the lid once your kiddo is finished drinking.
- The First Years Take & Toss Spill-Proof Sippy Cups
If you want budget-friendly and also excellent functionality, The First Years Take & Toss Spill-Proof Sippy Cups are for you. They have a spill-proof lid, BFA-free material, space-saving design and are available in translucent colors.
- NUK Learner Sippy Cup
Soft spout having NUK Learner sippy cups have impressive features. The soft spout is gentle for the sensitive gums of your baby. They are BPA-free, spill-proof, and have easy-grip handles.
- Munchkin LATCH Transition Cup
A variety of colors are available for the Munchkin LATCH Transition Cup ( 4 ounces capacity). They have anti-colic valves for gas reduction, BFA-free, soft silicone spout, and removable handles.
- Tommee Tippee First Sips Soft Transition Cup
Spill-proof Tommee Tippee First Sips Soft Transition Cups are gentle on gums due to their soft spout. They are the best choice for the first sips of your baby. The material is BPA-free and suitable for high temperatures like steam sterilizing.
- DOIDY Cup
To train your infant during weaning, the DOIDY cup helps to learn to drink from a rim or open cup. They have a unique slanted feature suitable for learning and have two handles to support the grip. They are specially designed to train infants of 3 months.
- Nuby No-Spill Cup with Flex Straw
Nuby No-Spill Cup (9.92 ounces capacity) is available in 3 pieces and has a flex straw. They provide the following valuable features to be the best among others:
- Spill-proof, so no mess!
- BPA free
- Soft silicone straw
- Easy to clean
- Philips Avent Natural Trainer Sippy Cup
Philips Avent Natural Trainer Sippy Cup is the solid solution for transitioning your four months’ kiddo. They have a protective cap, soft silicone spout, and a fast flow bottle nipple. The material is BPA-free and can be washed in the dishwasher.
What should you do if your baby refuses a sippy cup?
What should you do if your baby refuses a sippy cup one day, then keep it away from the child for that day. It means that they are fed up with these cups and want their bottles back.
To avoid this refusal being prolonged, don’t force your little one to have it. But if the baby is resistant to it for more than a month and even at the age of 2, you need to talk to your Pediatrician. They may help you in this regard or recommend other experts who can.
To your knowledge, sippy cups are unnecessary, and you can continue the transition by directly using the open cup, which is the ultimate goal.
Conclusion
You might be afraid of transitioning your baby to the sippy cups from bottles. But in reality, the weaning process can be completed with minimal drama when the time is right. The health hazards I mentioned in the article are enough to motivate Mama to initiate the transition process.