Babies (and parents) have a steep learning curve in the first few years in nearly every category, drinking included. Breastfeeding is best, no doubt, but even being the most 'natural' way of feeding your baby, that, too, requires a process of learning, practicing, and getting used to before it actually feels 'natural'.
The funny thing about the learning curve, it seems, like with drinking, once the child gets used to one means or method— ie. the routine is mastered— it's time to move onto the next... challenge. Good news is, the more times the child overcome a 'challenge', or stage of development, the quicker they learn and are able to adjust next time around.
Like most (if not all) topics in parenting, there is no one or right way of transitioning your child off the bottle and onto a sippy cup. The process starts around 12 to 16 months old.
To transition, some parents might just do it cold turkey. One day, they'll just take the bottle away and only offer a sippy cup. The child might refuse for a day or two but will quickly take to the sippy cup because, really, there is no other choice. It'll be a rough few days for both parties but, once passed, the tides will calm again.
Alternatively, some parents might do it gradually— perhaps provide the sippy cup only at a certain mealtime(s) and not the bottle; or perhaps offer the sippy cup at every meal and resort to the bottle if needed.
A few things to remember in either case is...
- Look for signs that the child is ready. Biting through the nipple is one example. Seeing like-age kids use sippy cups is another.
- Keep offering the sippy cup even if you 'know' your baby will likely refuse. Like introducing new foods, which sometimes might take 15-20 times (or more!) of offerings before the child will eat and maybe even like the new food, it might take a while and definitely requires repetition and persistence, not to mention patience.
- Remember: There is no right or wrong time/way to transition your child off the bottle. Weaning your baby off the bottle is the same as weaning him/her off the breast— it should depend on both you and your child.
Below is
piecesofm's second episode of the mini-series
From Baby Bottles To Sippy Cups, where she reviews the very first sippy cup she tried post-baby-bottle— the Nuby Sippy Cup. Have you tried it? What did you think? Or, will you try it? Share your thoughts and experiences below, we'd love to hear! :>
Enjoy and thanks for watching!
Happy Healthy Juicy Transitioning To Sippy Cups!
I swam throughout my second and first portion of my third trimester, so Baby is no stranger to the pool. Outside the womb, I first brought my daughter swimming when she was nine months old— at an age where she could sit up by herself, started crawling, and was walking quite well while holding her two hands.