Stacking cups - why are they so important??

[bobsmum]

Ok - ds is just 14 months. He's coming on really well with his speech and also using baby signing. He seems to be very observant and very capable in most areas (shape sorting toys are now mastered, following simple instructions etc). But he will not stack cups!

The only reason I ask is that every book/magazine/web site which bangs on about milestones (must speak Swahili by 3 weeks etc) always mention stacking X amount of cups by a certain age. Ds will only knock them down. Why are stacking cups of all things seen as such a yardstick for development. Do they demonstrate something really significant? If so, is it a problem that ds won't stack cups?

I don't think he's shown any developmental problems. I'm just really curious as to what piling stuff on top of things is meant to indicate. Any ideas?? Should I start worrying?

Hi bobsmum,

I don't have an answer for you, actually, but was peeking to see what other people had answered, and saw that you're doing baby signing. Did you take a class, or how are you going about that? How long have you been doing it? It's something I'm very interested in (in addition to learning about the importance of stacking cups)....

its to do with hand eye co-ordination. dd1 hardly ever built towers or stacked cups, but dd2 will stack anything. some kids just wont build towers. i qouldnt worry too much about it, but if it does bother u then speak to your hv. i dont think they check this 'stacking' thing till 2 yer check anyway.

my dd never stacked anything. just didn't float her boat. she is now 5.5 and seemingly perfectly well developed! she would offer you endless cups of tea out of them though....

I thought stacking was around 17 months. . . . I wouldn't worry, bobsmum.

Neither of mine stacked them either, prefering to slot them altogether. However they always enjoyed bricks and megablocks at that age so maybe you could try them?

I agree about mega blocks
ds does not like stacking cup things but mega blocks and stickle bricks..well..he just loves that!

Maomao - I originally bought a Baby signing book by Joseph Garcia (you can get it Amazon) which is a good starting point but based on American Sign Language which is a little complex for baby hands IMO. I started using basic signs (eat, drink, more, finished) with ds from 7 months. Most babies are able to start using the signs from between 10-14 months. Ds has been using a handful from about 9/10 months.

Ds and I then went to a 10 week "course" run by Sing and Sign. It was a baby music group with simple signs incorporated into the songs. Ds loved it. The site is here . There's a DVD/video too which is really good and has all the signs on it. Sing and Sign is Makaton and BSL based and always used with speech - never in silence.

Mail me if you want to know anymore or we could start a separate thread hth

Back to the stacking cups!!

Bobsmum .... I didn't know that stacking cups were important and so we never had them ... ooops ... in fact I didn't bother that much with trying to get DS to stack anything ... I just let him do his own thing ... he liked megablocks at that age and loved knocking down any towers that I built for him ...
He is going to be 4 in 1 1/2 weeks time and there is nothing wrong with his development at all ... he had a developmental check up 6 months ago and passed everything ... I think if he can sort shapes then he is OK ....
I wouldn't worry about your DS if I were you ...

your ds is most probably a bit young for towers with stacking cups. But they are brill because:

1. they are cheap

2. they are multi purpose, in and out, water play, pretend play, colours, counting and the dreaded towers

3. mine like eating food out of them!

4. and drinking

5. will shut up now

I love stacking cups

Yeah, but there's always one missing...and then they don't stack properly....and it's really stressful...and by the time you've found it...there's another one missing...it's a vicious circle.

My ds2's favourite game is "bash my big brother with the heaviest toy I can find." Don't know what that says about his development.

...then you have to buy another set....then another....and another...

Ghosty - my stacking cups were $2 at (strangely enough) the $2 shop. There is no excuse with the next Ghostlet.

Stacking cups are a fab toy that seem to amuse little ones of all ages in some way. I dont think you should worry about stacking at 14 months - we really must stop putting pressure on ourselves from ready recommended ages for things - kids are not machines and I'm sure there are perfectly developed youngsters who dont always feel like stacking!!

Oh mine never stcked... but stil use them in the bath - ds1 is now 5....

Ds is 2 and only really just started wanting to stack things recently - can now build quite big towers out of blocks! At 14 mths, he was more into those little pyramid ring things, where you slot them onto a pole. If your DS can do those shape sorter puzzles he sounds quite advanced to me!

One thing DS did like at that age was something we got from NZ - they are little spheres with a hole and some "spikes" coming out of them - you stick them together - I was amazed that DS could do it, but he can build quite big towers with thse.

Thanks everyone Definitely wasn't expecting ds to be able to construct a miniature Eiffel Tower at this age. I just was thinking back to one of those evil emails I seem to get continuously. You know the "What your child prodigy should have achieved by last week" type. One of them said that at 9 months, he should be able to stack 3 blocks...must unsubscribe!

Ds loves his stacking cups at the mo; he puts one in his mouth covering his nose, puts his hands in the air and grins while proclaiming a very muffled "DAAAH!!" Now why is that not on the milestone lists?