How do I get my baby to drink from a beaker?

[LizC]

I want to get my baby used to drinking from a beaker with her meals now she's over 6 months old but am confused about which type of beaker to use and how to do it. I tried putting her lunchtime milk in a tomy tippee beaker yesterday (after she'd had her solids, so not a time when she was desperate for the milk) and it was a disaster. The milk all poured into her mouth, which, obviously, she's not used to, and dribbled out again. She just ended up crying and refusing to have the beaker in her mouth again, so I gave up and put the milk back in a bottle. I want to cut out one milk feed now and give her water with her meals, but she currently won't drink water, and knowing I might have to resort to juice, I need her to accept a beaker (I know you shouldn't give juice from a bottle). I've also got a Boots trainer beaker, which has a smaller spout, so might try that today, and I've got a smiley anyway up beaker too (one which says it has a new improved easy flow valve). I've been told not to use an anyway up cup first though, as it's too hard for them, but when she's used to sucking to get liquid, rather than having it poured into her mouth, it seems to me it might be easier? I wondered what experiences other people had with introducing beakers and which ones worked best?

Speaking as someone who bought about ten cups and despaired that my ds would ever drink from any of them, the best advice I can give is relax and go with the flow as far as cups are concerned. My ds had gastroenteritis at six months which convinced us of the benefit of him drinking fluid other than milk, but he drank water and well diluted apple juice from a bottle until he was about ten months when suddenly the cup thing seemed to "click" with him - basically we offered him a cup every day, but didn't get stressed about it if he didn't take it; some days he did, some he didn't. Now, he has no problem with a cup, although morning and night milk are still in a bottle.

I did have lots of moments when I envisioned him still clutching a bottle at primary school, but tried to chill about it and it has worked out ok.

HTH

My dds got on best with the Heinz Baby Basics beakers and also the Boots trainer beaker from 4 months (very slow flow). Dd2 hates the Tomy Tippee cups, but dd1 loved them. I think it does really take quite a while for them to get used to cups. Agree with Zoe, just keep trying and one day it will happen.

Lizc my ds is 7 months old and I am going through the same thing. I recently camre across a very old fashioned book in the "nanny knows best " series by someone called nanny Smith. It is charming and old fashioned in its vocabulary but surprisingly up to date with its advice ( suggests exclusive bf till age 6)
On this very subject she claims babies are perfectly capable of sipping from a normal cup with no lid or fancy spout.(obviously you have to hold the cup for the baby)This apealed to me as I do think the baby products manufacturers really cash in on all our odd notions about what kids need. I tried it with my ds and after a few mouthfulls dribbling down the front of his bib he has got the hang of it and kind of "laps" up the water. Obviously when he is older and allowed to take a drink from his own cup I'll give him a cup with a spout, but that is more for the sake of the carpet than for his benefit.

I did the same as Jasper and used a plain cup to start with - an egg cup is ideal. Some people on Mumsnet have recomended a 'Doidy Cup or Beaker'- a search on here would bring up the relevant thread. Or you could try an Avent soft spout with a bottle, which is a sort of half-way house between a teat and a spout.

I agree with the others in that you will need to try a variety of beakers, I found the Heinz ones worked the best. My DS can use a 'proper' mug as well but I am too fussy about my floors!

I went 'cold turkey' and only offered beakers, I think it is too confusing for a child to have some drinks from beakers and some from a bottle.
Good luck.

Thanks v. much for all the advice - glad it's pretty normal to have these problems. I've now tried all 3 types of beaker I have and she absolutely refuses to drink from any of them. I have heard of the Avent soft spout, so maybe I'll look for that and/or the Heinz beaker. Like Zoe, my dd has just had gastroenteritis, so I am concerned about getting enough fluids into her (at the time I just had to feed her rehydration salts in her normal bottles, which she did get used to). I'll keep persevering though and hopefully we'll get there in the end!

The Avent soft spout requires a small amount of sucking but dd aged 13 months has been using it successfully for about 4 months, although only recently to any great extent.

We found the Anyway Up great especially for travelling and ds is still happy to use it aged 4 1/2. He only started to use one at 15 months when we went on holiday and it was a choice between that or nothing to drink. About then he also started to use a straw for a juice box. His milk was still in Avent bottle with the previous spout design and we have yet to move dd to a spout for milk so cannot comment on how well it works for that. But I would say that the new Avent spout is more difficult to clean out thoroughly and I worry about getting dried milk left in it.

I would n't be in too much of a hurry as the beaker thing is an acquired skill. When our dd needed rehydration fluid at 7 months we gave it in a bottle as it was also time for comforting. We still give her milk in a bottle and water in a cup, she often chooses the latter especially during the day.

Keep persisting gently but I think you may find that it takes a little while for your dd to take her milk from one.

LizS

Jasper, nanny Smith recommends exclusive b/f until age 6!!!!!!! Could anyone's boobs cope!

Whoops! well spotted Demented. That's what you get for posting in the middle of the night.

Just to reiterate that getting used to the cup does take time. I wouldn't feel you need to 'resort to juice' if you don't want to, if she is thirsty she will get used to water. Ds started using a cup from about 5 months but doesn't ever drink large quantities - I just plugged away wih him taking the occasional sip of water, but wasn't worried if he didn't want any at all - after all, their 'solids' have a lot of fluid in at this stage. I've never given juice as I didn't want him to develop a preference for it.

He won't 'take a milk feed' from a cup even now, although he is perfectly capable of drinking from the cup. I think as long as your dd is taking at least a pint of formula and is eating a good range of foods, you can drop any extra bottle feeds.

I have also bought just about every cup on the market, but have come to the conclusion the simpler the better - this is not about a technological fix, just patience! So we have the Heinz cup and tommee tippee first cup (no valves) for when he is in his high chair, and the Avent magic spout if we are out and about and I can't tolerate spillage!

I think a lot of the being prepared to use a cup is down to having the dexterity to pick it up themselves. My 12month old dd has really only just got prepared to using a cup. We found the Tomy Tippee in between bottle/cups quite good.

She wouldn't take water initially either but did take juice (from a bottle - she didn't get her teeth until very late so I felt less bad about this). I just diluted it more and more and over a period of about a month we got her down to water.

dd still doesn't really fancy milk from a cup (I think it's a comfort thing), so I'm prepared to give her a bit longer to adjust to that.

LizC..

I am having same issue. DD will sometimes drink from the Heinz beaker but only a little amount.

I was wondering if it was a problem if they don't drink much water after their solids at lunchtime. I have introduced protein at this feed now and so am dropping the milk. Yesterday she drank a tiny bit of water and today none. Do I just keep plugging away - I guess she won't dehydrate!!!

I hadn't cottoned on to the fact that she might take water from a beaker and not milk - which is what LizS, Elliott and PhilippaT all seem to be saying? I may have got things the wrong way round in that case - I thought if I gave my dd her lunchtime milk in a beaker to get her used to the beaker then I could switch to water as, like Ellasmum, I want to drop that milk feed now she's on protein. Looks like I should just switch to water from a bottle first and then plug away at the beaker idea. I'll try that over the next few days (she's at nursery Mon-Wed anyway so won't try the beaker again until later in the week). Thanks for this!

Why not just keep trying with water from a beaker? That way she doesn't have to do two new things at once (i.e. water from a bottle and water from a cup)
I've never given water from a bottle - don't think ds would think much to it anyway - I tend to think of his bottle feeds as very different to the drinks he has with his meals, with the sucking and comfort they give.

Good luck!!

I agree the Heinz cups are the best (the one with no handles) or the boots one. They seem easier to manage somehow. I found the avent one actaully was faster than these. Both DS and DD went onto these about 6mths. It take sthem a while to drink properly from it but as long as they are getting the hang of it it doesn't matter. Also found they would both like to copy us drinking from a normal glass whenever we were out.

If you are worried they are not drinking enough then why not leave a beaker of water within reach all the time. This way they can take it as they need. Its quite a tricky thing to do so is bound to take time.