1 year old onto a cup?!!

[Bambam60]

Hi all, I'm really hoping someone can help me with this. I'm probably worrying about it too much, but you know what it's like!

So, I thought with us all being stuck at home I'd try to get DS (just turned 1) onto a cup for his milk and water etc. He usually has about 16oz a day, spread out over 2 or 3 bottles. If I was to put this in a sippy cup, he'd have a sip now and again but there's no way he'd ever drink the same amount?! I'd probably be lucky to get 4oz down him. I'm just worried about his teeth so I really want to try, but he just screams at me until I give him his bottle and I don't want him dehydrating?!

Any one able to offer any guidance on this? Also, with open cups, how do you ever get them used to it because DS just sticks his hand in it and throws it around. Then, once all the water is on the floor, he'll try to drink from it.

Thanks all :)

I didn’t start on an open cup until DD was nearly 2 and could understand the idea so maybe don’t worry about that for now. I started with a sippy cup for water and just made a big deal out of it, lots of praise and very exciting. I also got her to chose a cup in the shops but that’s not really an option now obviously

Only just 1?! Seems a little young, a bottle is still fine.
Introduce a sippy cup with meals with no pressure

I had a sippy cup or 360 cup filled with water in reach most of the day, refreshed at meal times. My nearly 3yo is just about responsible enough to use an open cup as long as he's sitting down, and even then accidents still happen.

Thank you both that makes me feel a lot better!

@Modestandatinybitsexy thanks for that, I've tried that today atually and he does seem to be reaching for it, having a sip and then cracking on with his day!

Tbh my LO conquered cups and cutlery etc when she started nursery from 18months onwards. I guess we are all sheep.

I think I used it at meal times, more to get mine used to having a cup of water with their meal (they still do this now and are 17 and 14 years old) only a small amount that can just be topped up. This saves a huge mess when they either neck it or try to play with it. You can also have your own cup and drink from it at the table with him to show him this is how we eat and drink.

But bottle for follow on milk or any other milk. It seems like a really huge deal and you will no doubt get someone saying their baby drank from a cup from 4 days old. Ignore them and do what is best for you. Your child will move on when they are ready. Right now, they are showing you they are not.

He won't be having a bottle at the dinner table at school, so at some point he will transition enjoy your little one.

The longer you wait, the tougher it will become for him to let it go. After age one, babies can develop habits. Past age two, they start to develop strong opinions!

Gradually add water to the bottle milk so that after a week or two the bottle contains only water. At the same time, offer the sippy cup with the milk. You can also try to reduce the amount of liquid in the bottle and present the sippy cup alongside the bottle with plenty of milk. This will encourage your DS to try it when he is dissatisfied with the contents of his bottle. The goal is to make the sippy cup more rewarding than the bottle.

I found that my dc tended to be clingy early in the morning and at bedtime, and would put up more of a fuss. So I began the process with the afternoon bottle first. The evening bottle was the last to go.

Bring the spout up to his lips. Until he gets the hang of drinking from a sippy, remove the valve. While it prevents spills, it also makes the liquid harder to drink out the cup, potentially causing him to get frustrated.

My nephew rejected every single sippy known to man and had my DSIL terrified she’d be packing bottles in his school lunches one day, but he loved the silicone spout!

Oh, and, don’t forget to always cheers with your sippy-cup-holding child - a super fun way to make it seem special!

I used the same method for both of my kids. Remember you’re trying to make milk more of a drink to compliment food and not just replace the same volume of milk they’d take from a bottle with a cup. I’m not sure what the guidance is for how much milk they need in a day at age 1, but it’s not a huge amount, assuming they have a varied diet and other dairy.

Mine were on 3 bottles a day of formula. Morning, after lunch and bedtime. First I swapped out the lunch time one for a cup of cows milk. If they don’t drink it all then they won’t starve. Just give a bigger snack later. Then after a week or so of that I did the morning one. So basically moved to a cup of milk with breakfast, instead of a bottle first thing. And then finally the bedtime one. We kept the bedtime one going for a little while as I didn’t want to mess with the routine (brushed teeth after bottle) but they were both done with bottles by 15 months.

Usually they aren’t keen at first, but they do get used to it. They were used to drinking out of cups for water though. My DD is 2.5 and still loves her sippy cup of milk before bed

We binned all the bottles at 1, and found transition to a straw cup was so much better, and there is lots of evidence that say straw cups are really good for them.
Now DS is 18 months open cups are much easier for him

Thank you everyone so much these are all really really helpful suggestions!! I feel better prepared for this now!

The cup you can get with the weighted straw is brilliant for water. Won't spill, they can get the water whether they turn it upside down or keep it the right way round, and it has big handles. I used to just fill it with water and give it to DD in the morning. He either drank out of it or didn't - I wasn't going to lose sleep over it.

He was drinking out of an open cup at one, but that was nurseries doing - I take no credit!