Sippy cups, is it a must?

[alesha123445]

Hi everyone, my baby is 8 months. I've EBF her until I introduced solids at 6 months but she has yet to have a bottle, sippy cup or water. Is there any need to introduce her to them? she seems completely satisfied with the food and milk she is getting? Giving her water just seems like an empty belly filler. There is a pressure to start her on a sippy cup though, is it a must?

Yes she needs water with food. She will start to take less milk and if she doesn’t replace that with later then she will become constipated. It’s doesn’t need to be a sippy cup instead you can give her an open cup if you prefer.

*replace with water

I would start her on small sips with meals as she will start to eat more solids and will need water to prevent constipation. It doesn't need to be huge amounts, but it does take a while for them to master drinking and getting any meaningful amounts.

Dd (also ebf) didn't like a sippy cup but preferred a straw one instead.

Yes, water with meals. We just use an open cup and hold it at the baby’s mouth forget to drink from. They take a while to get the hang of sippy cups anyway as they don’t realise they have to tip them

Ignore the random ‘forget’

She won't drink it if she doesn't want it but drinking from a cup is a necessary skill. There are cups that are non-spill but you drink from them like an open cup. It'll be thrown on the floor more than it's sipped from anyway!

Water with food - we used an open cup from 6 months but it's useful if they can drink from a sippy cup/360 cup when they are out too.

Just ordered one, tha is for your replies :)

I'm terrible for remembering to offer water. He's 10 months and has probably had it three times 🙈 I've absolutely no concerns about his fluid intake (he feeds often enough 🙄) but I need to be giving him the opportunity to learn how to drink from a cup 😬

Urgh im having no luck with a sippy cup. My DS just chews it. Ive resorted to giving him water with meals via a bottle. He doesnt ever drink that much, just sips really. Im going to come back to the siply cup in a few weeks time and see. If not a wait a bit longer a try to go straight to a normal cup

I would add that from this age I put a sippy cup with water in it on the little table and chairs (changing it periodically) so she could help herself if she was thirsty especially in summer, both mine ebf but towards a year i tried to start the weaning process making them less dependent on me

@Letsallscreamatthesistene - our dummy and bottle refuser has just started sipping water from a hard mouthed beaker. Might be worth trying?

It has no not drip so it just flows out, but he does take a bit in, or just dribbles it back out atm! But it’s progress I figure.

Like this type www.laessig-fashion.com/sippy-cup-about-friends-racoon

I think ill try something like that. Hes bottle fed so I assumed he'd take to a sippy cup with no problem. Nope!

You should offer water with food as they need to get familiar with it even of they don't drink much yet. My bottle refusing baby would never drink milk from a sippy cup but would try water. It had to be free-flow rather than having a valve as she had no idea how to suck on them. I think free flow is better for teeth anyway. You could go straight for an open cup but it would be messy - we waited till 1 for that and then only at home.

Water is usually introduced with solids. It’ll only be small amounts and unlikely to impact negatively on milk intake. Baby cups (they look like tiny shot glasses) and doidy cups are an option if you want to skip the sippy cup.

My 20 month old has never had a bottle or sippy cup ! He nursed until he was 14 months and then we switched to an open cup for milk . He was already drinking water from an open cup from 6 months . Water is recommended with meals from about 6 months onwards although my little one really just sipping it for fun at first .