What to drink when BLW?

[skippingturtle]

Starting BLW in a couple of weeks, and looking forward to it!

Do I offer water with food, and keep milk for 'non-meal' times? If so, do I put the water in a bottle, or give her a cup with a spout? Would that be too many new things at once?
She's FF, and drinks milk with thickener in it because of reflux, so I think water through a bottle teat would make her panic.

I gave my son a sippy cup for his water, he loved it and it didn't much getting used to. I've got lots of different ones, he's happy with them all. I would just go for it. :)

I gave DS a basic tommee tippee cup with water in. He didn't know what to do with it for ages so I took the lid off and held it for him to lap at the water (he seemed not to mind that as he could see it) and then once he realised that water came out I put the lid back on and because it was the same colour and the spout was free flowing he seemed to understand what to do.

I gave DD water in an open cup. She took to it very quickly. She would never take anything from a cup with a spout.

What about the spillage factor with an open cup? I know BLW is going to be messy but adding cups of water into the mix sounds deadly!

I use a doidy cup and just hold the base while DS drinks and he holds the handles.

He drinks plenty of water with each meal - he sort of points at it when he wants it (he's 8.5 months). It doesn't really create any mess, other than getting his bib a bit wet. And I just offer water out of regular glasses when we're out and about.

You could start with an open cup (which you hold) and then put the lid onto it.

You might be able to get away with holding it though as Flip says - I was planning to do this but DS was too stubborn and independent and insisted on holding it himself with disastrous results!