Transitioning From A Baby Bottle To A Sippy Cup
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Making the change or transition from a baby bottle to a sippy cup can be difficult for children and parents. It requires a lot of time, patience and support especially on the mother’s part. But remember that there is no right or wrong time to start introducing a cup for toddler feeding. However most experts say the earlier the better.
Many parents consider introducing a sippy cup of some kind to their babies between 6 and 12 months of age. Experts agree that it’s a good idea to wean your baby off the bottle no later than 12 months. Once you decide on a smart plan and stick with it, you will get good results. But this usually doesn’t happen overnight.
Why Should I Introduce A Sippy Cup?
- Prolonged bottle drinking can damage your child’s teeth.
- Prolonged use of a feeding bottle can also cause difficulties with speech development, especially if your little one tends to suck on a teat for comfort.
- Bottle drinker babies tend to ingest more milk.
- Children who were still bottle feeding at age 2-3 may cause obesity later in life.
- You can offer your baby fruit juices and more healthy drinks using a sippy cup.
Converting Your Bottle - Tips
Make the transition from a bottle to a sippy cup more smoothly with these smart tips:
1. The earlier, the better
It’s a good idea to encourage your little one to practice with a cup when they start on solid food, from around 6 months onwards. Experts say that children who are older than 1 year often have a much more difficult time with this transition. The main reason is that, the bottle becomes associated with comfort and security and is often used for soothing the child before naps and bedtime.
2. Introducing a cup
Replace one of your child’s bottle feedings with a cup. Offer your child a cup of milk while he sits in his favourite chair or playing his toys.
3. Let your baby explore
Let him hold the sippy cup! Pour water out of it, drink from it, and even make a mess with it. Letting him play with the cup between feeding times can make the transition much easier.
4. Make the bottle disappear
Try eliminating bottles gradually from the feeding schedule of your baby. It is easier to switch a child off the bottle by removing one bottle from their routine at a time. If your baby usually drinks four bottles each day, you may start by eliminating the noontime bottle. Then you can start switching out their nighttime bottle and so on.
5. Be a model
Offer some encouragement and explanation. Show your baby how to raise the cup to his mouth and tip it up to drink. Take a drink from the cup yourself or have a sibling drink from a sippy in front of the baby and encourage your toddler to copy you. Say something like “you’re a big boy now and can use a cup like other kids and mummy.” Give it some time until your baby masters the technique.
6. Set a new routine
Try to eliminate the bedtime bottle by replacing it with a snack and cup of milk if you normally give your child a bottle before you put him to bed. Do more nighttime tasks, like a bath, bedtime story, or teeth brushing. The key to helping them through this period of adjustment is to be consistent and refuse to go back once you have started using the cup.
7. Offer a reward
Preparing his favourite snack can be an excellent motivator. You may also like to give him a juice of his favourite fruits using his cup like apple, orange or strawberry! Comfort your child, offer hugs, and if your child is bored, sit down and play. Provide a blanket or stuffed animal for comfort.
8. The right cup
Choosing the proper cup helps your child learn to drink from a cup. Make sure that the cup you will use has no bisphenol A. BPA is a chemical found in many plastic products, may lead to harmful developmental effects in children. The best strategy is generally to use something similar to his bottle. This will minimize his confusion and time getting him to grips with it.
A great example is the Cherub Baby wide neck glass baby bottle. It is made from high tempered borosilicate glass so it is very easy clean and hygienic, since they do not retain odours or stains unlike plastic. It is perfect for 3 months old and above feeders that prefer a wide neck bottle to grab hold of. The large size of these baby bottles will last your baby until they start solids and are great for mixing formula.
Here’s the good deal! You can transform any Cherub Baby wide neck bottles to a glass sippy cup with the Sippy Cup Adaptor Pack! It is 100% BPA free and it transitions baby from teat to non-spill silicone sippy spout. It is also very simple to use and save you money! Just remove the teat from your wide neck bottle and replace with the bpa free silicon sippy spout. The Cherub Baby Sippy Cup Adaptor Pack also includes ergonomic removable handles make it easier for your little ones to get a grip.
Getting your child off the bottle usually involves some trial and error, and sometimes tears. But following these simple tips can definitely make every parent’s life a little bit easier for easily transition baby to the next stage of independent feeding!
References:
Stopping the bottle – Kidshealth.org
Transitioning from baby bottle to cup – Sydney Local Health District
