There are so many straw cups on the market!  And the variety continues to change and grow… So, how do you know what to select?  Here are a few tips:

• A cup with a flip up straw –Playtex, Nubi, etc. (soft straws are better than hard ones)
• A cup with a criss cross opening & sealing lid—like a fast food cup–use a Tupperware, Take n Toss, or Ziploc one; more spillproof
• Last choice–(more spillage) a waterbottle/cup with a straw insert or a restaurant kids’ cup with a straw insert

Now you can add other features—like characters, color, etc.  Have fun shopping!

Sippy cups are an OPTIONAL step.  Some children go right from bottles to straw cups w/out using sippy cups.  So, don’t worry if your little ones refuse the sippy cup.  Just make sure that it’s MORE interesting than what is in the bottle AND that he/she is THIRSTY!  Sometimes that is a point that we overlook!

When to use Sippy cups?

• Typically, a sippy cup is best introduced to an infant who is 8-10 months of age (adjusted age). 
• At this age is when a child is starting to want to be slightly more independent with his/her bottle and may want to hold it.
• Use sippy cups for "snack" times when you are only giving a small amount of liquid.

How to use a sippy cup?

• It sounds simple, but it’s not always.
• You should put only 1-2 ounces in the cup at first.
• You may need to "help"/show your child(ren) how to drink out of a sippy cup.  Demonstrate for him/her.  Let them play with it and be prepared for some mess even though it is "spill proof" (nothing is totally–as we know).

What kind of Sippy cup is best?

• First Years–Take & Toss are best because there is no valve—the lips (& sometimes jaw) do all the work to retrieve the liquid out of the cup
• Nubi sippy cups are good too
• A sippy cup with handles is great for guiding it to the child’s mouth
• All the rest with valves are ok, IF used for a brief time

When to transition from a bottle to a straw/open cup?

• Bottles & sippy cups should not be used after 15-18 months
• You can transition to a straw cup at 12 months if your child(ren) is/are ready.
• Yes, it’s true that a child has to accept a new cup or straw.  The trick is to put your child’s favorite drink in the new cup while watering down less of the same liquid in the bottle.

Why elimate bottles after 15-18 months?

• When a baby drinks from a bottle, he/she uses a SUCKLing motion (a 50% backward/ 50% forward tongue movement).
• When an adult drinks from a cup or a straw, he/she uses a SUCKing movement (a 75% backward/ 25% forward tongue movement).
• When a sucking movement is used, the tongue achieves true stability within the mouth since the back sides of it are "anchored" to the back molars.  Try counting to 25 out loud & feel where the sides of your tongue are.
• In order to start to achieve stability within the mouth for clear speech, the tongue has to retract when swallowing liquid.
• When a young child uses a sippy cup or a bottle, a SUCKLing motion is used with too much forward motion = no stability within the mouth.
• Therefore, it’s important to transition to a straw cup by 12-18 months & an open cup (in small amounts) by 2 years.

Which straw cup to choose?

• Any straw cup that has a flip up straw is generally a good choice.
• There are so many more on the market now than there were 3 years ago, that I couldn’t hope to tell you all the names.
• The Dora/Diego ones are good; The Nubi straw cups are good (lip pressure is needed), etc.
• ALWAYS monitor for straw biting and discourage it
• …By giving your child something appropriate on which to bite—a teething toy, a chewy tube (used correctly), etc. (not therapy tubing)

I hope this helps decrease the confusion surrounding sippy cups and straw cups and WHY it’s so important to use straws. 

Thanks for reading!