Steps For Transitioning From A Bottle To A Sippy Cup
Babies love their bottles, and trying to pry them out of their hands will lead to one thing for sure — incessant crying. They’ve gotten so used to drinking their milk and even water from their bottles that it becomes increasingly difficult to get them to have their liquids in anything else.
However, at some point in time, the bottle has to be replaced with a sippy cup. Sippy cups greatly help little ones transition from their bottles to using real cups in future. It is something they can grab properly which is similar to a regular cup. Some parents — the lucky ones, find this transition easy. But the majority of other parents end up struggling with this bottle-to-sippy-cup transition. What do you do when your baby clings onto the bottle like life itself depended on it? Let’s dive in and see what can be done about it:
In This Article
How Do You Know It’s Time?
One thing is for sure — the longer you allow your little one to use that bottle, the harder it is going to be for you to wean your baby off it. To make things easier for both you and your baby, start making efforts to ditch the bottle at an early age.
The ideal time for you to train your baby to use a sippy cup is soon after your child’s first birthday. If you have been breastfeeding your baby until then, you can go ahead and choose to switch to a sippy cup directly instead of a bottle. If your baby is over the age of one, start right away. It is best to incorporate this habit well before your child is two years of age.
How To Get Started
Replacing the good old feeding bottle with a sippy cup will be met with a lot of protests, but with these few steps, you can make the transition a little easier::
1. Choose A Good Sippy Cup
Babies tend to drop things a lot, so you should probably consider getting a sippy cup that has handles on the sides. This way, your child will have a better grip. Needless to say, cups made of breakable materials are an absolute no. Sippy cups have spouts in them, so get one that has a soft spout. The ones with a soft spout are slightly similar to pacifiers, although not entirely the same. You can also get a sippy cup that comes with a straw — your kid might be comfortable with a straw, which will help.
2. Start With The Midday Feed
During the day, your baby is preoccupied with several things and is most active. Choose the midday feeding time to begin incorporating the sippy bottle. You can fill the sippy bottle with baby formula or breastmilk, whatever your child is consuming at that time. It’s easier to practice using the sippy cup on your child at this time of the day. Parents usually do not start with the bedtime feed, as that is the hardest time for your child to get used to something new. Often the night feeding gives the child a sense of comfort. It also lulls them to sleep. Therefore, it is best to ditch the nighttime feed gradually — you can practice using the sippy cup during the night once your child is accustomed to it during the day.
3. Try Using Tasty Alternatives
Instead of focusing on making your kid ditch the bottle, you can focus on getting them interested in using a sippy cup. How this can be done is by using certain tactics that make the sippy cup more attractive to the child. You can try colored milkshakes or fruit juices diluted in water to make the drink in the sippy cup a little more interesting. This way, your child will enjoy what’s in the bottle and eventually get used to the idea of drinking from it as well. Make sure your child is over the age of one before doing this. Check with your child’s pediatrician before giving them an alternate drink.
4. Dilute The Contents In The Feeding Bottle
While you’re trying to feed your child with tasty alternatives in the sippy cup, do the exact opposite with the feeding bottles. If your child has a habit of drinking milk from the bottle, start diluting this with water. Your child will definitely dislike the taste of diluted milk with excess water and eventually opt for the sippy cup, which has the regular amount of non-diluted milk. Eventually, the sippy cup will become their go-to feeder instead of the bottle.
5. Use An Attractive Sippy Cups
Kids are attracted to bright, playful colors and cartoon themed items. So, why not use a sippy cup with their favorite cartoon character or the superhero whom they adore. Having a sippy cup that they are really attracted to will help in the initial moments of making them use it without resistance. Many toy companies also have their own take on sippy cups, with playable attachments and whatnot. Take your kid out to one of these stores and see any sippy cup catch their fancy. When they select their own sippy cup from the store, you can be assured that they will be fond of it and use it without having to tell them repeatedly.
5. Go Cold Turkey
Sometimes, you just have to go cold turkey. It’s important to slowly help your child make the transition from a bottle to a sippy cup, as we mentioned above, but eventually, it is best to hide the bottles from your child. There may be a lot of kicking, screaming, crying, or all three, but don’t give in. It is essential to stick to the habit of using the sippy cup.
Giving the bottle the boot can be slightly challenging, but it is necessary. Be patient with your child and practice this transition daily. If you are met with a lot of resistance from your child, you can practice positive reinforcement. Instead of reprimanding your child for drinking from the bottle, praise your child for drinking from the sippy cup. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
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