4 Tips to Teach Your Baby to Drink From a Cup Perfectly!

By Aparna - Updated: December 13, 2018

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How To Help Your Child Drink from a Cup

Teaching your toddler to drink from an open cup will help her reach another development milestone by the time she’s 2. Get these tips in place and you will love to see your little one smacking her lips after each sip of her favorite drink. Adieu feeding bottles!

Time! Once it’s gone, it never comes back. Have you ever marvelled at how your toddler has moved away from your arms and become independent in a short span of time? Walking, talking, running around and eating all by herself (sometimes) are some of the many milestones that she’s already attained. Now, the “I want to do it” attitude of your baby will need to include moving from bottle-drinking to drinking from a cup.

If your little one is around 2 years old now, you can start helping her transition smoothly to a cup using these tips.

How To Help Your Child Drink from a Cup

1. Getting from Bottle to Cup at the RIGHT Time

Timing is everything when it comes to child development. Experts recommend that 24-months of age is the right time to move your toddler away from her feeding bottle and introduce her to a cup. Though it’s still easier to use a bottle as it’s basically spill-proof and a lot less messy, nursing on a bottle’s nipple would mean that your toddler’s teeth remains in prolonged contact with milk or juice, and this can cause cavities.

Start early so that transitioning your baby from bottle to cup is not difficult for her and you. She’ll soon get used to this new way of drinking and won’t cause a fuss.

2. What Kind of Cup Should a Toddler Use?

In order to lure your baby into drinking from a cup, try a fancy sippy cup or a bottle with a straw. Fancy sippers and cups can ease the transition process. Then, move on to an open cup gradually.

Tip: Start by giving her milk or juice in the sippy cup and water in her favourite bottle.

3. Encouraging Your 2-year-old to Drink from a Cup through Imitation

Be a role model for your toddler. When she sees you enjoying your cup of tea from an open cup, it’s is likely that she’ll be curious and want to imitate you. Start with a little quantity of liquid in a small medicine cup. Once she gets used to that, you can move her on to bigger cups or glasses.

4. Teaching Your Baby to Drink from a Cup with Training Cups

The transition from sucking to sipping is a milestone in your toddler’s life. It’s like a mini workout for her jaw. To make the move a non-stressful one, there are a variety of training cups for toddlers with beakers, spouts and straws that are available in the market. These cups help toddlers to master the art of spill-free drinking. Cups with handles are a good option since they offer a better and firmer grasp.

By the time your tot turns 24 months old she has a good eye-hand coordination, can get a cup to her mouth and start enjoying the sipping sensation. So, what are you waiting for? Get hold of a cup that your toddler takes a fancy to and watch her as she sips her milk with you. Enjoy the experience!

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