Transitioning to an open cup can be an intimidating idea for parents with kiddos on the bottle yet and/or on the sippy cup! It can be scary to think about how they are going to do it and not get so much of what they drink everywhere! Here are a few tips to help you know when to let your little one try it out and make it successful!
Typically, children are ready to start to try an open cup around 8-9 months of age! They will often show us some readiness signs by trying to reach/drink from your cup and hold their bottle/sippy cup on their own while drinking! It is important for your child to be able to sit up in his/her highchair (the body needs to be stable and not work so hard to just keep them upright!) We want your child to be able to bring both hands to the cup and to his/her mouth to take a drink too! (They will start with some help from us first, but we want them to know they can practice too!)
Here are some simple strategies to start with to help you and them feel successful with open cups!
- Keep the cup for special times during the day that you practice at first. Maybe it’s at snack everyday, maybe for dinner that is the one you will use, or maybe it’s in the kitchen and when they need a quick drink of water, you use that! By keeping it in one spot, you will likely be less worried about the mess it could create, which will lead to a more relaxed and successful time with it! Then, as they are more successful, bring it out more often throughout the day!
- Start off by using a clear/see-through glass that they can see the liquid coming to their mouth in. We don’t want it to be surprising when what they are drinking gets to their mouth! They need to be given a warning and be able to see when they can start tipping it back!
- You can help them hold and tip the cup back and keep it slow the first few times! Help them hold the cup with one hand, while they hold it with both hands. Then, as you slowly tip the cup back, watch so that once a little of the liquid gets to their lips, you can help them to tip the cup back down so they aren’t overwhelmed. As they get more comfortable, you can help them less and less!
- If they need help with their lips, you can help support their jaw underneath the cup with your other hand to help guide it to the cup!
- Let them practice themselves is in the bathtub! I would be shocked if even after many many times practicing with you helping with the cup and they seem that they have it down that they don’t tip the cup too far the first time you let them do it themselves and they get soaked. You can bring a smaller bucket or a cup of “practice” water that you can poor into their cup. Because they are already in the tub, it is okay that the water spills onto them! No more mess for you to clean up! And, they are practicing on their own, so they are gaining more confidence and experience with how far is just right for them with drinking!
It’s important that these interactions with the new cup are fun, exciting, and successful! This will encourage them to want to practice more and be more independent with it. These are just a few tips on introducing open cup drinking to your little one! If you feel you need additional support or would like more information, do not hesitate to reach out to one of us!
-Amber-
