What type of sipper cups are best for breastfed babies. The Doctor said she wouldn't try to give a bottle to my dd, just go to a sipper cup. Any advice or suggestions. I have not been able to find a nipple she will use. She is only 4 months.

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:32 pm:

Personally, I think she's a little young for a sipper cup. My kids were both exclusively breast fed (except for pumping enough to let big brother feed little brother--*warm fuzzies*) and they started with a sipper around 7 months or so. We started with the little rubber maid clear plastic cups that look like little sports bottles with straws (and a leak proof valve in the lid). You can squeeze just a tiny bit into their mouths just to let them know there's something in there and they usually figure out how to suck on the straw pretty quickly. We switched to regular sippy cups (again, with the valve) around 12-15 months. Robin NEVER took a bottle. He wouldn't even take a pacifer. Good luck.

By Emily7 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:46 pm:

I thought it was a little early too, but you never know, thats why I posted here.

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:47 pm:

I also think its a little young but my youngest did a straw type cup when she was 5 1/2 months. She took to it really well and never took a bottle. The only trouble we had was teaching her to tilt a cup in order to drink out of it when she was a little older. LOL

By Trina on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 06:45 pm:

Yes, 4 mos. is a wee bit early, but I did introduce both my kids to sippy cups at 5 mos.. DD was exclusively breast fed, simply because SHE decided NEVER to take a bottle. Needless to say, I was VERY happy when she took easily to the cup! LOL! There are all different kinds. Different kids prefer and/or do better with different styles. Keep trying and see how she does. Some kids do better with the straw type sippy cups. Good luck!

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 07:33 pm:

Jules used those water bottles with straws and Madison was sucking through a straw at a very young age. I bought a sippee cup to keep her for her and she never liked it so I bought the water bottle with a straw too.

By Melanie on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:45 pm:

We introduced our daughter to the sippy cup at four months. It was just to practice so she could get used to it. We used the ones that drip easily since the spill proof ones are tough to suck from. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first but soon got the hang of it.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 10:15 pm:

I have mentioned here before that my breast fed baby never took a bottle after weaning himself from the breast in one day, after I got my period, at 9 months. I let him have a sippy cup. The worst mistake for him.
He "nursed" on the hard tip and wore down his teeth. He also has speech problems, at age 6, because he never developed proper tongue movements.
Please wean your dd to a soft nipple on a bottle.

By Pamt on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 10:19 pm:

Ditto Melanie. Both of my boys were breastfed for a year, but started on sippy cups at 4 months per our pediatrician's suggestion. I initially used spout-type sippy cups with big holes since I was pouring into their mouths more at first. I think it took a month or two before they were really proficient and could hold the sippy cup themselves. We started with water and the progressed to 1/2 juice 1/2 water at about 6 months. I think the spill-proof ones are dreadful! Straw-type cups are usually very hard for babies this age to suck out of. Good luck!

By Mommyathome on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 12:25 pm:

My kids were a bit older when we introduced the sippy cup. But, we never used the spill proof ones. I didn't like how you had to suck on them to get the liquid out. We just used regular ones.

By Babysitbarb on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 10:01 am:

I usually start kids on sippy cups at 5-6 months and I use the ones that aren't spill proof first so they get the idea of it then I move them on to the spill proof later. They didn't have the spill proof ones when my gilrs were younger.