Hi everyone - 8mth old dd has been exposed to a sippy cup for about a month or more. I always put diluted juice or water in it and just put it among her toys. She picks it up right way and holds it well, puts it in her mouth, but mostly just chews on it. I have held her in the bottle feeding position a few times to show her how it works and she only drinks a little. She gets excited about the cup being around and can chew on it for 15 min. but there's never much at all gone from the cup. Is this okay? I guess I just thought by now she would be drinking more from the cup. Her only fluids are formula. I was using Avent cups and felt they were hard for me to suck out of, so I went to the gerber starters and they seem more comfortable to me to hold and get liquid out of while still not being too easy. Is it possible she's just not thirsty? Is there anything else I should be doing to help this cup thing a long or should I just not be worrying about it? First timer here! Thanks!

By Trina~moderator on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 08:52 pm:

Give her a sippy cup with her meals while she's in her highchair. Try different types and styles of cups to see which ones she does better with. Some kids do better with sport bottles with straws. She'll play around and will eventually get the hang of it.

By Trina~moderator on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 08:55 pm:

Almost forgot... Try putting formula in her cups. She's used to the smell and taste and may get the idea of what she's supposed to do with the cup. LOL! Then down the road when you want to transition her to whole milk you can gradually mix milk with formula.

By Tink on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 10:28 pm:

My youngest didn't do well with a traditional sippy cup until she was a year. We found a straw-type cup that she was able to use from about 5 months on. Definitely get a variety of styles that you expose her to over time.

By Kaye on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:27 pm:

I found that the traditional easy ones were the best way to start. It really got the idea across fast. It only took a couple of weeks and they were chugging it down. Also feed her some dry foods, cheerios, etc, then give her the cup. If she has just had a jar of baby food, she may not be thirsty.

By Imamommyx4 on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 09:53 pm:

To get dd started I used the kind that just have holes, no inside restrictor so that she got liquid out and got the idea of how to use it. You just have to be careful what you put in them. I usually put apple juice or water nothing that would stain when spilled.