Just a quick query out to you guys...'cause you know, I parent by internet consenus.
At what age did your child stop using a sippy cup? Magpie uses one in the stroller or carseat (we use carseat only a couple times a month because we live in Manhattan). We don't use sippy cups in the crib, and Magpie is really always in motion, so she's not reclining back and drinking unless strapped down in some way, like in the stroller (and really, not so much even then). She uses a cup at mealtimes and knows how to drink that way, or will ask for sips of water from our cups (our water of course is magically better than hers, although identical). Unfortunately, she often still enjoys turning her own water cup upside town toward the end of the meal just for kicks (drives us crazy). We have a few straw cups but these seem to spill/leak often, which is frustrating and seems to defeat the purpose...
So anyway, now that she's two, do I need to get her off the sippy because of potential dental or speech issues? We don't seem to have any...but you know, I read, and I from time to time, I worry.
If it matters, all of her sippy cups are the soft nipple kind. I know those are meant for smaller kiddos, but it's what we still have and she doesn't bite them, so it hasn't caused any kind of problem, so far at least. But in case it matters, wanted to put that out there too...
Is the continued use of a sippy such a big problem? I've been thinking if she can talk, has clean teeth, and is learning how to use a cup at mealtimes that's all that matters...but maybe I'm fooling myself?
Thanks for your candid thoughts.
Mo
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At what age did your child stop using a sippy cup? Magpie uses one in the stroller or carseat (we use carseat only a couple times a month because we live in Manhattan). We don't use sippy cups in the crib, and Magpie is really always in motion, so she's not reclining back and drinking unless strapped down in some way, like in the stroller (and really, not so much even then). She uses a cup at mealtimes and knows how to drink that way, or will ask for sips of water from our cups (our water of course is magically better than hers, although identical). Unfortunately, she often still enjoys turning her own water cup upside town toward the end of the meal just for kicks (drives us crazy). We have a few straw cups but these seem to spill/leak often, which is frustrating and seems to defeat the purpose...
So anyway, now that she's two, do I need to get her off the sippy because of potential dental or speech issues? We don't seem to have any...but you know, I read, and I from time to time, I worry.
If it matters, all of her sippy cups are the soft nipple kind. I know those are meant for smaller kiddos, but it's what we still have and she doesn't bite them, so it hasn't caused any kind of problem, so far at least. But in case it matters, wanted to put that out there too...
Is the continued use of a sippy such a big problem? I've been thinking if she can talk, has clean teeth, and is learning how to use a cup at mealtimes that's all that matters...but maybe I'm fooling myself?
Thanks for your candid thoughts.
Mo
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It sounds like she's fine. I personally wouldn't push it. There's no harm in offering other options (if you think of some you want to try), but she will eventually move on from the sippy, probably as she sees her peers begin to do the same if she's anything like my son.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see what the experts say! I've been worrying about this too. I just read an article that said sippys prevent developing a mature swallow, but Dylan drinks out of regular cups too. We use a hard spout sippy 3x a day and he has a sippy of water throughout the day (but actually prefers a cup.)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 5, and honestly, we still use sippy cups often. She uses a regular cup every nightwhen we have dinner at the table, of if we're out or at someone else's house, but for breakfast on weekdays, and all day until dinner on weekends, I let her have a sippy because she's more likely to drink a good amount of water that way because I let her wander the house with it, or bring it to the park, in the yard, or in the car. Most of her sippies are "Take n Toss" brand because it was the only one she took to as a toddler, but she'll also use various reusable sports bottles, or a thermos with a straw in her lunchbox every day.
ReplyDeleteShe has a lisp, and she sucks her thumb, but I have no idea if any of it is related, and no doctor, dentist, or teacher has ever made an issue of it.
Um, I wouldn't waste one moment worrying about it? If you're super nervous it's going to affect her somehow, get her a straw "sports" cup - camelbak makes Hen's current fave - that I like because it's easy to pull apart & clean, & it really doesn't leak when we're on the go. BPA free (as most are these days, I think.)
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, she slurps from a regular cup at mealtimes - putting her way ahead of Hen, who had a lidded straw cup at dinner til less than a year ago. So I totally wouldn't think anything of a sippy cup. They're handy for her & for you.
Don't know how strict you are about plastic, but the straw cups we still use when he's drinking a non-water product on the couch are touted as 'disposable' (though I'll need to check the brand. Every drug store in the world carries them, & the grocery stores around here do, too), but they've held up remarkably well as non-disposable - plus they're the right size for a disposable straw once the ones that come with become too hard to clean. The lid snaps on tight, the straw opening means only a drop or two leaks out if it does get knocked over. Win-win.
Hope to see you & the little lady one of these days soon. Hen STILL talks about our last visit. She made quite an impression on him!
I have no answers as to dental issues but FWIW S is now 3+ (or 39 mos) and while uses an open cup at school & meals it's sippy only when we are out and if he wants a drink in the couch because I'm tired of cleaning up spills. He does get a sip cup of water next to his bed for overnight - again because I don't want to deal with the possibility of middle night spills. When the current cups are destroyed I think I'll move him to a sport cap kleen kanteen. My plan is something leak proof untill he doesn't spill.
ReplyDeleteAs for straw cups we had great luck with the nuby soft spout straws. They didn't leak but S started biting through them around 2.
I hope it's ok because that's all they let the kids use at daycare...
ReplyDeleteMy kids used sippy cups until they were at least 3, mainly to reduce the frequency of frustration from spilled drinks at meal time. they were capable of using a regular cup but we let them keep using sippies for most meals. their teeth and speech are fine!
ReplyDeleteOur pediatrician and dentist seem to hate sippy cups. I haven't really done the research though, My kids use weighted straw cups. We've had several different kinds and the innobaby one works best for us in the leak department, but we have a few Zoli cups as well. I can't trust my three year-old not to either accidentally knock over a glass of water/milk or "accidentally" knock it over, so we plan to keep using them for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI would think if she's not using it as a pacifier she'd be fine to keep the sippy for awhile longer..
My kids are almost 6 and 3 1/2 and to preserve our sanity we use the Gerber Graduates Advanced hard spout cup-like rim cups. They were approved by my son's speech therapist and work great.
ReplyDeleteThis is what they look like. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BXE5M3C/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?qid=1414985107&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
ReplyDeleteMy kids (ages 3.5 and 5) only drink out of open cups at home, and we've graduated to a Nalgene-type bottle for the car or when we're generally out and about. I think it was closer to age three when they could reliably not spill, and be trusted not to wander the house with an open cup. We (try to!) now have them get one cup in the morning that lives on the counter where they can access it all day, and we have a water dispenser on the fridge where they can refill. Very nice to have them be in charge on it, but I find I sometimes wonder at the end of the day how much they actually drank.
ReplyDeleteAlso, FYI, I just spoke with my kids' dentist about related stuff and he said his kids (6, 3, and 20 mo) are only allowed to have water in their sippies. Milk and juice are allowed in cups, and at a single sitting. He said the kind of "liquid grazing" that sippies promote doesn't allow the saliva to appropriately cleanse the teeth and gives oral bacteria a constant food source.
We never used those spout type ones b/c both kids refused. My almost 4 yo still uses a straw cup occasionally though. And our almost 2 yo can use a cup but is pretty attached to her straw cups. We're not worried about tooth decay b/c although she still has her soy milk right before bed ( we're very slowing cutting down, hoping to eliminate this, b/c she often pees thru a size larger night time dipe) b/c we brush her teeth right before bed. I don't think there are concerns re future braces with straw cups. Once she moves up to the 2s at daycare they use only cups so that might be interesting. She'll probably still use the straw cup 1st thing am and as long as we keep the bedtime milk.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if concerns are any greater w/ the spout type cups but if she's using them only occasionally and learning to use a cup it seems like it should be okay.
My daughter used a sippy cup until 3. My son until 2. I don't think there's a magical age, and I don't think there's much harm dental wise (though I'm not a dentist). If it were me I'd probably just go to a regular cup. But I'm lazy and could never find the tops. I think that whatever you decide to do will be just fine and I'd go with whatever is easier for you. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI can't really help -- maybe Magpie's dentist could advise? -- because we never got into the sippy cup habit in the first place. Too much work, it was easier to just teach Gwen to use a normal cup without a lid or straw.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we do have a few lidded things for travel, and the one which has been through everything and WILL NOT LEAK is the pink elephant water bottle we got from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. If I had known how awesome it was, I would've bought half a dozen or so and resold them at high value over here in Europe, where people keep asking me where I found it.
Gosh, I don't think you need to worry. However, if you want to try a different kind of cup, I highly recommend the Wow cup. Yes, total As Seen on TV product, but my one-year-old has been drinking water out of once since nine months of age. It's spill-proof, but there's no spout. It's like drinking out of a real cup. You can find it at Wal-Mart in the As Seen on TV aisle (again, I totally recognize the cheese-ball-ness, but I can't say enough good things about it!).
ReplyDeleteI would tend to agree with you that if she's showing no signs of ill effects, you can continue to use the sippy cup for as long as she needs it. It doesn't seem that she's using it all that frequently. So I'd say keep using it if it works and don't let the internet get you down. You're a fantastic Mom and you should trust your instincts.
ReplyDeleteAny chance at seeing Ms. Magpie dressed up for Halloween?
3 1/2 yo still uses a sippy at play time so I can make sure he's hydrated without worrying about spills. I'm sure it's fine. His recent dental check up was perfect.
ReplyDeleteI have a 6 year old who still insists on drinking her orange juice in the morning out of a sippy cup. She's obviously quite capable of using a real cup (and does, for every other meal). I don't see that it's causing any harm. Her younger sister if far less attached to a sippy cup than she is. No dental or speech problems for either of them.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry about it at all. My only grievance with sippies is the multiple pieces to run through the wash :)
Can't comment directly on sippy cups because my children never got the hang of them, and we always used straw ones instead. However, one habit I picked up from some of my parent friends was to have a shared water bottle between myself and the children--my kids were always curious to drink what I was drinking anyway, even if it was the exact same thing as I put in their straw cups. It's an easy way of seeing how she'll deal with an alternative.
ReplyDelete(Around the house, they always used ordinary glasses. Any messes, they get handed a paper towel and help to clean up--but it was my choice to have that extra headache.)
I don't think it's worth pushing the sippy cup issue though. If that's what works, roll with it. My son was on the kiddie straw cups until he was five, because it was simpler to have both kids use the same thing. (By the same token, my daughter graduated to a water bottle shortly before her third birthday.)
Wait, what? I don't remember, but -- as long as he/we wanted. Maybe 5? We had no interest in moving away from sippy cups and had never heard that one should (we HAD heard that one should move away from bottles, but ignored that advice -- he definitely drank warm cows milk from bottles into his 4th year, because he enjoyed it. Not without a tooth brushing afterward, if before bed!).
ReplyDeleteHe's now a second grader, and if those things caused him any trouble, I sure can't see it.
My 5 1/2 year old still uses a sippy cup for water at night. He uses a regular cup all other times, but likes to take water to bed with him. So, he uses a sippy cup. He was at the dentist this morning adn all was good.
ReplyDeleteId go for regular cup at table and cup with lid and straw for places you dont want spills.
ReplyDeletewith my older one, she used a zippy cup for a while, I wasn´t really concerned. With my younger one we practiced baby led weaning, so she was 11 months or younger when she was able to drink from a regular glas. I was of course amazed at her skills, but is normal I guess when you have been allowed to practice for months.
ReplyDeleteMy kids also used sippy cups until they were at least 4. There wasn't any trouble to teeth or gums while using that. I took them to the dentist last month and there was no problems reported by him.
ReplyDeleteHello to you guys, glad the little lady is growing well and everyone's happy.
ReplyDeleteThe Gerber cup with a weighted straw rarely leaks, comes with a tiny straw brush, is BPA-free and $6. My $15 Lollacup leaked messily and has long been retired.
It's practical to use a covered cup to avoid a mess; I'm 36 and use a "sippy cup" or sports bottle 99% of the time.
Best of luck.
Lara
We use a combo of straw and spout sippy cups. My ped seems to prefer the straw cup to the spout cup though my daughter is indifferent. i recently got the wow cup snd I think it is fantastic so much so I got 5 for friends' kids as gifts. It can be used from 12 months and it works like a real adult cup with relatively little spills if closed properly. some of the reviews were not very encouraging but in the last 6 weeks since we started using it I have no complaints whatsoever. Though we only use it for water and the occasional diluted juice
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