Congratulations, you and your little one are finally out of the baby Bottle stage. But if you thought you were done washing and sanitizing bottles, think again, because sippy cups are your baby’s new best friend. Or at least they should be. Sippy cups are a stepping stone that encourages your child to drink independently, whenever the need arises. Not to mention that they are a lot easier to manage than a cup. And although some kids have no problem making the transition from bottle to Sippy Cup, others are less forthcoming. For some parents, trying to get their toddler to ditch the baby bottle they’ve gotten accustomed and attached to can be seriously challenging. So, if you’re having trouble prying your little one’s hands off their baby bottle, then this is the article for you. Learn how to make the transition to a sippy cup easier on them and yourself!

What’s The Ideal Age To Transition From A Bottle To A Sippy Cup?

Just like any other habit, the longer your baby uses their bottle, the longer it’s going to take to pry it away from them. So your best bet to make the transition easy is to start small and start as early as possible. Parents often wait for their child to turn around 1 to introduce the sippy cup, but you needn’t wait that long. Your baby can grab onto things well before they reach 12 months of age. Just try to recollect the death grip they had on your hair or earrings. Your baby can be given a sippy cup as soon as they reach 6 or 9 months old. Your goal must be to phase out bottles slowly by the time they reach 12 to 18 months. There are solid reasons to ensure that your baby gives up the bottle before their first birthday. One of them being the fact that prolonged bottle usage can result in tooth decay (1). Not to mention that your little one may end up drinking a lot more milk than they need if given a bottle.

Why Your Child May Refuse To Drink Out Of A Sippy Cup

Sometimes toddlers can be adamant, and you may think that you’ll have to pack a baby bottle for them when they start kindergarten. But there’s a reason why your child may be struggling to make the translation. It’s a big change for some kids and they may take a while to get adjusted to using a sippy cup, so be patient with them. It’s okay if you have to introduce the sippy cup in phases. Most kids don’t take to them right away and use both the bottle and the sippy cup before they finally opt to use just the sippy cup.

Using the sippy cup takes practice and some kids take more time to warm up to it before they can eliminate the bottle completely. Also, some children do better with straws or regular cups and bypass the need for a sippy cup altogether! So it’s just a matter of figuring out what works best for your little one. Keep in mind that it’s perfectly okay to get rid of the bottle when your child is 18 months and has demonstrated that they can drink well from a regular cup or a sippy cup, even if they have a strong preference for the bottle. Your toddler may protest initially, but they will typically drink enough out of the sippy cup to stay hydrated and move on relatively quickly, like they do with most things they think they have an obsession with. Everything in the toddler world is temporary, so your kid will catch up.

Tips To Transition From A Bottle To A Cup

• Try to eliminate one bottle at a time. Usually the hardest bottle to eliminate is the one you give your child right before they go to bed, so make sure that’s the last bottle to go.
• Offer a lot of praise and encouragement every time your toddler picks up the sippy cup instead of asking for a bottle. There’s nothing like positive reinforcement to fasten up the process.
• You can always entice your kids by putting a treat in their sippy cup. Although sugary drinks are not good for kids, a little fruit juice mixed in with water may just be the incentive your child needs to start using their sippy cup regularly.
• You can also dilute the milk in their bottle with a lot of water and offer only milk in the sippy cup to ensure that they pick the latter.

The transition from a bottle to a sippy cup may be a challenge but it’s one your child will overcome in time. Just be patient with them and let them practice and experiment. Happy parenting!