Introducing a Cup to your Breastfed Baby

When I wrote the title to this post I couldn't help but laugh a little. "How to introduce a sippy cup to your breastfed baby" umm....give. them. the. cup. Yeah, it wasn't that easy for us. I'm sure some babies take to it pretty easy but it definitely took some time for us.  Since Gage is exclusively breastfed we knew we wanted to introduce a sippy cup early on so when it is time to wean him he can go straight to a cup and not a bottle. It took some trial and error but we finally figured it out and I have a little advice for those in the same boat.

 

 

 

 

 

Pick the right time and age. You don't want them to be too young when you introduce a sippy to them. You want to make sure they can pick it up and use it themselves. We decided to give one to Gage when he was off pureed foods and eating more finger foods {around 7 months} and he needed more liquid with his meals.

 

Pick the right cup. I know, I know. there are a million cups out there. I noticed that Gage liked the soft spout sippys rather than the hard ones. Also, the flow was a big issue for us. They were either too fast that he'd choke or too slow that he'd get frustrated. We finally found one he loved called Nuby Soft Spout No-Spill Clik-It Cup. There are so many great things that I love about this cup. The spout is just the right length, there were a few cups that the spout was super long and made him gag. Their Touch-Flo technology activates as soon as your baby puts their mouth on the spout and it is also one piece Which  means there is no additional valve that needs to be cleaned like most cups. I also loved that it click's to let you know that it's locked. Here's some more info on the Nuby Cup.

 

- 6 Months +

- 10 oz/ 300ml

- Easy grip base, perfect for little hands

- One piece no spill soft silicone spout

- Touch-Flo technology that activates as soon as your child puts their mouth on the spout

- Leak proof technology that you an see and hear. Hear the "click" and know its locked

- Endorsed by Pediatric Dentist Dr. Grace Yum

- BPA FREE

 

available at

Babies R Us

Target

TJ Maxx

 

 

 

 

Meal time only. When I first gave Gage a cup I tried to just leave it in his sight all day so he would see it and maybe try it, but then he totally thought it was a toy. So I changed to just giving it to him at mealtime so he would associate it with his food. He learned fast that it had to do with his food and that it wasn't for him to play with. 

 

Older siblings make good examples. Gage watches Ryder's every move and tries everything he does. So I gave the cup to Ryder and told him to show Gage how to use it. Worked like a charm! Who knew a 3 year old could teach him more than me??

 

 

Super simple advice for what you think would be a simple task right?? Hope it helps those who might be struggling with the same thing. And am I the only one out there who had a hard time with this? 



As a participant of the Nuby Parent Blogger program I receive items to review. However all opinions are my own.