really stupid sippy cup question

redshoegirl

At the boys? 6 month checkup, we were told to start introducing them to sippy cups ? but that it was better if the sippy cups were not be the kind with the ?no spill? valve.

I?ve looked high and low and can?t find any sippy cups like this ? even the super cheap disposable ones have valves. Is it really that big of a deal for them to have the valve? What did/do you use?

Hawaiian Honey

Just out of curiosity...Did they tell you why no valve??? Matty's used the ones with valves from the start. Never even thought about what the difference between the 2 was except for the spillage issue. Hope I haven't done something to mess him up in the future!  Some cups I've seen are still no spill but don't have a valve they just have a soft(silicone?) top with a few small slits in the top where the baby drinks from. These went right out the windoe at our house after cleaning several puddles of apple juice off the floor. And just FYI...I don't think there's truly a no spill sippy. Over the past 6 years and 3 children, we've tried dozens and they all seem to leak/spill at some point.

inamra

I think the no valve makes it so that it's more like drinking from a regular cup (for better practice for regular cups), but it makes it so that it's no longer really no-spill anymore (but less spill than a completely open top). You can actually take out the valves from some sippy cups--I read on Amazon that some parents complained that their sippy cups leaked and it was because they didn't have the valve in or it wasn't in correctly or something along the lines of that. I also got this cup for LO (we haven't started using it--just bought it ahead of time because he started to grab and pretend to drink from our cups a few weeks ago).

myday1708

I have no idea what we use, but I think it's the no spill kind. Have never heard not to use them and that's what everyone I know uses! Munchkin. At my mom's group play dates all the kids have the same cups: Sippys and straw cups.

redshoegirl

Hawaiian Honey:

Just out of curiosity...Did they tell you why no valve??? 

She said that it was so they would learn not to suck on the cup the way they do on a bottle - that a free flow is better than a valve, which slows the fluid. I'm not sure it's really that big of a deal, but I was going to go with it...until I couldn't find any!

myday1708

Why don't you introduce a real CUP at the same time? That's what we did.... Not intentional, but just because she seemed interested in a cup. I got some little plastic cups. Now, before bed, after her sippy of milk, she takes a sip or two of water from her CUP and then I stick her toothbrush into the cup and we brush teeth. 

redshoegirl

myday1708:

Why don't you introduce a real CUP at the same time? That's what we did.... Not intentional, but just because she seemed interested in a cup. I got some little plastic cups. Now, before bed, after her sippy of milk, she takes a sip or two of water from her CUP and then I stick her toothbrush into the cup and we brush teeth. 

I was thinking of this - good to know someone does it! 

Hey, question about the teeth brushing - our dentist told us not to use a toothbrush (even without toothpaste) until the boys were 2 years old, and just to rub their teeth/gums with a clean washcloth before then. Do dentists in the USA say otherwise? Just curious. 

cecig

redshoegirl:

myday1708:

Why don't you introduce a real CUP at the same time? That's what we did.... Not intentional, but just because she seemed interested in a cup. I got some little plastic cups. Now, before bed, after her sippy of milk, she takes a sip or two of water from her CUP and then I stick her toothbrush into the cup and we brush teeth. 

I was thinking of this - good to know someone does it! 

Hey, question about the teeth brushing - our dentist told us not to use a toothbrush (even without toothpaste) until the boys were 2 years old, and just to rub their teeth/gums with a clean washcloth before then. Do dentists in the USA say otherwise? Just curious. 

Can't help you with the sippy cup question because gosh, I can't remember what we used that long ago!

As for the dentist, Cassie's first visit isn't until March (due to insurance issues) but our pedi always suggested cleaning her gums with a washcloth, and once her teeth came in, to gently scrub them with the little rubber finger toothbrush. And now that she has a mouth of teeth, we use a soft spin brush with a miniscule amount of toothpaste, which our pedi also recommended. HTH!

mrspresley

the reason is b/c sippy cups (like bottles) are linked to early childhood caries (ECC) aka cavities! (there is a link on this PDF to more info too)

link

we used a straw cup with miss A for about 2 wks and then she wanted nothing to do w/it and just went straight to a regular cup! i found that the lids on the avent bottles work very well as baby cups so i never went out and bought a cup for her per se.  she only drinks milk during meals so for now a cup is fine and we don't need a spill proof drink container

as for tooth brushing i have never heard not to use toothbrushes...only not to use fluoride toothpaste.  still, i only use a wet washcloth to brush her teeth at night just b/c it's easier.  it's so cute - at night after i nurse her i take her into the bathroom and wet the washcloth...then i say "open your mouth so i can brush your teeth" and she smiles, then opens her mouth for me

mrsmauimary

Ugh, I totally hear you!  It wasn't until our daycare provider showed me the Playtex sippy cups.  I know these have the valves, but seriously, they'll learn early enough anyway.  All the other ones spill.  I've tried every brand going, and kept coming back to these.  

Ben has been drinking from a straw, a cup and anything else - so I wouldn't worry too much about the valve part.  Keep your sanity.  They will learn fast how to get the goods anyway.  

If you're interested, heres the link to the product: 

https://www.diapers.com/product/productdetail.aspx?productid=5604 

They totally saved my sanity!   

myday1708

Re the toothbrush question... We are using one only because daycare requested that we bring one in. They said that in the toddler room (12-24 months) they all brush their teeth together after lunch. We had been using a washcloth before that. Now we have the same toothbrush at daycare and at home. And when she brushes her teeth... It's just with water and she gums the brush a bit, that's all. She still has only 4 teeth! 

On the cups... We got this 5-cup pack from Munchkin for $3.50:

https://www.diapers.com/product/productdetail.aspx?productid=21215  

They are are small and light, very easy for her to use. She's been drinking out of them since 6-7 months, way before we introduced the sippy. We use those cups, several sippy cups and several straw cups all interchangably. 

MrsZiz

I'm late responding but Bella uses a cup with a straw, it says on the package ages 2 and up but she wanted NOTHING to do with a sippy cup (which we initially tried giving her at 6 months old). She drinks like a champ from the straw cup and it's no spill. We also let her take drinks out of our cups because we only drink water or milk. I really don't want her to have juice or soda since we don't drink that kind of stuff.

As far as tooth brushing, my dentist who is a family dentist said to start brushing with a tooth brush as soon as she had teeth. He said it wasn't the point of brushing her teeth but more to get her used to the sensation and having someone brush her teeth. He said try the toothbrush first and then use a DRY washcloth after. He said a wet one doesn't remove the plaque. So we brush her teeth, use the dry wash cloth and then she pretends to brush her teeth. I say "brush and brush those teeth" and she moves the brush around. She's just now starting to clamp her jaws when we stick the toothbrush in her mouth, which I think is because she's cutting more teeth so it may be painful to have her gums and her teeth brushed... although I can't be sure!