Help: DS doesn't "get" the sippy

MickeyM04

So when DS was around 7 months old, we started introducing the sippy cup, with water.  Mostly he just played with it.  Now at almost 10 months old, he definitely understands that when you suck, liquid comes out, and he no longer gives us the WTF face when he tastes the water.  However, although we have been through like 5 different kinds of sippies, he still doesn't seem to understand how to hold it.

I'm sure part of this comes from the fact that he never holds his own bottle.  He HAS held it; he just won't.  He's one of those lazy guys that likes to drink and recline and close his eyes and take it easy.  So I think the issue is he just doesn't really want to hold the sippy either.  We'll give it to him and he'll just kind of smack it and knock it around, and won't drink from it unless we hold it for him.  Once we get it to his mouth, he will grab onto it, but kind of gently, to the point where if we let go, it won't be at enough of an angle for the liquid to flow out (even when the sippy is really full and he should only have to tilt it a little to get some liquid out).

So what do we do?  I'd like him off the bottle at a year, but am I going to be the mom who's holding her son's sippy cup every time he gets thirsty?  Should we switch to straw cups?  Regular cups?  I feel like no matter what we do it doesn't really matter because if he won't hold the cup he's not going to get anything out of it.  Help?  TIA!

melly918

DS didn't get the sippy either.  He was about 8 -9 months when we tried.  I found success with the Sassy straw sippys.  When he was much older and "got" the drinking idea, we could use sippys.

FmrAFBrat

Ds didn't get the sippy right away either. I started with Nuk, but then I started him on the Playtex ones with the straw, similar to the ones day care uses, but after buying a bunch he prefers the cheapies that he can tilt back.

FWIW, I still haven't totally gotten him off the bottle-he still requests one in the evening & first thing in the morning. I'm hoping to get him off of it 100% soon.

Junebug060609

D got straw sippies first. He didn't grasp tipping the other sippies until he was over a year, possibly bc he was bf until 11m so he'd not been exposed to tipping a bottle.

Fwiw, he's almost 17m and still takes a bottle before bed. I'm trusting my gut when it comes to dropping bottles, been gradually eliminating them.

martinimomma

DS also never held his own bottle.  He still gets 2 bottles a day (morning and night - yes, even at 16 months -  he does not eat well yet or take formula from the sippy well, so we use the bottle to make sure he takes in enough calories) and won't hold it.

We have had good luck with the Playtex straw sippys. Their smaller ones have handles on the side -- DS took to those right away.  Now we've "graduated" to the ones without handles, and he holds those fine.

Good luck!

jertie

Your post made me laugh! (Not maliciously, I just remember the frustration I felt introducing the sippy - we've also got about 5 or 6 different ones.) Pip's issue was that the cups were just too heavy for her to hold, tilt, etc. We ended up using Nuby - which has a 4-step process to get the kids used to the sippy. Each one has a different grip and sippy part to slowly make the transition - they worked awesome! (We got them at Target - but I've also seen them at WalMart too.) GL!

Eris-Alexis

I would also try the straw cups.  C would use a sippy, but played with it more than drank out of it.  We tried straw cups and he did much better.  Now that he understands he can drink from something other than a bottle, he's been doing better with sippy cups as well.  GL!

Junebug060609

sandyd:

DS also never held his own bottle.nbsp; He still gets 2 bottles a day morning and night yes, even at 16 months nbsp;nbsp;he does not eat well yet or take formula from the sippy well, so we use the bottle to make sure henbsp;takes in enough calories and won't hold it.We have had good luck with the Playtex straw sippys. Their smaller ones have handles on the side DS took to those right away.nbsp; Now we've "graduated" to the ones without handles, and he holds those fine.Good luck![/ quote] Sandy, D was on morning and bedtime bottles until last weekend. Down to just the bedtime one now. Slowly but surely getting there ::mobile winky::

Aubs0009

melly918:

DS didn't get the sippy either.  He was about 8 -9 months when we tried.  I found success with the Sassy straw sippys.  When he was much older and "got" the drinking idea, we could use sippys.

This. We just kept trying different kinds.

samm1983

We started offering a sippy with water at 6 months.  He didn't really get it until after he was a year and we took the bottles away.  Then he HAD to figure it out.  I tried every kind they made and eventually he just got it.

MickeyM04

Thanks so much ladies!  Especially for the brand suggestions.  I think we will try the straw cup and if he doesn't get that either we may take the approach of just "forcing" him when we eventually take the bottle away.  He didn't like the bottle at first either but once I went back to work and the boobies were gone and he didn't have a choice, things went a lot better with the bottle.  Maybe it'll be like that.  Silly boy!