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Choking on sippy cup & can't hold bottle.. Worried mama :(

dimi2015dimi2015 member
in September 2015 Moms
Hi everyone,

My son is 7.5months old and I have tried him on a sippy cup since 6 months but not regularly.. I have put just water in it but he has such a strong suck that he chokes really badly almost on every suck he takes.. Even with his bottles he's still on the slow flow teats, except for one bottle but he manages to finish 200ml of formula in a matter of minutes so I usually give the slow flow bottles. 

I'm getting worried now because in 4.5months he's supposedly supposed to be off formula and preferably drinking his cows milk from a sippy cup.. 

Aside from the choking, when he's drinking from his bottles he can't hold the bottle up by himself yet? He can hold it for a couple of seconds then drops it and when he goes to pick it up it's upside down and he doesn't know how to turn the bottle around to get it back in his mouth.. 

Is anyone else having these problems or is it just my little man? Not sure what to do. He's meeting other milestones, like sitting unsupported although he still topples over occasionally and he started crawling (more like dragging lol) about 2 weeks ago..... Should I be worried? What do I do?


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Re: Choking on sippy cup & can't hold bottle.. Worried mama :(

  • KissMeImScottishKissMeImScottish member
    Milestones are so fluid. In baby time, 4.5 months is an eternity! Mine went from belly surfing (flailing all four limbs in the air like a turtle on its back) to standing and then cruising the furniture in a matter of days. The brain is making so many connections right now. I seriously wouldn't worry about it. I might keep offering him an sippy cup to play with - mine loves his as a toy, and they can't learn if they don't try! If you're worried about the choking, simply let him play with the cup while its empty so he can figure out how to hold it. My son's has handles that he can grasp and it definitely helps him tell up from down.

    As for the nipple, we had the same issue. Part of his ultra strong suck response was precisely BECAUSE he was on too slow of a nipple speed. It takes a couple days for him to adjust to the new flow and to learn he doesn't need to suck it to death. I would move up a nipple size (or two, though you can be gradual about it) and give him a couple days to figure it out before you conclude he's not ready. Mine is finally off the slowest speed nipple and jumped up to a 3. Took a little bit of my keeping a close eye on him and feeding him almost sitting straight up, but he's figured it out now.

    So much of baby's learning process comes from us giving them the chance to learn in the first place. It can be super terrifying for mama! But they can't figure it out if we don't let them try. And as I said: milestones are super fluid. Unless your doctor is concerned, I wouldn't let it keep you up at night even a little bit.
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  • yellowbean15yellowbean15 member
    edited May 2016
    I agree with PP. I wouldn't be worried about it yet. He'll figure it out eventually if given the opportunity to practice. While the coughing can be scary, it's part of the process and he kind of needs that experience in order to figure out how to manipulate the spout successfully. I imagine if you offer it a couple times a day he would get the hang of it quicker than you think.  

    As for handling the cup, my son isn't that great at it either. When I first started giving it to him, he would suck on the handles, bottoms, sides, and just occassionally the spout while he explored it haha. He would also chew on the spout instead of suck because he isnt used to bottles. He eventually figured out what to do but he still often picks it up backwards or upside down and hasn't figured out how to correct it on his own yet. I just let him play around with it since he doesn't necessarily need the water right now. And I help him correct after he's had a lot of opportunity to try it himself. I've seen a good amount of improvement over the last month, offering it at least once a day.

    You could try different cups too. Maybe the spoutless ones would be better or even a straw cup? I find the straw one (Munchkin) DS has takes a lot of sucking power. Good luck with the transition!  

    Edited to make more sense.
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  • shelbyddshelbydd member
    My son is almost 9 months old and doesn't even try to hold his own bottle. At one point he was trying but for whatever reason he just stopped. We have nuby sippy cups (which I would recommend!) that have a silicone bottle nipple to start with then a silicone sippy cup insert that you can change it to to help teach LO. LO does good holding it since it has handles. But yeah, I really wouldn't worry about it. i don't think it's an overly important milestone anyway. at least in comparison to the others.
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  • jen83mnjen83mn member
    Our little guy was having trouble with a regular sippy so we tried the Munckin 360 trainer cup instead. It allows them to suck on the side of the cup anywhere and water will come out. Our kiddo loves it and does great with it! Plus, if you fill it up pretty full, they don't have to tip it as far back as they would a regular sippy. 

    https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Miracle-Trainer-Green-Ounce/dp/B00MRZIFD0
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  • LoveLee85LoveLee85 member
    So much growth happens in almost five months. We aren't ready for sippy cup or anything yet but I'm not worried.
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  • ElleMF728ElleMF728 member
    @ktewart made a really good point.  LO is probably used to sucking so hard because of the slow flow nipple.  Which could be part of the problem with his sippy. 
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  • dimi2015dimi2015 member
    Thanks so much ladies you're all so reassuring  <3
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  • TeacherMom210TeacherMom210 member
    DD#1 never held her bottle, but she got the hang of holding a cup just fine. DD#2 is going the same way. She already picks up and drinks from her sister's 360 cup, but doesn't hold her own sippy. It all works out eventually.
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  • missliz53missliz53 member
    Platex makes a really nice sippy with a silicone nipple. There is a plug on the inside that you can have in or out which affects the flow. Lo isn't interested in holding her own bottle or spoon either. I'm not pushing the issue. We're almost do e with bottles and once toddler independence kicks in, I'm sure she'll be more eager to feed herself

    @jen83mn Our ped had us start using that cup because apparently dentists don't like the spouts. How did you get your lo to figure out that he had to suck on the rim? Mine just bites on it and then pitches the cup when nothing comes out. 
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  • jen83mnjen83mn member
    @missliz53 - I just held the cup up to his lips and tipped it back to show him how it works and he started sucking on his own, but he does at times prefer to just play with it, bite the sides or bottom of the cup, etc. Not sure how to teach them if they don't realize they have to suck! Maybe give them a bottle or pacifier to suck on first, then give them the cup right away to see if they'll continue the sucking motion?
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