Learn how to teach baby to drink from a straw in minutes using one of three different tricks quickly and easily. Plus, discover the best straw sippy cup!
Any parent with a baby or toddler knows that there are a multitude of sippy cups available to choose from. It can be pretty overwhelming when you’re standing in front of a selection of 30+ cups. To make it more confusing, parents have the choice between the traditional spout shaped sippy cup or a no spill straw cup. My vote, as a therapist, is the straw cup. In fact, this is one of the first recommendations I make to families I am working with to improve feeding skills and even give sensory input. I know, you didn’t know the straw had so much power! To say this simply, straw drinking requires the use of different muscles and a more sophisticated motor plan, meaning it is a little more challenging.
Using a spout shaped sippy cup is the same sucking motion a child uses to drink from a bottle, so it isn’t progressing their skills much. You may be saying, “So what? What difference does it make?” Well, those straw drinking muscles they are using are the same muscles they need to manipulate food in their mouth better and say more speech sounds. Sure, a kid will still eventually get these skills, but by introducing a straw, you are laying a stronger foundation and they may master these skills sooner! In addition, straw drinking gives a lot of sensory feedback, the force it requires to suck can be very calming and organizing. Sounds great, right? By now, you are ready to run to the store and stock up! Before you hop in the car or click over to Amazon, there are a few things to consider first, like what kind of straw to use, what age you should introduce it, and how to actually teach a baby to drink from one (most of them need some help to get going).
When Can Babies Drink from a Straw?
Let’s talk about age first. Most babies are capable of being taught to drink from a straw at 9 months. Typically, toddlers will figure it out by age 2 on their own. I was able to teach my older son at 8 months and my younger son taught himself at 5 months! That was crazy, and I’m not trying to brag, he just kept watching his big brother do it and put it together on his own. I was pretty amazed when he reached for it one day and just took a drink like it was old hat. Although, that is pretty uncommon, potentially, it is possible.
One important word of caution, straw drinking can cause babies or toddlers to swallow quickly if they are sucking fast, which may make them cough and choke on the liquid. Swallowing is a very coordinated action that most of us take for granted, when something “goes down the wrong pipe”, liquid may actually enter our lungs and we begin coughing to get it out. It is okay if this happens occasionally, but if it happens often (and it could with babies), then you may need to lay off the straw for a little while or try putting thicker liquids into the cup (milk, milkshakes, or even applesauce) until they get the hang of it. Otherwise, they could end up with pneumonia. Also, make sure they are seated, it can get difficult for a toddler to manage walking and swallowing. If your child is greater than 15 months and still coughing frequently while using a straw, mention it to their doc.
How to Teach Baby to Drink from a Straw
Alright, so let’s get into the meat of this post… How to actually teach your child to drink from a straw. First of all, try and stick a regular straw in their mouth. It is important that it’s just a good old fashioned straw, because the no spill straw cups require you to suck really really hard. A baby may try to suck and when they don’t get anything instantly, just give up. Who knows, they may take to it right away, without any help from you. More likely, they will just hold their mouth open or put their mouth on it, but won’t suck. In this case, I would try the siphon technique:
1. Take the regular straw and stick it into a cup of water, so it is touching the bottom, and put your finger over the opening at the top. Keep your finger over the opening at the top so you are holding the liquid in the straw as you pull the straw out of the water, as I am doing in the picture above.
2. With your baby sitting firmly in a chair, hold the straw up over their open mouth and release the liquid so it falls into their mouth, being careful not to allow too much water to go in at a time.
3. Repeat this a few times, if your baby seems interested. If they aren’t up for participating, then try again on a different day. Hopefully your baby will start to close their mouth around the straw. If they aren’t, then stroke the sides of their cheeks and demonstrate so they can imitate you!
4. Once they are closing their mouth around the straw, keep your finger over the other end of the straw so they have to suck to get the liquid out. Keep putting more and more water into the straw so they are sucking more and more through the straw.
5. Now try putting the straw directly into the cup and letting them take a drink. Some will have figured it out at this point and won’t need any more help. If they go back to holding their mouth open, then start over and this time, when they start to suck the water out of the straw, flip the straw down into the open cup of water. This is a little tricky, you have to be fast. The idea is that you don’t break the sucking action and hopefully they start to make the connection that when they suck, they get a drink!
It may take several “practice sessions” before your babe masters this skill. If this approach isn’t working, I do have one more trick!
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Another Way to Teach Your Baby or Toddler Straw Drinking
You will need to get yourself a set of the Munchkin Take and Toss Straw Cup
Once they have mastered drinking from a regular straw, then it is probably a good idea to move to a no spill straw cup. Besides your own sanity, they have to suck harder to get the liquid out, which will decrease choking and coughing. As I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of cups to choose from. I don’t have any brand that I particularly love, and if they fall the right way, they all leak a little (so much for no-spill). Also, they are a total pain to disassemble and reassemble. In my house, we have one water cup a day and one milk cup a day that I keep in the fridge between meals. I do this just to minimize how often I have put these things together. I hope I’m not swaying you away from the straw though, they are worth it!
The Best Straw Sippy Cup to Get
I have a few that I like and have worked well, but follow the steps below to make sure you find a straw that works well for you and your baby or toddler.
1. Is it a skinny straw? Some have really wide straws which give too much liquid and don’t work the muscles as well. Definitely choose a skinny or thin straw.
2. Is it insulated? I prefer these for milk, but buy plastic ones for water. Although, it’s your preference.
3. Can you flip the straw inside? Meaning is their a lid that slide to cover the straw. This helps minimize germs while traveling, but obviously isn’t necessary.
I have tried and like Munchkin 
Keep in mind straw drinking requires a lot of muscle control and coordination. If you are trying this with a child with low muscle tone, it will be much more challenging, and will probably take multiple attempts before they learn how to do it.
I would love to hear how it goes with your little babe, let me know!
And, if you’d like to grab a totally free printable with my top 9 Tips to Improve Feeding (this is perfect for establishing good eating habits from an early age) then click here.
More on Feeding Milestones
Mega List of Finger Foods for Babies and Toddlers
The Complete Guide to Feeding Milestones
How to Wean Your Baby from the Bottle
Why You Should Let Your Baby Get Messy
How to Keep Your Child Seated for Meals
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 19 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
Thank you for this! I’m working with my 7 month old on drinking from a straw using the Ola silicone straw cup. She can suck just fine but lets it all dribble out. I don’t *think* it’s an issue of taking too much water in – even when I take the cup away after a small sip (I can see it moving up thru the straw), she just lets it all dribble back out. She also does this with the Munchkin 360 cup (not a straw). Any suggestions on how to encourage swallowing the water? Thanks so much! Love your articles.
Hi Sarah,
It’s possible she is having difficulty keeping her lips closed to bring the liquid back for swallowing. This could also be based on her sensory registration of the liquid in her mouth. Try checking out this article on oral sensory and motor skills and see if it can help!
Best,
Laura
Your Kid’s Table team member
Hi! Our little girl is 15mo and has hypotonia and recently operated a cleft palate too. She never learned how to suck because of those 2 issues but i would love to try teach her, if possible directly with a straw. If i offer her a usual bottle/nipple she will just bite it on the sides to get the milk out. Is it impossible to teach her to suck now if she never learned, either bottle or straw? We tried the straw but having never sucked she doesnt get it
Thanks in advance
Nina
Hi Nina! It’s never too late! Definitely try these tips listed in the article and see if it helps! Also, it may be beneficial to talk with her pediatrician about Occupational Therapy, which can help offer hands on help with teaching her how to use a straw, among other things!
Best,
Kalyn
Thank you so much for your helpful blog about teaching a baby to use a straw. I have used this for all three of my kids, at 8/5.5/6.5 months to use a straw and take water and formula when they have resisted a bottle (and formula!) for weaning from BF. I have recommended this blog to many people. It really made such a difference to weaning my kids. Thank you.
Hi Hannah! Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear that you found this post helpful, have had success with the straw, and often share our post with those around you! We appreciate you and your support!
Best,
Kalyn
I’m at a loss here, my daughter is 13 months old and will not drink her milk out of a cup. She also does not like cold milk, I have to heat it up for 30 seconds for her to drink it out of her bottle. She will drink water and juice out of a sippy cup but not milk. I tried a straw cup thinking she would drink milk out of that, bc my mom gives her a sip of Coke every so often and she does fine with it. I’m also at a loss on how to wean out the three bottles a day too. Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks
Kathryn
I am actually in the same boat with my almost 15 month old. We weaned off of formula and she will now drink just milk, but only from a bottle. She drinks water from open cups and a straw cup, but if I put her milk in an open cup or a straw cup she gags. If I change the top of her bottle to be a straw or a wider almost sippy like nipple, she refuses to drink it. I’m also at a loss, but just wanted to let you know that you know that you are not alone. Oh and I also have to warm the milk up.
Hi Kathryn,
Some little ones can be really resistant to getting rid of their bottle! We suggest moving milk to only during mealtimes during the day. The before bedtime bottle is usually the last one to go. You could also try teaching her to drink from an open cup. The flexible small disposable medicine cups can be a great teaching tool for this. You can find more suggestions about weaning from a bottle HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hi there! My 10 month old has been drinking water at meals from a Munchkin weighted straw cup since 6 months. We alternate between open cups and straw cups every day for practice at meal times. With the straw cup, he seems to continue sucking even when his mouth is full so it spills out the sides of his mouth. He definitely swallows some but it just seems like he keeps sucking despite there being plenty of water in his mouth already. It may be a no spill cup but with his technique, he and my floor are soaked lol! Any recommendations?
He also refuses a bottle and I would love for him tonight the hang of a straw cup as an alternative. I barely get out for this reason. I went out this weekend and my husband offered breast milk in this straw cup which he seemed to happily take, but again there was milk everywhere so it’s hard to know how much he actually got.
Hey Diane, Thanks for reaching out to us! Love that you have been working on a straw cup with him. I would try the tip in the article with having the liquid in the straw and getting it in their mouth. Starting with that so that he gets a feel for how much to swallow. I would also provide him with the straw cup and model along (take a small sip and sit it down) – so that he starts to connect it’s not a continuous drink. The other thing to try is waking his mouth up prior to cup time, so utilizing a tooth brush or colder items to drink/eat can be helpful so that he can feel more how much liquid is in his mouth! Hope that helps! – Desiree
Hi!
(Didn’t realize I had posted earlier as a reply to someone else’s comment – sorry!)
I’ve been working with my 8.5 month old to drink from a weighted straw cup and he’s got the sucking part down but then he coughs/chokes and just tonight, he vomited afterwards.
We use the Dr. Brown’s one. Should I give the Munchkin one a try or any other tips to prevent these episodes? I’m scared he’ll develop an aversion…
Thank you!!
Thanks for the very helpful information! When does one transition from a thin straw that requires strong sucking (to prevent choking) to a regular straw?
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge on this incredible site!
Hi Anna,
It is really dependent on each child’s skill level! Once your little one seems pretty consistently coordinated with a thinner straw then you can try a more typical straw. If the regular straw causes coughing then be sure to back off to the thinner straw and give it a little more time before trying again.
I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
It sure does, thank you Andrea! 🙂
You’re welcome!
Hi Andrea,
I’ve been working with my 8.5 month old to drink from a weighted straw cup and he’s got the sucking part down but then he coughs/chokes and just tonight, he vomited afterwards.
We use the Dr. Brown’s one. Should I give the Munchkin one a try or any other tips to prevent these episodes? I’m scared he’ll develop an aversion…
Thank you!!
Hi Kim,
You’re looking to avoid coughing/gagging when drinking out of a straw. It can create an aversion, but also can create a problem if some liquid goes into your little one’s lungs. A smaller straw is a great option to try! A coffee stirrer straw works great for this. It limits the amount of liquid that comes into his mouth all at once. If you are still seeing lots of coughing, then back off for a bit and try again after a few weeks. I hope that helps!
Best,
Andrea
Hi there! I’ve been working on this with my 11 month old. She’s great at closing her mouth around the straw but she blows instead of sucks. I think blowing bubbles into her water cup is fun for her but I have no clue how to teach her to suck instead. Any suggestions??
Hey Rebecca,
I’d try the trick in the article to get the liquid in the straw and then let it go into her mouth, so that she can see she can get liquid from it. You can also use a motivating liquid for her. If she does try to suck upwards but is having a hard time, you can make the straw shorter for ease to get it working.
Best,
Desiree
I super appreciate your response! I have been trying the trick of getting water into the straw with my finger on the end and letting her suck that way but she still blows instead – shooting water out the other end. And we have been using a plastic straw cut in half, hoping that would be easier for her, but no luck. I’ll try a smoothie today to see if maybe that is more motivating than water but I’m tapped on ideas other than that, I’m afraid.
Hiya. Thank you for this. I understand that drinking from a straw has many benefits. My 14 month old is still drinking her milk from a bottle. Do you recommend drinking milk from a draw? I have also read that drinking milk from a straw can cause tooth decay and is better to drink from a open or free flow cup. Thoughts much appreciated! 🙂 Jo
Hey Jo,
We recommend a straw or an open cup. So you can try to work on switching to either of those, whichever you are comfortable with!
Best,
Desiree
Thanks so much for your page about teaching babies to use straws. Managed to transition both my babies at 7 and 6 months to a straw cup when I changed to formula and they didn’t like a bottle. Genius!
Awesome Hannah,
So glad this was helpful for you 🙂
Best,
Desiree
I’ve been having trouble with my 14yo to accept all textures of food and on top of that she wasn’t accepting anything from straw. I didn’t know how to teach her and your post has been a godsend for me. She learnt in the 2nd time I put straw in her mouth with one end closed by my finger. Awesome, she’s learnt drinking from straw. one hurdle out of the way! thanks to your trick xx.
Yay, so awesome that you were successful! So happy that our article helped you and thank you for sharing with us!!
Best,
Desiree
Thanks for this helpful post. I have been trying this method with my 12 month old but she really just bites the straw and wants to chew it. Any ideas how to encourage sucking rather than biting? FYI she is bottle fed milk and has learned to drink water from a fully open cup. Just trying to introduce a straw cup for travelling. Thank you!
She could be looking for input, anytime she’s biting on the straw you can replace that with a teether, or something more appropriate to bite on. Also, you can try with working on having her blow bubbles through the straw. Sometimes this can help kids learn sucking up too when they are sucking in air to blow out. Hopefully that helps.
Best,
Desiree
I have a child who does this. Rest assured they do learn to drink from the straw, but some kids just really like chewing them as well. Most of my kids cups have flat straws lol.
My 10 1/2 month daughter has no trouble sucking liquid through a straw, but the problem is that once she gets the liquid in her mouth, she just lets it all run out. I’m not sure how to get her to understand that she needs to swallow it. She also has issues like this with cup drinking. For one thing, she frequently likes to just blow bubbles in the liquid in the cup (though she doesn’t do this with the straw). But if she does take liquid from the cup, she just usually lets it run out of her mouth or protrudes her tongue and pushes it out. Any suggestions?
Hey Rachel,
You can try to utilize thicker liquid to see if she is able to manage that in her mouth. She may just need some more time to practice and learn what to do next!
Best,
Desiree
My daughter just turned 3 and just can’t use any type of straw, I’ve tried them all, do you think that is worrying?
Hey Dan,
I’d keep working on it and utilize the strategies in the post, but doing them consistently to see if she can get the hang of it. You can also take a look at these Oral Motor Skills to try to help!
Best,
Desiree
My daughter only took bottles from 1mos to 4mos old. Then, she only breastfed directly from the breast until now at 14mos old. She will not drink from the straw but maybe a very small sip. She won’t let me give her the milk via your exercise either. I using a syringe, but even then, she has to be the one to hold it and put it in her mouth on her own time or she puts up a fight. How can I encourage her to use a straw and drink anything other than breast milk without having to force her? Note: this is my second kid, the first didn’t have any issues with bottles or sippies.
To add: she eats food just fine. Almost every food presented to her. This problem is exclusive to drinking.
Hey Thanks for reaching out!
So sorry you are having trouble with getting your little one to drink liquids. We know how hard the transition can be! Even though we do recommend straw cups, you can try something in the middle such as a sippy to start the transition! Also utilizing the breastmilk (if you’re not already) can be really helpful. I’d try to pick a cup with a cartoon or something interesting that she enjoys. And make sure to leave it out all through the day!
Hope that helps!
Desiree
My son first started using a spout sippy cup around 6 months, then a 360 cup around 9 months. At first he was fine with a cup. Then, he began filling his mouth up with water then letting it all spill out. This was often followed by giggles, so we decided to try a straw cup around 10.5 months hoping since he did not have to lean his head back he would no longer spill as much. He has been using a straw cup for over a month and there is still a lot of leakage though improved. How can I teach him to swallow after sucking? At first, it seemed like a game, but now he seems to do it unintentionally and is not swallowing much water at mealtime.
Hey Lauren,
Thanks for reaching out!! The straw does take a lot of muscles and strength in the mouth to complete, so continuing to utilize will help strengthening. I’d also look at doing some other Oral Motor exercises as these may help. I’d keep modeling you drinking a small sip and then pulling the straw out to model the swallow right after as well.
Best,
Desiree
My 4 month old baby hasn’t been able to drink from a bottle due to tongue and lip tie and inability to latch on the nipple. We have tried just about everything including a doidy cup and are going to occupational therapy but I just heard about a straw cup from the pediatrician today at her 4 month check up. Do you think it is possible a straw cup could work for her? How would you safely introduce a straw cup to such a young baby?
Hey Kristianna,
So sorry you are having difficulties with latching. I’m glad you are seeking outside help. As far as the straw cup you can read all about our recommendations HERE. This will help provide you with some tips. While we don’t recommend until 8-9months of age, Alisha does mention that he son learned at 5 months. Hope this provides some helpful tips!
Best,
Desiree
Thank you for all this info!! My 10.5mo old has been drinking water from a straw cup for a few months now, but she chokes 80% of the time. I have to hold it for her and try to make her sips short and even that doesn’t always help. She does the same with an open cup. She does this occasionally with her bottle too, but that’s gotten better as she’s gotten older (actually introducing the straw cup improved her bottle drinking). How can I help her?
Hi Ashley,
So glad that you noticed her getting better with her bottle after introducing the straw as well as starting her off with the straw. I’d try to make sure that she is seated in a supported position during straw drinking with 90/90/90 positioning. Also, I’d try to do some thicker liquids to see if that helps her as the thin liquid seems to be coming out too fast for her. Keep us posted!
Best,
Desiree
I know this is kind of technical but what gauge/size straw do you suggest for a young infant?
Hey Frances,
Just the standard size should work!! I do find if after completing these activities and the child is having trouble sucking the liquid up the straw that I can cut the straw to make it shorter for a quick fix then increase the length when they have more strength to get the liquid all the way up! Hope this helps!
Best,
Desiree
Hi
Just stumbled on this while searching for an insulated straw cup for my 1yr old. I cant decide on which one to but? She is fine with the straw, is practising drinking water for an open cup(360 muncgkin) for outside use. Pls help, the ones i saw on amazon are thick silicon straws , thankfully saw your article and didn’t order.
Hey Reva,
Our favorites are listed in the article. We do prefer the Munchkin or the Playtex but is all in what you are looking for. You can check out the Best Straw Sippy Cup to get section in the article for more pointers!
Best,
Desiree
Thanks so much, my daughter after a week of practice got the hang of the straw cup. She seemed to be swallowing and drinking great. However, recently she has started sucking up water and spitting it out and soaking herself. I’m not sure how much she is actually drinking. I usually have to change her shirt after she drinks water. Is this normal for her to play with the water like this ? She also becomes obsessed with the cup now and has tantrums sometimes if I take it away :-/ she is ten months.
This is normal, they start to play. I’d tell her swallow, and gently close her lips. It will take some practice and repetition.
Hi so glad for your help😃.. I just started weaning my 22 months she has been using the straw sippy cup since she was 6.. Now my fear is how do i know that she is getting enough milk coz she likes drink it laying down . Because theres alot of bubbles inside the bottle. Should i cut the straw?
Thank you
Hi, My daughter is 6 months old and breast fed. I’m about ti introduce a straw cup for her but I’m not sure if it’s better to have a free flow straw cup for easy sipping or something like the munchkin which requires stronger suction? When I try the ones with the valves myself they seem very hard to drink though, they require strong suction. Is this too much for a baby or do they actually require a slower flow/ suck differently/more strongly than an adult would?
Hi Amber! Thanks for reaching out! We have techniques for using both straw types listed in the above article, however, starting out with a standard straw with an easier suck may better help her get the hang of it at first. Then, once she’s learned how to use a straw, switching to something like the Munchkin straw cups with a stronger suck will help prevent spillage and choking/coughing. Hope that helps!
Best,
Kalyn
Thank you for this article! Has helped so much! My little one attached pretty quickly from sucking to the straw when I am holding it. Trying to transition to drinking out of the straw by himself. He was doing so good when I put my finger over the straw, but let him drink by himself once and he must have sucked too fast and choked and spit it all out. Scary! I’ve been keeping holding the straw for now, is that the best and then to try again without soon? Thanks!
Yes, that can happen! If he has the concept, I’d try to move to a no spill straw cup because it has a valve and doesn’t come up as fast, however, you have to suck a lot harder and for an extra second so he may not “get it”. If that doesn’t work, I’d try again slowly with the straw and when he goes to drink it himself, you could try pulling it out of his mouth super fast, reassuringly saying, “just a little” But, I’d continue to try the valved straw because that will help the most. If he still is coughing frequently, I’d wait a few weeks and cautiously try again.
I have a 14 month old who drink and his water and juice from the munchkin 360 cups. I try milk with that as a well, but he doesnt drink as efficiently. Is this type of cup better for him? Or a straw cup? I’d like to know which one is the overall best for him, for his teeth and speech development.
Either cup is fine but they do work different skills. Ideally, it would be awesome to have a straw cup to drink out of sometimes as well!
You are a saint for this site and all your responsive comments! My 13 mo. old sweet son loves food and loves milk and is a chunker (26 lbs). No aversion to foods/liquids of any kind (in fact the opposite where he cries when mealtime is over) and CAN drink from a straw cup for water just fine or tries to drink my smoothies or water when we’re at a restaurant. But when it’s milk time he wants to tip it upside down like he did with his bottle. We tried straw cups and the liquid doesn’t reach the bottom of the straw of course b/c it’s upside down. Honestly he doesn’t love the strawless cups either like the miracle cup or Life cup and might take a few sips and then pushes it away. I feel like I’ve spent $200 on cups trying various ones out and so he’s still using silicone spouts for milk. Is there a magic straw cup we should try that works at any angle, or just have him go hungry for a few meals to force him to graduate?
Unfortunately, there is no cup that I’m aware of like that. Just keep helping him when he is drinking his milk. It may take him awhile to get used to it, but just keep at it.
Try the munckin weighted straw cup. It may work. We have it and am looking forward to using it once my son masters the straw. He has low muscle tone, so it is taking a bit longer.
Thanks Leanne! Good luck!
Dr Brown has a weighted straw cup so the straw stays in the liqiud regardless of the angle of the cup.
O my goodness! It worked ! Just a Few attempts on practice on holding the straw with lliquid and 3 minutes later she starts drinking from the straw from her cup ! Thank you
YAY!!! You are so welcome! So happy this worked for you!
Best,
Desiree
Excellent! Great resources!
Thank you for all that your do in this area.
Our daughter has a history of feeding aversion. We tried to teach our daughter to drink water from a cup as outlined and it seemed to cause her aversion to return and she tensely refused her milk from the bottle those subsequent feeds. We emailed the consultant we had previously worked with for her aversion and she said “I can see how teaching a baby to drink from a straw in the way described could be problematic for a very sensitive baby who has previously been averse to feeding, as it involves placing the straw and fluid into baby’s mouth. If you are sensing it’s problematic for Alison, I suspect it could be, and in this case recommend you stop.” Do you have other tips on how to train a sensitive baby like our daughter?
Also, what are your thoughts on the Munchkin 360 and do you have tips on how to get her to drink from that?
Hi Lisa, yes with an extreme aversion that is possible! I’d offer her a simple straw with no valve like the take and toss, but NOT squeeze at all. It needs to be 100% on her own terms, which means that it could take longer.
Do you have the option for feeding therapy? If so, I’d look into that. For the 360 cup I’d let her experiment and practice. Also, in this case, as a feeding therapist I wouldn’t be totally opposed to a sippy cup.
Hello. Just wanted to follow up. We bought the take and toss like you mentioned. She started blowing into it and making water “bubbles”. Just a phase? Just let her experiment?
Yes, I would! She may be stuck there so you might want to take a break from it for a couple of days.
Are you saying to let her experiment and continue or take a break?
I have twins who will be 11 months on 04/02/2018 (9.5 months adjusted). They have figured out how to suck liquid from a straw, but tend to just let it fall out of their mouths. Does it just take a lot of practice or do you think I need to modify something? They do the same thing with the miracle 360 cup. They have always hated drinking from a bottle, so I’m eager for them to transition off the bottle soon!
More practice is always a good thing. Check out this post on oral motor exercises, this could help them with their drinking. I would also mention this to their doctor too.
This is cute- but how about teaching your child NOT to drink from a straw? Especially one made from plastic!
Training them to use something that doesn’t come naturally is fine in principle – but did you know 500 MILLION plastic straws are used in the US every SINGLE day!!?
They end up in the ocean and cause huge amount of damage and death to marine life.
In addition some researchers believe that when we drink from plastic straws and cups it can be ingested as micrparticles! – do you really want to be feeding your baby plastic?
Lastly drinking from a cup requires focus and coordination which can help your baby learn to their improve motor function!
So perhaps we should be teaching our babies to drink from a cup and teach them healthy, sustainable habits. To find out more about the issues with straws look for #SkipTheStraw #StrawsSuck #StopSucking
Happy sipping! 🙂 xxx
My son is 6 mo, and I have just started giving him those food pouches where they suck the baby food out with a straw-type opening, and my son took to it like crazy. Yesterday was his second pouch ever and he sucked all of the 4 ounces out in less than 5 minutes. I’ve been trying to get him to transition to a soft spout sippy with the thought of transitioning to straw cups at 9 months, but does this indicate readiness? I have ordered an Avent straw cup since those are the bottles we use, but I am definitely going to stop by my local Wal-mart and pick up some of those Munchkin cups- I had only heard of the honey bear trick and I had no idea that these would work the same way. Thanks!
Absolutely!
I’ll tell you that my second son learned to drink from a straw at 5.5 months old because he watched his older brother. I let him drink from it because he handled it well, meaning there wasn’t a lot of coughing and choking. If your son does the same then go with it.
I know this is a very old post, but I thought I’d take a shot anyway: what can be done about a baby who only wants to chew on the straw? I’ve tried the finger-suction routine with my nine-month-old, and all she wants to do is bite the straw. I’ve been trying with regular plastic soda straws, but I also bought the munchkin cup you suggested for after she gets the hang of sucking. Do I just need to wait a bit and try again, or is there a trick for getting her to suck instead of bite?
I would try again in a little while! But, I’d say that you also could try to use the take and toss cup and just squirt it into her mouth- that might be the trick for her!
This post is really good. Thank you. I have a 18 month old, who never took a bottle or sippy cups. He use to chew on sippy, so I stopped. I started small open cup which is working okay. I fill very little water or milk and he can drink by himself. He still does not know when to stop, and drinks it all at once. But he always has a chew motion when he starts drinking any liquid. I want to teach him straw, so I just started with the honey bear cup where you need to squeeze out the liquid. The problem is he will never close his mouth and always chews. Also, when I use the straw bottle, he takes the straw all the way in the mouth (so, he chews with his teeth). And as I squeeze the bottle, the liquid will anyways go in his mouth. So, at the end, it seems that this method is not helping. How far should the straw be in his mouth to practice sucking? Should the teeth be closed, when they use the straw ? I am not sure if I am trying the right way. Please help !! Thank you.
The straw only needs to be in their mouth a little ways, in front of their teeth. Many young kids will bite the straw as they drink because its easier though. Ideally his mouth should be slightly opened with his teeth spread apart a little as he drinks from a straw. I’d try the honey bear again and only pull out a little bit of the straw so he can’t chew on it- does that make sense?
Thank you Alisha. Will try this. Also, one other thing I noticed is that he never closes his lips if using a straw or open cup. Its more of chewing motion. Is there some way to teach him to close his lips when drinking?
If the straw is very short, he has to or he won’t be able to suck up the liquid. Does that make sense?
Help! My 12 month old son has been able to drink from a straw since about 9 months. I never thought about putting anything other than water in it at the time to make sure he didn’t associate the straw with water. We took the bottle away last week. He only had it for just over a month and was breastfed before that. We flavored his milk to entice him to not just spit it out and it seemed to be working. After a couple of days he started refusing not just the milk but water from the straw cup completely. I originally blamed it on the teeth that are coming in, but now I am not so sure that he isn’t just being stubborn. I’m an SLP so I am anti-sippy cup but don’t want him to get dehydrated. I’ve been making sure he eats foods with high water content to counterbalance his strike against drinking. Any other ideas?
Hey Courtney! Sorry for the delayed response! Are you able to use the take and toss or honey bear cup to squirt into his mouth?
My son is almost 10 months old and will drink from the straws, but we only do it at dinner time with a couple of ounces. We have not done full feedings with it. We use the take and toss but with regular one time use bendy straws that we cut to size so that he cant jam it in throat. Every so often he will fill his mouth and spill it out. But I am more concerned about when he seems to take it in fine but then coughs afterwards. How do I know that he isn’t inhaling it? He is sitting upright in the highchair when this happens. It doesn’t happen every sip he takes but probably one or twice per meal. He doesn’t tend to have any struggles when it comes to eating (aside from having a tongue tie at birth that was quickly diagnosed and taken care of).
I saw the comment about droppers- We had been instructed by our Pediatrician to give our son Vitamin D supplement since he was exclusively breastfed. It is a liquid that is given through a “dropper” but has a larger opening. About halfway through each dose he would start sucking on the dropper. When we started doing straws, we would give him this first, then quickly move to the straw on the cup. It helped him start sucking on the straw and realizing how it worked. Now he knows the straw without being led, but the dropper did help some. The difference was that the dropper had resistance and the straws we use do not, so the straw did surprise him when it gave him so much liquid.
I also noticed that this was written several years ago. Do you have any new suggestions on best cups to use? Has anything newer come out?
What age do you suggest switching to cups such as the Munchkin 360, or standard drinking cups? (Aside from the spill factor associated with them)
Thank you for this information. My son took easily to straws but this article helped me feel more confident to give it a try!
The coughing is very normal for this age, I’d use a straw cup with a valve in it so its no spill, these are harder to drink from and the liquid comes in slower. If he keeps coughing at every meal I’d actually use a sippy cup for a month or so. Around one is a great time to switch!
This article is great. Thank you. I have 12 month old that will drink water and juice from a straw sippy cup. We have two different kinds of cups. The Playtex straw cup she sucks up the liquid easily but lets most of it out of her mouth and just keeps repeating that. I am not sure if she can’t handle the amount of liquid she sucks up and doesn’t know how to swallow it? Is there any tips on correcting this? We also have a no spill NUby straw cup that she can use but doesn’t drink much out of it at a time . It seems like it is a lot more work to get the liquid out. We are having trouble getting her to drink her formula in anything other than a bottle. She will drink less than 1/2 the normal amount it at all when using a spouted sippy cup and will only take a few sips if in a straw cup. Any suggestions for this as well?
Thank you
Taking just sips at this age of water is great and yes it does sound like she’s getting too much liquid when she lets it run out of her mouth. I’d use the more challenging straw cup more of the time. Although I obviously love the straw, in this case I might use a traditional sippy cup for a while a couple of times a day if she’s able to drink more. I’d keep using the straw though too, and as she drinks better from that phase out the regular sippy cup. The cup with a lot of liquid coming out is okay as long as she’s spitting and not coughing, again just give to her on occasion so she gets practice, she’ll get better at this!
Here is the Tips How to Encourage Children To Drink Water
https://www.parentcircle.com/article/4-ways-to-encourage-children-to-drink-water/
Has anyone mentioned a baby drinking from a straw after first learning to take liquid from an eye dropper. My son did this. He took liquid from an eye dropper at 5 months old, and after attempting to chew on the dropper for a few days he quickly started enjoying sticking his tongue on the end of the dropper at the end of the liquid to feel the suction. After a few days of this he started actively sucking on the dropper. When I did offer him a straw a few months later, he drank from it immediately with no problem.
I never tried it, but I can totally see how that work!
Omg it WORKED!!
My baby is currently 11 months, or 9 adjusted because she was 10 weeks early. It took us months to learn to breastfeed, so once we did, I didnt want to see a bottle ever again. However, she’s about to go to daycare but refusing the bottle. She just chews the nipple. I was so, so worried about how the daycare wouldn’t get fluids into her. I tried your method and she immediately took to it! She’s not too good at it yet, but for having tried it for the very first time, it went very well.
THANK YOU!
Yay!!! That’s great Natalia! Good job to both of you:)
Wow! I can’t believe this worked so quickly. I tried it on our 10 month old and after a few tries, she got it! Thank so much!
Yay! It’s so cool, right! Thanks for sharing:)
I have 2 kids and I am having trouble getting them to drink from a sippy cup/straw cup. My older one, just turned 3, can suck the liquid up using a straw but she would only do it for fun. She refuses to drink an entire serving using a straw. She has always refused to use a sippy cup so she is still drinking out of a bottle (sigh). My youngest, 22 months, not only refuse to use a sippy cup but also shows no interest in a straw at all. At this point, should i skip through the sippy cup step and move directly to straw cups for both kids? How can i get my kids to change their behaviors?
I got you covered! I have a post called “how to wean from the bottle”. Click on articles in the menu bar and scroll down, once you’ve read that, let me know if you have more questions, but it should answer all your questions!
Thank you. It is tough to stick to it as I know you know! They can be so stubborn and so can we. We are waiting on the results of his biopsies now and then we can definitely focus on more sensory related therapy.
Hi Alisha – This is a fantastic post and I will be trying this with our 17 month old, Liam. Since about 9 months old we struggled with feeding and now it is a complete oral aversion. In fact, if anything other than a bottle with Pediasure in it is presented, he locks his mouth shut and shakes his head no. We have therapy – OT and ST as well as we just had an endoscopy yesterday to see if there are any GI reasons. So far, the preliminary results say that all is clear and this is sensory. I hope that trying to get him to drink from a straw cup would help him advance onto other foods appropriate for his age. He gags if anything is put near his mouth or anything thicker than Pediasure is there too.
I think this is a good thing to try. Also consider a sippy cup, in these case it might not be as obtrusive and you may be able to step down to a straw. This can be really challenging I know! You’ll want to try a sippy cup without the valve if he will take it to his mouth at all- experiment with both. From a sensory standpoint they both have their pros and cons.
Thanks! Yea, he won’t take anything other than a bottle. If we put a cup there he will push it away and close his mouth. If we put handles on the bottle (we have the ThinkBaby ones) he won’t take it. If we give him a cup he throws it. We can’t win haha!
I get it, trust me! I’ve worked with kiddos that do the same thing before. Glad you have services, and I would just keep trying. No pressure or anything, just put it there, every day. Have no expectation.
This post is amazing! Thankyou! I was reading the one about weaning off the bottle for my 13 month old and continued reading this one. I had not even thought about teaching him to use a straw cup. Occasionally I would offer him my water cup that had a straw but he didn’t get how to use it and I had no idea how to teach him.i have a take and toss straw cup here for when my niece visits so When I fed him breakfast this morning I tried it using your tricks and he learned in 5 minutes! I can’t wait to go to Wal-Mart and pick up some new straw cups for him and throw out the soppy cups that leak all over my house. Thank you again!!
That’s great Sarah! Thanks for sharing!
Great post! I read all the entries and some moms also describe a similar situation but not quite… I have a 17 month old daughter (15 corrected) and every time I introduce a straw she will bite down with her front teeth. Her keeping her teeth firmly clamped down prevents me from doing the two methods you suggested (letting fluid fall out the straw or squeeze the liquid out of the cup into the straw). As soon as she clamps down I stop and try another time, but the problem persists and it’s been months now. Should I look for a very rigid straw she can’t block? Any ideas? TIA!!
Ahh, yes, I have seen kiddos do that before. Yes, look for a rigid straw, take and toss brand has some that will work perfectly!
Hi
Thanks for your article. My year old twins ( eleven month adjusted) have been using straw drinking cups since they started drinking water and now they are drinking whole milk. They seem to know how to drink out of the straw cup but they have started drinking the milk and then spitting it out. Any tips?
Ah, yes, that is quite common. Are they just doing it with milk because they aren’t used to it in the cup or is it with the water too?
We have started warming up the milk and that has helped some. They also do it with water.
Young toddlers love doing this because it is funny or they are experimenting. I know it is incerdibly annoying, but I would take it off of them for a few minutes and say, “milk stays in your mouth.” Then give it back and give them praise for any swallows they do. It will take a lot of consistency, but is probably a phase that will pass. I’m assuming they are able to drink well from the straw at times so they actually have the skill, if they haven’t they may not have coordinated the whole sequence. In that case I would try some thicker liquids like a milkshake.
Thanks for this comment! This is exactly what I was looking for. My 10 month old is great at drinking from straws but then just lets the fluid dribble out. I’ll try warming it up first. I hadn’t even thought about it but it’s the first fluid that’s not warm formula, so that might be why. Thanks!
I had my 6 month old out shopping and his aunt bought a fruit smoothie with a straw. My baby cried for it so we let him have a go at it and he was sucking out of it in no time! I just wanted to see if it was healthy for him to be using a straw cup and this article was perfect! Thanks 🙂
My pediatrician told me to use a sippy cup when my baby was 6 months. He didn’t like it and i bought different cups. When he was 7m i started giving drinks with straw as you mention here I started using my finger and straw to give liquid to my baby. Now. Is 10 months and he now drinks from a straw cup. Thanks for the advise now he is leaving the bottle to use straw cups…. ☺☺☺☺☺????
That’s great! Go baby go!
That’s great! Go baby go!
That’s great! Go baby go!
My pediatrician told me at her 6 month spot to start giving her juice in a sippy cup. I tried and she wasn’t interested but the next day she was interested and just took right to it like a champ! She figured it out so fast !
Thank you for this article. My four month old daughter refuses a bottle and I am stressed because I am going back to work soon. My oldest NEVER took a bottle and would cry every time we brought one out. I was lucky with her though and didn’t have to go back to work until she was eating mostly solids. I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle my four month old in this situation. I was thinking about trying a sport water bottle or a shot glass so she can eat something while I’m working. Do you have any suggestions? It seems too early to introduce a straw. I have three weeks until I return to work. Thanks!
I love this article! Trying to teach my 10 month old. Thank you for the help! I’m interested in getting the cups you mentioned, but would like to clarify, as there are 2 different products. Did you use The First Years take & toss cups, or the munchkin straw cups? I’m looking online & want to get the right ones that I can squeeze water out of…
Start with the take and toss!
Good article but I found the article by looking up what to do if your baby only drinks threw straws. My lo is 11 months and I introduced every sippy imaginable when he was 6 months and he wouldn’t take them. Then at 9 months he would take drinks from ppls straws and loves the adult straw cups with lids. I gave him a non spill straw cup and he refuses to use it. He also drinks from water bottles and cups but won’t do the nonspill cups either. Any sugestions on this one?
Good article but I found the article by looking up what to do if your baby only drinks threw straws. My lo is 11 months and I introduced every sippy imaginable when he was 6 months and he wouldn’t take them. Then at 9 months he would take drinks from ppls straws and loves the adult straw cups with lids. I gave him a non spill straw cup and he refuses to use it. He also drinks from water bottles and cups but won’t do the nonspill cups either. Any sugestions on this one?
Good article but I found the article by looking up what to do if your baby only drinks threw straws. My lo is 11 months and I introduced every sippy imaginable when he was 6 months and he wouldn’t take them. Then at 9 months he would take drinks from ppls straws and loves the adult straw cups with lids. I gave him a non spill straw cup and he refuses to use it. He also drinks from water bottles and cups but won’t do the nonspill cups either. Any sugestions on this one?
Good article but I found the article by looking up what to do if your baby only drinks threw straws. My lo is 11 months and I introduced every sippy imaginable when he was 6 months and he wouldn’t take them. Then at 9 months he would take drinks from ppls straws and loves the adult straw cups with lids. I gave him a non spill straw cup and he refuses to use it. He also drinks from water bottles and cups but won’t do the nonspill cups either. Any sugestions on this one?
It sounds like he hasn’t made the connection for what he needs to do, as those cups can be hard to drink out of. Playtex has a straw cup trainer that is no spill, but you can squeeze and have the water shoot up. He may need this to get the idea. If he won’t even accept them, try it in a fun no pressure way, especially in a different environment or out of his routine.
My 13-month-old daughter has a rare genetic disorder, so we get early intervention services already, currently PT and OT, but she will be evaluated for feeding/speech this week. She was mostly breastfed until I returned to work, when she was 5 months. She refused bottles until my very patient nanny got her to take the Munchkin Latch, which worked until she was collapsing the nipple, so we switched to Dr. Brown’s. She’s great with that, still takes around 20 oz of milk from those throughout the day. She never got the hang of sippy cups (she just chews on it and laughs), and at this age, I think we just need to move off bottles and skip sippy cups. I’m trying to get her to use a straw cup, started with the Zoli, but again, she just chewed on the straw. OT recommended the honey bear straw cup, but upon research, I found some other (less expensive) options that allow you to squeeze the liquid up, including the Toss and Go. We started with the Rubbermaid Litterless Juice Box this past weekend. Baby started by biting on the spout, but it’s a hard plastic, not soft like the Zoli straw, and eventually she closed her mouth around it and started sucking, which is great, exceptshe either lets the water run out of her mouth, or she actively spits it out (like she thinks it’s funny). Sometimes she’s blowing into the spout, so she’s blowing bubbles. Do we just keep trying, or do I now have a new challenge on my hands? Would it help to put milk in there for her, or just keep trying water for a while? Thanks for your advice!
That’s great Jen! I would try milk, it wouldn’t hurt and might be more motivating. Also, yes I would keep trying it will take a lot of practice. Give her lost of praise for anything she does that is in the right direction. Wishing you the best!
Thank you! Will try milk this week. She’s going to be getting feeding/speech therapy through early intervention, but that won’t get approved or started for a handful of weeks, I’m sure. So in the meantime, I’ll use any ideas or advice I come across in my own research. Thanks for your help.
hi, your post is quite motivating for me .As my baby never touched bottle at all , she 11 months now.So started with sippy cup she out rightly refused it then tried the bottle with straw.
She takes sips from the bottle but very few .she will start chewing it and then take one sip .She takes 10ml from straw
.So is that fine ? In one go she doesn’t drink it all .
Please advise as am getting very worried n frustrated about it .
It is important to keep trying, daily with the straw… actually at every meal. She just needs a lot of getting used to it. In the mean time it is great that she is taking some of it, albeit a small amount.
hi. My daughter is going to be ten months soon. She started drinking from a shot glass at 4 months and by the age of 6 months she started taking open cups. She refused bottles at 2 months and does not take sippy cups at all. I tried giving her straws but instead of sucking she chews and bites on the straws. I desperately want her to drink from the straw so that i can have a closed container for drinks, for travels, lesser spills. She wants to drink herself but is unable to hold the open cup properly and drink from it .
First, I would just keep trying every day. Give praise for anything she does in the right direction. Second, there are a variety of “open” no spill cups now that a rim and an inset lid that will prevent spills. In the mean time use that. I would also try the steps listed in this post about using siphening from a straw.
my toddler went straight to glass at 15 m old never took bottles or dummies and at 2.5 year old cannot use a straw for drinking. learnt how to use a straw for making bubbles in thewater glass and has been knowing for a couple of days how to drink from a sport bottle (non suck) but thats it. i prefer straight out of glass drinking any way. started with a shot glass.
Drinking from an open cup is an important and valuable skills too! And, a shot glass is a great idea.
My daughter ONLY uses a straw cup. When I tried to introduce the sippy she hated it. I even tried the soft spout and she wanted to chew it rather than drink from it. One day when we were at grandmas and I forgot the sippy, out of pure necessity I gave her some water with a straw and Eureka! She just turned 8 months and has been exclusively using straw cups for 2 months now. My question is a mom friend of mine insists that it is still necessary for her to learn how to use a sippy cup for later development. Is this true? I don’t see why?
That is totally false! The mechanics needed to drink from a sippy cup are the same as a bottle. It is awesome that she is drinking from a straw. Don’t worry about the sippy cup for another second.
Any tips on how to get an 11mo to actually drink the liquid he gets from a straw as opposed to spitting it all out? We’ve mastered the sucking involved in using a straw, but he never keeps any of the liquid in his mouth! I almost think it’s a game- he spits it out all over himself and laughs sometimes, or spits it really far and makes a mess. He cut back his formula intake to only about 12oz/day so I’d really like him to drink some water to help with hydration and constipation, but no luck! Thanks in advance!
I agree, he really needs to drink water. It sounds like he is going through a phase- don’t give it too much attention. If you need to I would use a sippy cup for a short bit so that he is getting some liquid and just keep offering the straw, tell him, “water stays in our mouth.” Or, “swallow”.
Great post.
I have a 7 month old daughter who is bottle fed from first month but suddenly from 5th month she rejecting the bottle and i have no option but to feed her when she is half asleep. My Ped told she had nipple allergy so decided to move to a cup. i bought a straw cup and after iread your post i tried with regular straw in the feeding bottle. Initially she chewed it but as i squeezed the bottle she can hold thestrawbut could not suck from it and now started crying if i give her a straw. Still i kept my fingers crossed. I feed her solids and water with a bowl and spoon. As the summer is gearing up here iam worried about her. Can u give any other idea to give a practise.
Although it is possible for a 7 month old to drink from a straw it isn’t common. I don’t think it hurts to keep trying though, but keep it positive. This method should work in the next month or two. Demonstrate a lot for her as well. Do you live in the states? If so you can get some help from early intervention- see the article index in the menu bar.
What is your favorite straw cup? Also, what is your opinion on the straws that require biting to allow liquid through the end of the straw?
I like the Playtex ones- I shared a link at the end of the post. The biting ones are okay for occasional use but I wouldn’t use them all the time. It is better for them to work out their lips and cheeks- biting makes it easier.
My daughter is 13mos and has been drinking out of a straw sippy since she was 9 months. She doesn’t know how to tip back a regular sippy or cup to make the water go to her mouth because of the straw. Also I’m concerned that she will eventually get. ”smoker lips” (please don’t take offense) do you think this is a possibility?
Not at all, don’t worry about the sippy at all! Help her over time learn to tip back with a regular cup.
I am so happy to have come across your blog and especially this post. I have been working with my now 18 mo old for about 8 mo now on drinking from a cup. She had started drinking water from a sippy but stopped a few weeks ago when she got sick, she was also still taking 3 bottles a day for milk (she refused milk from a sippy). We got a new dr last week who told me to stop the bottle cold turkey immediately. Since then she only drinks about 6-8 oz of milk/day and few sips of water (not enough).we bought the take and toss cups a few months ago bc she loves “using” straws. However, she just places her mouth on the straw for a few sec, then says “Ahhhh” like she just took a refreshing drink but she won’t suck. We’ve been trying your process for a few days, no luck yet. She bites the straw to get the liquid out when I put it in her mouth. Anyway, this is the most helpful info we’ve gotten yet! If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them 🙂
Not all kids respond well to cold turkey, see the article index in the menu bar for a post I wrote on weaning. I agree it should be an immediate goal to get her off the bottle though. I would consider reintroducing the sippy as well, since she had some success with that in the past even though it isn’t my first choice.
I love your blog! Thanks for doing what you do! We’ve been trying to teach our 18mo DD how to use a straw. She’s in ST and want to strengthen her mouth muscles. However she’s also SPD and freaks out whenever I come near her with a straw. She has a couple insulated straw cups (Munchkin) that she likes and will chew on the straws. They have water in them. Maybe she’ll just discover it on her own? We live pretty far from stores so can’t just run out and buy the Take and Toss kind for her. I’ve been trying to make it fun (blowing bubbles w/straw, etc) and practicing with desirable liquids, but it’s a sensory thing with the straw. What else can I do?
Those take and toss straws will make all the difference, get them as soon as your able. I would also try , if she would allow to give her some deep pressure around her jaw, cup your hand firmly around her little jaw as you try. You could also put a food she likes on the end of the straw to get her to put it into her mouth. Think applesauce or pudding- she can even suck that up, which is a wonderful oral motor activity!
I am an ABA therapist. I work with a 5 year old boy with autism. He can drink from a regular cup or a camelbak water bottle (he bites the spout and pours the liquid into his mouth- no sucking). When I tried your suggestions, he started off biting the straw. Now, he will close his lips, but his teeth are shut. So the straw is stuck btwn his lips and teeth. I have tried modeling opening my mouth and he is able to do that. However, when I start move the straw towards his mouth, he bites down before I can get the straw in. Any ideas on how to help him? I love your site. Thanks in advance for the help!
I want to make sure I’m understanding correctly, is he opening his lips but not his teeth? Or, is he biting on the straw when he puts it into his mouth? In either case I may experiment with different kinds of straw, it may be a texture thing. Also, does he have any speech? It is possible this could be in part due to an oral motor delay.
You are correct. The first time we tried, he opened his lips and teeth but would not close his lips around the straw. Now, he opens his lips but not teeth. He is non verbal and definitely has an oral motor delay.
It is probably going to take a lot of repetition and demonstration for him. If he tolerates vibrations (chances are he loves it- strong sensory input), use a vibrating teether or toy on his cheeks and in his mouth right before doing. Keep trying with the take and toss cup that you can squirt right into his mouth.
Wow! This is an amazing post. I was wondering why my 18 month old son resisted a straw cup. I followed the instructions. It has worked perfectly, immediately. I am super excited!! Thanks a lot for this post.
Just a helpful hint, Munchkin makes a straw cup now that has a little weight at the bottom of the flexible straw so that your baby can drink it from any angle (even upside down). My little one started drinking with this one at about 8 months old and although she will drink from others, this is by far our favorite!
http://www.munchkin.com/products/feeding/cups/click-lock-7oz-straw-trainer-cup-or.html
That’s great. The bottle will come, he just the age to start working on it- if you need extra help see the article index in the menu bar, I have an article on Bottle Weaning! Good luck!
This was great advice! My 12 month old picked up straw drinking right away when I showed him the way you described. I hadn’t even thought to try it with him at this age, but it will make things much easier! Now if only I could get him off the bottle for milk (he’ll only take water out of sippys and straws so far)
Hi Thank you your post is brilliant. I have a six month baby boy refuses the bottle and sippy cup. He been exclusively breastfed. However I am now back to work and my mum spends long time feeding him, We actually end up spoon feeding him. I am trying to wean him off the breastfeeding. I have tried the straw and he was very keen on it he managed to suck the liquid out occasionally today however he did not do it continuously. He was forming his mouth like a fish . Is there anything I can do to encourage him to suck the straw since he showed a lot of interest. I be eternally grateful if the straw works as I am very desperate. thanks
I know this is a tricky spot to be in. Please keep in mind this is quite an advance skill for a 6 month old, not impossible. It requires a lot of muscle strength and he may tire out. I would keep tying and squeeze his cheeks a little to get his mouth into the right position.
Please help. My daughter is about to be 6 months old. We have struggled with getting her to take a bottle her whole short life! She is breastfed and no other food yet. We have tried so many bottles and nipples–finally getting her to take the the lansinoh momma bottle but that only lasted about a month (her 4th month?) and then got an ear infection and it went downhill. When starting she screamed if a bottle even came near her, then she finally got the hang of it but never drank as much at daycare as she would eat when breastfeeding….and they had to work hard to get her to take it. We had friends try with me out of the house, she went on a 6 hr hunger strike even. She just chews on the nipple now. I bought some hard and soft spout sippy cups because she always reaches for our cups when drinking but nothing. I was advised to take the valve out. Oh and she is a champion at breastfeeding. PLEASE HELP. I don’t care what type of glass/bottle/sippy/cup etc it is if I can get her to take something when I am gone. What do I do? How to I go about it?? I keep praying for God to give me strength!!!
I know this is a really tricky situation. My older son NEVER took a bottle, but nursed easily. It was stressful for me at times, but I was able to make it work. I would experiment with a few kinds of sippy cups, obviously I prefer a straw, but I don’t think she’ll drink enough from it at her age. She may not from the sippy cup either. Keep the valve out initially once she gets the hang of it, put the valve back in. I’ve never tried it, but some lactation consultants recommend feeding from a spoon until the phase has passed. You could also try a different bottle, one she doesn’t associate with the ear pain. Try a different spot/ position, change up as much as possible. I had success with Tommee Tipee, but there is the breast shaped bottle. I just pinned it to my board: For the Babies on Pinterest. Here is the link: pinterest.com/yourkidstable I hope this helps, I feel your pain!
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Hi! I am just wondering a out the straw cup that seems like the water is at the tip of the straw and just needs a little bite. My son seems to he sucking but I’m not sure if it is the right way.
Hi! Do you mean one that he doesn’t need to suck as far? Try with a regular straw first to make sure he has the concept. You can cut the straw and use a small cup so he doesn’t have to suck a lot. Did that answer your question?
Mine really had no interest in using the regular sippy cups. She was born with hydrocephalus due to a stroke in utero. The stroke also caused a bit of motor control issues in her right side. The biggest major hurdle for the first few months was a weak suck. It was something no one thought about apparently and things like reflux and intolerance were what they were trying to nudge us toward. She lost a half pound, threw up everything, and my milk supply dried up. I just couldn’t keep up with pumping and trying to bottle feed her around the clock since she simply would not feed at the breast. It occurred to me one day that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t able to suck very hard because of the poor muscle tone and control. Switched her to a medium flow nipple, and, lo and behold, she ate and ate. And slept. And I slept! As I was talking about before, we were having trouble trying to get her to use a sippy and she would just put her mouth on the straw and look at us like “There. Ya happy now?”. We had the best luck with a juice box, of all things. Daddy put it to her lips and squeezed a little juice in her mouth. Once she figured out stuff was going to come out of there, she was all for it. In less than 3 days, we had phased out the bottle of the straw cup entirely. She uses the Munchkin straw cups, and I was very surprised when I tried to take a sip at just how hard you have to suck! Apparently she doesn’t have as much trouble with a weak suck anymore! She is pretty delayed with her speech. She is going on 22 months and barely 2 words and not much jabbering. Could drinking from a straw help with this in the long run?
Thank you so much for sharing your success story! You are one insightful momma! Straw drinking could definitely help with speech because many of the the muscles she is working are also needed for talking.
Thank you so much for this post…I am going to try working on the straw today. I have a 26 weeker preemie that is now 17 months actual (14 months adjusted). He refuses to drink from a sippy cup and I have tried them all. He will take two or three sips and then will throw them down. He still takes formula from a bottle several times a day for calorie boosts. I hope he likes the straw…so maybe we can get him drinking cow’s milk and milkshakes from a cup!!
I also have a 26 weeker preemie that is now 21 months (19 months adjusted). His Early Intervention teacher bought us a Honey Bear Straw cup to use for him. The cup is made of plastic but its flexible therefore you can help your little one by squeezing liquid into his mouth. This helped our son a lot. My little one likes to drink out of a cup but he does know what to do with the cup at all!! She encouraged us early on to start him utilizing a straw cup versus a sippy cup for speech development.
This didnt actually acted on my child.Instead she started spilling all the water.
My baby girl loves drinking out of a straw. I gave her the playtex straw cup at 4.5 months and she was able to learn within one day. Playtex is definitely the way to go if you want to teach your child to drink out of a straw. It has a squeeze feature that delivers liquid to the top of the straw which makes it a lot easier for babies to learn.
I’m pretty excited my baby did the same as yours. She is so excited to eat and drink that she started eating baby food from a spoon at 3 1/2 months and drinking from a straw at 5 1/2 months.
Yay!!!! Awesome!!!!
On the point of moving onto a no-spill straw cup, there is also something we found which has been great for our ‘sanity’ (as you mentioned!). Its called a Drink Buddy and it saved us having to buy any special cups as we were just able to use our normal plastic ones. Easier to clean too 🙂
Awesome, thanks for sharing! I will be checking it out!
I could not find this online. Does it have a different name?
Thanks for this post. I have a 13 month old son and he can drink easily from pouches but whenever i tried introducing a straw he keeps biting it and and playing with it. Any suggestions of how i can make him drink from ‘softer’ straws? Thanks
Forgot to add that he sometimes drinks from
The non-spill sippy cups with straws but mostlu he plays with it in his mouth. Today i tried closing one end and he did drink from the other side but then when i put the straw in the glass it was back to playing with it between his teeth.
Unfortunately this often comes with territory. I would use the no spill cups, he is probably less likely to bite. Give him reminders to take drinks from it. If he is excessively chewing and not biting just take it away each time he bites. After a few minutes give him a drink saying “take a drink”. Also, try to give it to him when you suspect he is thirsty. This phase will pass:)
Thanks for the post, this worked really great for our son and he was able to pick up drinking from the straw in just minutes!
Yay! That is awesome!!! Thanks for stopping back to share!
Thank you so much for this post! When I gave my 9.5 month old daughter a straw cup with water to drink, it took her less than 5 mins to figure it out!! My husband and I were surprised and thrilled. She loves her straw cup but after reading your post, I am a bit concerned.
Whenever she first sips from the straw each day, she does tend to overdo it and cough and choke a bit. She does recover and then drink fine from that point on. Should I stop giving her the straw cup based on your comments above or keep giving it to her so she gets the hang of it better.
Thank you so much!
Just introduced my daughter to the munchin straw cup. My issue is she will ONLY drink Milk from a bottle if its in a regular sippy cup (which she has been drinking water from since 6mos) she takes a couple of sips and throws it. She did the same with straw cup. Should I just get rid of the bottles cold turkey? She gets the concept of the straw (tips it up at times like a sippy) but wants her BaBa.
Hi Alisha, thanks for the great post. My little girl was the same as your son & picked up on the straw remarkably well at 6 mos from watching me drink water from a straw cup daily. She would pretend to drink out of it & one day we realized she really was and decided to get her one of her own (think baby thinkster). She’s 11 mos old now & does pretty well, other than the occasional choking from taking too much in (usually when she first starts drinking). However, she still prefers her bottle and seems to want to just play with the straw cup. We offer it to her with water during meals (only an ounce or 2) and she does great, but then when I put milk in it, she just plays with it and takes sips occasionally. If I walk around while holding her and hold the straw to her mouth for her, I can usually get her to finish most of it, but it takes about 20-30 minutes. Much of the time I get frustrated & end up putting the rest in a bottle, which she sucks down in just a couple of minutes. There have been occasions when she DOES finish her straw cup after 5-10 minutes, so I know she can do it. Would you recommend not using the bottle at all anymore & just going with the straw only, or just continuing to try and encourage it more frequently? My hope was to get her off the bottle by 12 mos, but at this rate, I’m not so sure. Thanks!!
Yes, the bottle can be tricky habit to break, and you are right to be trying to wean her from it. However, this is just a habit she has. I would wait to she is on cow’s milk- I’m assuming that you would start that after her first birthday. Of course, you will mix formula and milk to start, but maybe start the transition in her straw cup. Also, if she is eating enough, she doesn’t need to consume lots of milk anymore, it’s okay. Just put it back in the fridge after a few minutes. Let me know if you need more help:)
Great, thank you!! Yes, we plan on transitioning to cow’s milk next month when she turns one. I was planning on talking to her pedi about how to do that soon. She also seems to have an extremely sensitive gag reflex & doesn’t handle some textures too well. She eats a decent amount of food (about 20-22 oz/day) but she’s still having a difficult time with finger food & thick purees, and has even vomited after gagging several times the last couple of months. She does fine with some finger foods (puffs, pancake pieces dipped in fruit), but not so well with others. I was hoping maybe if I encourage the straw more, that perhaps it would build her muscles up better & help her to become a better eater. Hopefully she’ll grow out of this! It’s stressful for me, but it’s reassuring to me that she’s in the 75th percentile for her weight/height & is otherwise developmentally on track. Thanks again!
The straw will definitely help, but that is only a piece of the puzzle. Ask the dr about early intervention services in your area- or me, I can help with that. It sounds like she is doing really well, but it might be helpful to have a support like an OT move you through this transition of eating. Keep trying and read my posts on how to transition to table foods. Also, if you are interested, I offer consults, which would give you a lot more specific info. Let me know how it goes!
Hi, lovely post. Thanks! My son is 28 months and drinks from straw bottles, but my problem is that he drinks milk and other thick liquids with no problem. But when it comes to water, he just sucks it in n spills it right back out of his mouth. Am trying everything like different straw bottles, different places in the house, me imitating and nothing is working. Any suggestion as to how to get him to drink water from straw bottles? Thank you so much!
Well, it’s hard to say if he is doing this out of habit or because the liquid is thinner and he doesn’t know have the control to swallow it. If it is the first, I would say just keep trying. If it is the latter I would say to try and work on building the muscles he uses in his mouth. You can do this by making silly faces like kiss lips and fish lips. Also, get a bunch of different whistles (usually at a party supply store for very cheap) and have him practice this. Both of these things will help build muscles strength.
at 28m old your son sjould be able to drink without any aid out of a cup ?!
my daughter is 11 months old.. i try platex straw cup for water and juice. she knows how to suck but The problem was that she didn’t seem to know how to swallow while the straw was in her mouth. She would let go of the straw after each sip and a lot of the liquid would dribble out of her mouth. I don’t know how much she got down her throat, but her bib and shirt were soaked.I dont know what to do.she is exclusively breastfeed and i am planning to wean off in a month. I want her to be able to use a straw, but don’t know if there is something else I can do to facilitate this transition.
Try something thicker at first, like a yogurt smoothie. You can water down with juice a little if you need to. This will give her some more time to process the swallow and help keep the liquid from falling back out. Keep trying, she is young. She probably just needs some practice! Let me know how it goes!
So awesome! It took me about 60 seconds to teach my 9 month old after reading this. Thanks!!!
That is awesome, Jess! Yay!
I moved my son from bottles to a soft spouted sippy cup before I learned about the benefits of using a straw. My son is 14.5 months old and takes a sippy cup with water throughout the day. I tried a valve straw cup and he wouldn’t even try to suck, he just chewed on the straw. Then I got the take and toss and put some diluted juice in it (he’s never had juice so it was enticing) and he went to town sucking it up. The problem was that he didn’t seem to know how to swallow while the straw was in his mouth. He would let go of the straw after each sip and a lot of the liquid would dribble out of his mouth. I don’t know how much he got down his throat, but his bib and shirt were soaked. But he emptied 3/4 of the cup in just a few minutes. Will his swallowing get better with practice? My son don’t have any diagnosed delay, but he does seem to be a little behind his same age playmates in gross motor and coordination. I want him to be able to use a straw, but don’t know if there is something else I can do to facilitate this transition.
Hi Jessica, has he tried the valved straw cup again, since learning with the take and toss? If not- try again, he may have the hang of it now, if you have keep trying periodically. To help him get the hang of this, I would suggest trying something thicker in straw cup. First try whole milk, if that still goes everywhere, then make a thinner smoothie with yogurt and juice. Play around with the consistency, until he can suck it up without spitting it out. Let me know it is going!
We tried the valve cup again today and he did much better. I think if we keep practicing, he will be able to drink without issues of it spilling back out. Thanks for the suggestion!
That is great Jessica, keep up the hard work, it will pay off soon!
My 9.5 month old son drinks from a straw cup but places the straw in the corner of his mouth and sucks in from the side rather than placing it in the middle of his mouth, making it more difficult for him to swallow the liquid he has sucked. I have tried holding the straw in the middle of his mouth but he always reverts back to this position. Would this suggest he does not have the musculature to use the straw in a typical fashion? What might you suggest?
Well, if he were over one, yes I would say to work on some mouth exercises, but he is so young. Great that you are already getting him on the straw, but it is probably a little difficult for him to keep in the center of his mouth. Keep trying to move it over and demonstrate yourself drinking or sing a song to distract him while you hold it in place. This will help build up those muscles.
My daughter (11 months old) had open heart surgery @ 11 weeks old, and was intubated 3 times. During recovery she developed a feeding aversion, and came home with an NG tube. She has been NG free for 4 months, but her volumes are about 1/2 what a normal baby would eat (we are using a calorie supplement). We have been seeing speech and things are improving. However, our SLP strongly recommends against the straw cups and wants us to use sippy cups without the valve. My LO loves to drink out of glasses/cups as long as it isn’t formula. We are willing to try anything, but I’ve been wondering why we shouldn’t use the straw cups.
Found Your Kid’s Table today and love it. Thank you so much for the resource!
Fara- it sounds like your daughter is making nice progress. That’s great, you have all really been through a lot! I’m assuming she wants you to avoid straws for the time being because it requires a more coordinated swallow pattern and if she doesn’t have that under her belt right now it could lead to choking and/or liquid getting into her lungs. She is really young so there is plenty of time for straws, but I would ask her. So glad you found Your Kid’s Table:)
Thanks, this post has really encouraged me go for the straw cup option! I have a 7.5 month-old and I breastfeed her for the most part and supplement her with formula in a bottle. Recently, I’ve been trying to wean her off of the bottle. Today, I tried your method with the straw and also tried using the Playtex straw cups (the one where I can squeeze the bottle to shoot up a bit of liquid). It went pretty well, I think, since she started to suck on the straw occasionally. The only issue right now is that she almost always spits the formula back out if she drinks this way, as opposed to from a bottle. She doesn’t seem to choke, but just doesn’t want to swallow anything. Would you have any insight to this? Is it a phase that will eventually go away if I continue to let her drink from a straw? Thanks!!!
It sounds like it went really well! It is a slow process, especially when they are that young. She may be spitting out the formula because she is used to it in a bottle. Try some water as well, just so she get the hang of it. On the other hand, babies love to spit and she might just be exploring. Give lots of praise if she keeps some in her mouth. It is a phase- she is really young- keep trying and modeling for her!!! You are on the right track!!!
My 18 month cannot drink from a sippy cup or a straw cup….he refuses it all the time .. Is it a good idea to introduce a water bottle with a narrow mouth so that he can drink from it n no sucking? Pl reply
Yes, that is totally fine. Watch out for choking or coughing and only give it to him when he is in a seated position. Also, give him as much help as he needs pulling back as he masters it. You can also use a small regular cup with just a little bit of liquid in it. However, keep trying the straw cup– especially the method I described above with a regular straw! Hope that helps! Let me know if you need more help!
Love this post! I am a mom of 2 young boys as well as a pediatric SLP. I too often urge families to switch from sippys to straws for the same benefits that you outlined. I also love “swirly” straws which I often find in bulk in party sections at Target/Wal-Mart. Pottery Barn Kids also has a swirly straw included cup that my son loves. These straws can be more challenging as the kids need to suck longer. Kids typically work hard though for these because they love to watch the liquid’s path. Its a good sometimes straw for sure. I am pretty diligent about cleaning these as soon as my son uses them and typically only serve water in them for cleaning ease…although to increase the straws’ benefits, using a more challenging texture (milkshake consistency) can be great.
Love this post! Just wanted to add that we love our Playtex brand flip-cap straw cups! We started using a straw one day around 6 months when I accidentally left the only sippy cup I had at my mom’s house. I used the method you describe above and my daughter caught on that day! We’ve never used a sippy cup since then. I love the Playtex cups because they aren’t complicated to assemble/disassemble. You just insert the straw through the lid til it sort of clicks, then screw the lid on (it has a click/notch in it so you know it’s closed). They don’t leak, except for the few drops that may still be in the straw when dropped on the ground. We’ve been using them for going on 6 months (I only own 2 of them, but aren’t doing milk yet, so I’ll get more soon) and haven’t had any problems keeping them clean. I run them in the dishwasher each night before we go to bed, and should any food from backwash (ew! my least favorite part of straw cups!) gets inside the straw, I just use my little brush cleaner that came with my Dr. Brown’s bottles to clean it out.
Ditto on the use of the pouches–we started those around the same time as the straw and they offer great practice (though, I still can’t hand it to my daughter and let her just suck, cause she squirts all of the contents out when she grabs the bag part LOL) 🙂
Just discovered your blog this evening, and am loving the content! I’ll definitely be back for more! Thanks!
Mrs. Butler- yes I prefer those playtex ones as well. We have a large variety and those are the easiest to put together. Thanks for the nice comment, glad you found Your Kid’s Table!
I loved this post. Before I read this, it never occurred to me to offer my daughter a straw. She is 15 months and has been very resistant to switching from the bottle to a sippy cup. I picked up one of the Munchkin straw cups and she LOVES it. Thanks for all the great tips!
That’s great! And thank you! By the way you aren’t alone- most people don’t think to give their young toddlers straws!
This is such a great post! Thanks for sharing your tips and ideas.
Your blog is amazing! I swear I just diagnosed my 11 month old who will not eat anything that is not a cracker/cheerio/puff as have sensory issues because he will eat anything via babyfood mushed up and level three, but will not touch anything that is wet or squishy so table foods have been a nightmare–no issues at all with our first child. However, I am wondering about the straw cup/sippy cup. Do I put just water in it? Formula, or cow’s milk? He is still taking a bottle after each meal so should I transistion him to cup rather than bottle since he is nearing the year? This second baby of ours is making me feel like a very clueless first time mommy! Thanks for any help you can offer.
Thanks Julie! Water is great to start with. Your doctor probably wants you to wait to 12 months for cow’s milk, but you could surely put formula in it and eventually milk. Start with one meal by trying to give him some formula in the cup if you want. He may associate it with the bottle though, so don’t be discouraged if he doesn’t go for it. It is amazing how much you forget by the time the next baby comes around! Keep me posted!
I am a mom and an SLP. I love straw cups for the same reasons as mentioned above, but found them a nightmare to clean. My favorite cups are from Tupperware. They are similar to the munchkin cups but are spill proof. The tumblers come with lids that have a silicone circle with an x cut in it. Once the lid is on, it doesn’t spill. whenyou are ready to drink just put a regular straw in the hole! Voila! 🙂 the cups are a little prices, but highly durable!
Brooke- yes, you are so right, about those straws being a pain to clean! Such, a great tip!
I’m also a pediatric OT/mom, and my little guy was never able to take a bottle (he only wanted to chew on the nipple) and would choke while breastfeeding all the way through about 8 months of age (no pneumonia though, thank goodness). Around that time, we discovered all the great varieties of organic baby food pouches that are now super popular in grocery stores. They have a straw-like tip and you can squeeze the pouch to assist with getting the stage 1/stage 2 puree out, much like you mentioned with the vacuum cups. After only a few weeks of giving him pouches (where he sucked directly out of the pouch and we decreased the amount of assistance we provided with squeezing the pouch), he was completely able to drink from a regular grown-up straw! By 9 months old he was drinking from a straw and we were totally ecstatic (especially my husband, who was the one that had to try and feed him while I was at work 3 days a week). Sooo, that’s our story about teaching our baby to drink from a straw. 🙂 Have you had any experience with these pouches in feeding therapy?
-Christie (MamaOT.com)
I haven’t actually had a need to use them, but it is a great idea! Thanks for sharing it!
My soon had a sippy cup with a straw once. Within a month, the straw was completely mildewed. How do I prevent that?
Yes, you do have to be careful of this. It is best to take them completely apart and put them in the dishwasher. Somebody also recently recommended Foogo straw cups, they are stainless steel and suppose to be antibacterial (see the comment above.) I know they can be a pain to deal with but I think the benefits are worth it.
I wanted to share this suggestion from the blogger and speech therapist at Little Stories:
“My favorite cup, and I think for all my mommy friends too, is the Thermos Foogo with the straw (Level 3) or also sometimes called the Funtainer. It really doesn’t leak, lasts and lasts, and keeps drinks cold. I know for sure you can find them in the lunchbox/water bottle section at Target, Babies R Us, or amazon.”
I will be giving it a try!
Agreed this is a great post! My 18 month old can get liquid from the straw, but she cannot get the concept that she doesn’t need to tip the cup up (like her non straw sippy cups). Of course when she does this, the water tips away from the end of the straw, making it impossible to drink. She gets frustrated and annoyed and I end up caving and going back to the other kind. Any suggestions?
Yes, I should have mentioned this in the post because it is a common problem. The only way to get around this is to keep practicing and helping her to keep it down. Also, make sure the straw cup is really full so if she is tipping it a little she will be likely to get some. Once she starts to get the hang of it, I would start to think about doing away with spout shaped sippy cups all together. Hope that helps!
Thank you Alisha for this reply to Heather! My 20m son has the same issue! When he was younger, it was all we could do to finally get him to drink from a bottle by himself by encouraging him to hold the bottle “up!” After quite some time (weeks??) he finally figured it out and has been fine ever since…until now that I’m trying to train him to drink from a straw properly by holding the cup down by his chest. This is only day #2 of training him to hold it down by his chest, so I suppose it will take several days for him to learn (and hopefully not weeks!) This is encouraging to know I’m not the only one ‘struggling’ with this issue. Kids are all so different and learn at such different paces! Never a dull moment! 🙂
thank you, i will try this!
Oh toddlers can be so stubborn! You aren’t alone, I have worked with other kiddos that are very particular. Sometimes the unknown is pretty overwhelming. First I would try both methods I described in the post. He may get a kick out of having you drop water into his mouth. If he doesn’t go for that than try the take and toss cups. He may not try to take a sip right away, but start sitting it out while he is playing. Maybe his other sippy cup won’t be around and while he’s busy playing he won’t think of it too much and go for a sip You could also try giving some of his stuffed animals a drink from his new cup to peak some interest.
Try having a peer drink from the same cup at a playdate and make a big deal about it. This may take many attempts, don’t get discouraged (I know easier said than done) and keep trying.
As for the water, I wouldn’t be too concerned unless he isn’t drinking milk? Is that the case?
Hello, This is a great post. My son is 13 months and I am trying to teach him how to drink from a sippy since he was 7 months old. Now, I am trying to take his bottle away but he refuse to drink any other liquids. He gets the idea of the cup, but he spits out everything that gets in his mouth. Do you suggest to quit the bottle cold turkey, and if yes, how long I have to keep him without liquids. He is very stubborn and I am afraid that he will dehydrate.
This is a great post! I have a few questions though- what if your child has no interest in drinking from a straw? My 24 month old is very stubborn and has a really difficult time with anything new. He was 10 weeks premature, which may be some of the reason why. We struggled to get him to drink from a sippy cup at all. At 12 months (adjusted) we took the bottle away and got him to drink from a Gerber water bottle – we had at least 10 different sippy cups we tried from age 6 months on. He refused all of them. It took until 18 months before we got him to drink from a sippy cup – and it was one that was shaped like a glass (he would drink out of a glass). Now we’ve been trying to get him to be interested in a straw, and he refuses it. Also, he refuses all liquid drinks except water. Help?
Hi I was looking to order the munchkin straw cups on line I can’t find them I wanted to try those are the first year brand take and toss the the same as those ? Will it create the same vacuum effect ?
Thanks