When (if at all) to introduce the sippy cup?

I'll be changing my work schedule next week, so I'll be away from Dylan for 9-10 hours two days a week. I'm a little worried about him developing a bottle preference since he'll probably be getting at least 4 bottles those days. I'm wondering if I should introduce a sippy or straw cup. Would that help or worsen the nipple confusion? Or should I continue to give breastmilk in bottles and introduce the sippy for other liquids?
*Poster formerly known as Bailey422*
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
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Ian didn't want anything to do with a sippy. We finally figured out it was because his little sumo wrestler body that had him sitting up only around 6-7 months old didn't feel secure leaning his head back unassisted.
So arund 8-9 months old we tried a playtex straw cup. Good as gold. He loved it and when his little brother was ready for a cup that's what we did. At home I do give them little teeny jelly jars as their water cups but only when we're sitting for a meal or they may use it in the kitchen.
I've since been reading up that as far as other liquids besides water it may be better to use a straw cup because the liquids go straight back and also something to do with teeth/mouth formation.
Since he likes to control the flow, should I just teach him to use a straw and skip the spout sippy altogether?
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
Tell you the truth, I wish I hadn't really even bothered with sippy cups or at least limited their use. With both boys I had a terrible time transitioning them from sippy cups to regular ones. They were just so used to being able to tilt their heads all the way back to drink and as toddlers were stuck in their ways. I came to realize that the self-discipline learned from using sippy cups is extremely limited. I think if I were to do it again, if I used a sippy cup at all, I would immediately start transitioning away from it as soon as they mastered it.
same here. majerle learned how to drink from a straw at around the same time (6 months), but to this day she doesnt have a straw sippy cup. now she's almost at the point where she can drink from a regular cup. after a few sips she gets too excited and ends up dumping everything on herself. which i always think is funny. but she doesnt.
My daughter took to the sippy immediately, even better than the bottle. She was around 8 or 9 months, and started to give up the bottle on her own around 11 months.
fotki pw: sunday
My son skipped the sippy cup, but used a bottle for longer than the "recommended" 1 year. I day-weaned him to a bottle when I went back to work when he was a year because he had no interest whatsoever in a sippy cup and had a strong need to suck. He used the bottle for milk until about 18 months and then we got rid of it cold turkey. Starting at about 14 months or so he started using a regular cup at home for water. We have a few sippies and straw cups that we use for outings. He uses them for water or diluted juice but not for milk (he gave up milk along with the bottle).
When I want to put the effort in, I give him a cup, which I still have to hold and help him with, but otherwise it's Sippah time. :laughing7:
I also don't have a high sucking needs baby. He never liked the pacifier, and if he needed to suck, I was his go-to source.
Again, I can't be bothered with these time schedules. Eventually they get the hint on using a cup, or will be shamed into it by the time they reach high school.
It's not that I see a need for it, but I've seen it suggested that the sippy is better for avoiding nipple confusion. I guess maybe because it's so different from the breast, whereas the bottle is similarly shaped but has an easier/faster flow? I haven't seen any actual studies though, so it may just be speculation with no proof behind it. I plan on letting him try the regular cup when I start giving him other liquids, but I wouldn't ask MIL to deal with that while he's still learning.
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
If you do go with the sippy route, I suggest looking at the thinkbaby bottles. They have a very soft silicon spout that's similar to the nipple.
http://www.thinkbabybottles.com/
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
You may be right. The reason I'm concerned is my co-worker's daughter stopped nursing around 7-8 months, and from that point on would only take bottles. She ended up having to exclusively pump until her baby turned a year (that was her breastfeeding goal), which I'm just not willing to do. But I don't know what other factors may have contributed to her daughter's refusal of the breast. I'm pretty sure she gave her daughter bottles when they were out and about, which probably didn't help. Dylan only gets bottled from dad and grandma, never from me, so we may be ok no matter what I do. I'm just trying to be proactive, and as usual I'm thinking too hard about things. :oops:
Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. ~ George Carlin
That's why I stuck with slow flow nipples for expressed breastmilk until it was time to wean. I figured that if he got used to getting breastmilk faster then he would prefer the bottle to getting milk directly from the source.
My experience is that kids that are too young, tend to use the sippy cup like they would a bottle anyways (suck it, lie back with it, derive comfort from it) in which case its really not more than a different looking bottle. If your baby is comfortable with the bottle, and comfortable nursing, I think you can keep doing what you are doing. So long as you are keeping your supply up then he'll enjoy nursing when you are together.
My long work days (after DS was one) led to weaning because I wasn't pumping and couldn't keep up my supply. So he lost interest.
If a nursing strike does come along, recognize it for what it is (ie. he's not weaning and its just temporary) and you'll work through it.
This is what I remember as well, that nipple confusion was more likely to occur in newborns, mostly under 6 weeks...hence the reason they tell you to wait until 6 weeks (or until good breastfeeding habits are establilshed) before introductin a bottle or even a paci. If you wait TOO long, the baby will refuse a bottle.
Like WJ, I also used slow flow nipples until I weaned my kids (around 11 months for both).
"...you could have a turd on your head and no one would notice."~Subbrock
"I had an imaginary puppy, but my grandpa ate him."~Bailey