[Mars]

I've begun transitioning from bottle to sippy cup (well sippy with straw) and it is going slowly. Amara will take a few sips here and there for most of the time. On Saturday and Sunday, she did drink all her milk from her sippy but over the last few days she's not taken much from the cup and of course she eventually gets a bottle because she'd be hungry but won't take the cup. Also, in the evenings, at dinner or before bed, she does not want to use the sippy either apart from a few sips here and there. I know the transition process can take time but I'd still like to hear of your experiences and get any tips on the process. So, here goes:

When did you begin transitioning?
How long did it take for your LO to transition?
Did you buy a different cup to associate milk feedings with?
Did you offer the cup in the morning or evenings first and the bottle at night? Or did you offer the sippy all the way through?

Thanks again in advance.

BTW: I should be getting the photos this weekend so I'll post the birthday pics then. My friend is passing tonight to show me them.

[sara~b]

I don't remember exactly when we started Gem on sippy cups but I believe it was about a year. I started her on these:
Amazon.com: Luv N' Care Nuby Two Handle Sippy Cup 7 oz: Baby

They are soft and kind of nipple-like so Gemma didn't have as much of a problem getting used to them. The only problem was she started chewing on them and then they would leak. She never actually got a piece off so I wasn't worried about choking but if she turned it upside down or sideways it would leak. I don't think we started with straws until about 18 months. She just didn't seem to have the coordination for it.

To ease the transition from bottle to cup for milk, I used the UK version of the cup Sara posted (the spout is the same, but the base differs a little here). Kirsty took it one day then refused it for a few days, so I put it away for a week then re-tried.

To begin with I only used it for breakfast milk, after the week-break she took it and never turned back. I let her use that one for a couple of weeks then started her on a "proper" spouted sippy. Currently we use this one: Annabel Karmel by Lindam Non Spill Cup - Boots

I had to try and get her from the Nuby to a sippy as she kept biting through the spout on the nuby, but it was a great way to get from bottle to cup as the spout is similar to a bottle teat. (I used the same cup & process to encourage her to drink water from a cup!)

She still has a bottle before bed, and I don't plan to remove it for a while yet, it's more a comfort thing. I don't mind her using it.

My next move is to try her with milk in her sippy for her 3oz milk before her nap (after lunch)

[Chelnae6]

When did you begin transitioning? We transitioned Miki (Will's daughter) around a year old

How long did it take for your LO to transition? Not long at all. She was trying to drink out of our cups for a while. She liked to be like us and wanted whatever we had.

Did you buy a different cup to associate milk feedings with? We used this sippy cup for milk and juice.


Did you offer the cup in the morning or evenings first and the bottle at night? Or did you offer the sippy all the way through? We used that cup for a while. Gave it to her with milk in the mornings, then just put juice in it. She weened herself though b/c as stated before, she stopped drinking out of cups that didnt look like ours. So we got her this one:

[Mars]

I use a sippy similar to the one you showed Sara but Amara likes to bite on it too. She will drink water from it but has not been too interested in taking the milk from it.

I'm using the first one with the straw from Chelle's response for the transition. She took it well over the weekend so I'm hoping she'll go back to it. I would like to have her fully transitioned in 1 month or less.

Fi, I love that second cup but I've never seen them here. I doubt I can order it from the UK too. Bummer! I am going to look for one similar to the last pic from Chelle instead.

Oh I should mention that she likes to drink out of our cups as well. She's so independent that I guess I thought it would have been immediate but I'm just going to chill and let her do her then and keep encouraging her.

Thanks for the advice ladies.

[Chelnae6]

NP. It took us a while to get her to use certain sippy cups. we went thru different kinds b/c there were some that we didnt like (like the ones with side handles b/c they dont fit well in the side of diaper bags). As long as she knows that she's not going to get a bottle, she continue to drink out of a cup.

Now we just use the last pic I posted (make sure u buy all of the same kind b/c we bought 2 different brands and I struggle trying to find the right top/straw for the right cup), juicy juice box (b/c she's older and can drink them without squeezing) and these below b/c they hold more juice in my eyes and she knows how to open and close the push thing

[Adriana's Mommy]

When did you begin transitioning? I started Adriana on the sippy cup around 11 months
How long did it take for your LO to transition? a couple weeks
Did you buy a different cup to associate milk feedings with?No.. I did the switch when she started whole milk
Did you offer the cup in the morning or evenings first and the bottle at night? Or did you offer the sippy all the way through? I offered the sippy cup all day long.. I didn't give a bottle at night, so it made for a easy transition..

[Mars]

Thanks again. I'll see how it goes this weekend.