Do you give your one year old a sippy...and do they still want to nurse?

[jrose_lee]

I had a doctor once upon a time (a very AP friendly natural doctor) who told me DO NOT give your child a cup or sippy or anything but the breast until he or she is 18 months old. This will prevent early weaning he said.

So, I did that with ds1. He nursed until he was nearly three when my milk dried up from pregnancy.

Along comes ds2 and he is now one. He wants drinks from the sippy and drinks from my cup because he wants to be like big brother and like us. He loves it. I haven't allowed him to have too much though- just some sips.

My questions is....do you give your one year old drinks from other things? Does this affect nursing for you at all? Are you concerned? I'm not sure how much to allow ds2. I'm feeling more easy going about it this time around, but I really don't need him upping his night nursing at this point...

[rparker]

We gave our daughter water only in a sippy when she was a year old. She was also getting some small amounts of soy milk in a regular cup. I don't know at what point we switched, but she was drinking soy milk from a sippy cup before she was two. At 2.5 she's drinking cow's milk and juice in large quantities from a sippy cup, but we only began doing that after I became pregnant with #2 and my supply decreased. (She is nursing less, but I think that is more pregnancy than the sippy cup at this point.)

She also had a handful of bottles before she was a year old and remained an avid nurser. Between 12 and 24 months she still got 75% of her nutrition (if not more) from the breast. If she weans before age 3 it will be because of this pregnancy and not any other beverage choices.

[lookatreestar]

i start giving cups when they start solids. we do straw cups or regular cups so usually they do more playing than drinking. my dd is still nursing at just over 3 years so i don't think it causes early weaning. we do live in a dry climate though so i make sure water is always available. i did not do any other milks or juice for the first 2ish years. (i say ish because she did manage to get juice from her cousin, at grandmas etc) ds is not even wanting a straw cup right now, he wants a real cup like dd's. i just prefer to skip sippy cups but i also don't have a problem with water spills, it will dry!

[elisheva]

both my boys have had sippy cups early and nursed well and long (ds1 until 2.25 yrs and ds2 is still nursing). Ds2 nursed through my last preg even though my milk dried up when he was 7.5 months and I gave him a bottle 3 times a day. I'm sure it depends on the kid, though.

[lifeguard]

I introduced a sippy with just water around 8 months. Ds still gets a sippy with water (19 months) now & milk or occassionally juice in a regular cup. We're just about done with the sippys now 'cause he really prefers a glass & just tends to play with the sippys. It most definitely has NOT affected how much he nurses.

[mamatowill]

I WOHM so both of my boys got sippys before a year. My first DS nursed until 2 (and was content to keep going) this one is less than 2 but is not showing any signs of stopping. The baby is on the straw cups or regular cups he did not really like the sippys.

[chel]

i started the sippy fairly early with dd1. not sure of exact age, but have pictures around 1yr. always just water. she never had a bottle. she nursed past 4yrs

[isabchi]

My two kiddos started using regular cups with water when I introducced solids around their 6 months. Neither of my children are weaned yet. I have a 5 yo that nurse twice a day and an 21 mo that nurse 6 times a day. They both eat lots of food, but i continued nursing pretty much on demand both of them.

[D_McG]

are you saying that you restrict all other liquids except breastmilk until 12-18 mos?! That doesn't sound right to me at all (or are you saying that you just do open cup... that sounds more normal).

Anyway I let my kids have as much water as they want from 6 mos on. I MLW them in their second year. I restrict juice.

[Baby_Cakes]

Yes, and yes!
Nora likes the straw sippy cups, and I was reading that these are better for them than the spout ones. At this point, (and since I'm MLW) Nora gets as many sippy cups of water as she wants (usually 2 per day) and one of soymilk. I dont restrict her fluids at all - especially now that it's warmer and she's running around outside a lot. She still nurses, and other than our gentle steps towards weaning, having liquids hasn't changed her nursing habits at all.

[jrose_lee]

Originally Posted by D_McG

are you saying that you restrict all other liquids except breastmilk until 12-18 mos?! That doesn't sound right to me at all (or are you saying that you just do open cup... that sounds more normal).

Anyway I let my kids have as much water as they want from 6 mos on. I MLW them in their second year. I restrict juice.

No, I DO mean no other liquids except breastmilk until 18 months. That's what the doctor told me. And I followed it with ds (he nursed a lot!). So, since ds2 has been interested in drinking out of the straw sippy it's been worrying me (he's 12 months).

Sounds like there isn't much need to worry at this point. You've all had nurslings that went for a long time yet!

Thanks everyone!

[JessicaS]

I started giving my children water around six months or so. I would find it strange to discourage anything other than breastmilk to drink until 18 months. My kids would be thirsty.

My dd nursed until three and my son is 23 months and currently nursing.

My son doesn't really like sippies, he likes regular cups so he can dump it out when he is done.

[Drummer's Wife]

I definitely wouldn't restrict water. If you want, you can always offer it in a small glass (even at 6 mos they are capable of drinking out of one). I guess the doc is worried about your LO prefering a sippy over nursing - but that hasn't been my experience. Even at age 3 my kiddo would nurse over a chance of chocolate milk.

[alegna]

Both of mine have had water in cups (sippy and open and straw) from around 5-6months. I don't give them milks or juice at all until after a year (usually around 18 months) and those are given VERY infrequently.

But, um... yeah... dd is still nursing at 5.5 and she drinks plenty.

(ds will be 2 next month and still nurses a bajillion times a day too of course)

-Angela

[tessie]

Originally Posted by abimommy

I started giving my children water around six months or so. I would find it strange to discourage anything other than breastmilk to drink until 18 months. My kids would be thirsty.

I agree with this.

I suspect that the no other fluids thing comes from some people recommending that you restrict non bm fluids if an infant is on a nursing strike. But I've never heard it expanded to no other fluids at all before 18 months.

They generally don't drink much water to start with anyway.

[nashvillemidwife]

Well, my very AP-friendly doctor told me once she starts solids she needs to have water, because of the sodium in our foods. Even if you avoid processed foods, it's still used in cooking. Cheese actually has a lot of sodium, and that's her favorite food. That recommendations makes a lot more sense to me than what yours told you.

My daughter started reaching for my cup around 6 months, and started with a sippy of water around 7. At 12 months she was having diluted juice. At 17 months she shows absolutely no signs of weaning. Just this morning I was thinking "don't we have something in this house you would like to eat besides nurse all morning?!"

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by jrose_lee

No, I DO mean no other liquids except breastmilk until 18 months. That's what the doctor told me. And I followed it with ds (he nursed a lot!). So, since ds2 has been interested in drinking out of the straw sippy it's been worrying me (he's 12 months).

Sounds like there isn't much need to worry at this point. You've all had nurslings that went for a long time yet!

Thanks everyone!

I really can't imagine! How does that work for a practical thing like a thirsty child at the playground? Are you nursing every 10 minutes?! Both of my kids sip from their water v. often when they are hot.

And how do you handle groups? Or restaurants? We ate out with my 18 month old today and I can't imagine the drama if she couldn't drink something! Or are you nursing throughout dinner?

Fascinating.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by D_McG

I really can't imagine! How does that work for a practical thing like a thirsty child at the playground? Are you nursing every 10 minutes?! Both of my kids sip from their water v. often when they are hot.

And how do you handle groups? Or restaurants? We ate out with my 18 month old today and I can't imagine the drama if she couldn't drink something! Or are you nursing throughout dinner?

Fascinating.

As I mentioned I give tons of water- but mine both nursed in groups (why would that be different?) and restaurants. Not sure the last time I made it through a meal at a restaurant without nursing...

-Angela

[D_McG]

I have nursed infants at playgroups and at restaurants, too. But a child who is sitting in a chair and eating their lunch/dinner... never! I just have no reference for it. Not saying it's wrong or anything.

[treeoflife3]

I started giving Molly a straw sippy with water shortly after starting her on solids. I always leave it available but I only have her drink some if she hasn't drank anything for awhile and its hot (and by 'have her drink some' I don't mean force.. if she doesn't want it, then I guess she isn't thirsty) she LOVES to drink from her sippy and loves water but she also still nurses quite a bit. I still nurse her on demand at 14 months but she also usually finishes one or two sippy cupfulls of water a day. I always provide water with everything she eats as well (of course, its always available to her should she want it) and it seems to work pretty well.

She still seems to prefer me over water and solids both, but she also loves having both. She especially likes to bring me her water to give me (making the lip smacking sound too because I'm expected to take a drink) and give it to all her stuffed animals and dolls. Its really cute