Is your toddler still using a sippy cup? - Page 2

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker

DD just turned two and uses a sippy or a straw cup. She LOVES to drink from a regular cup but tends to dump it and also chokes 95% of the time.

For the dumping, do pouring and dumping activities outside and/or in the bath. Honor the impulse, y'know?

For the choking, try having her start by pouring water into her mouth instead of "drinkng". For her "drink" means to suck hard like on a sippy. If she can't manage that, you could try holding the cup for her until she catches on.

[sapphire_chan]

Oh, and for having water available all the time, dd has no problem coming and asking for water. Most of the time, she's even got a cup to hand to me as well.

In the car, I keep our water bottle up front and hand it back over the seat when/if she asks for water. At traffic lights, I'll reach back to take it from her (she holds it up)

[tankgirl73]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

For the dumping, do pouring and dumping activities outside and/or in the bath. Honor the impulse, y'know?

:

Pouring activities are a staple of the toddler/preschool Montessori activities. I forgot to mention in my previous post, much of my current beliefs about what we should allow our babies and toddlers to experience stems from my readings about Montessori principles. And then from our experiences putting those principles into practice. At age 2, DD wasn't just drinking from a regular cup, she was going to the fridge and pouring herself a glass of water from the jug-thing-with-a-spigot we use in there. (We kept some cups and utensils in a cabinet that she could reach herself). If she spilled any time, she'd clean it up. She was also helping me with cooking:

http://motherbynature.ca/2009/02/vid...ooking-skills/
http://motherbynature.ca/2008/12/tod...of-the-action/

Just from allowing her to try things and not always saying "no" just because we thought she was too young. Unless it's truly dangerous... let her try it a few times, see what happens. Sometimes it's messy, but we shouldn't always be so paranoid about a bit of mess that we withhold valuable learning experiences from our kids. And also not 'helping' her unless she asked for it, not just assuming she needs help and diving in to rescue her. Letting her have the time to work it out on her own. Kids are so amazing!

[jess152]

Great post Tankgirl!
eta: the one about the sippy cups, specifically.

[holothuroidea]

My DD is 2 and she is very capable of drinking from a regular cup. Having said that, she uses a sippy cup 90% of the time. I've noticed that she drinks more water during the day if she has her own cup she can carry around the house with her while she plays. It's easier for both of us.

Sometimes she will take my cup off of the coffee table, help herself to a sip, and put it back.

[2timestrouble]

Originally Posted by tankgirl73

Never used a sippy cup in the first place.

When DD starting eating, she started using a real cup. She could drink from it on her own just fine at 6mo.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovecat...7600330803313/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovecat...7600330803313/

Very cute pictures.

[Thing1Thing2]

Thanks for sharing, TankGirl! I try to do the same with DS. I never knew it was based on Montessori principles though! DS is 26 months old and he has been cooking with me since 8 months. He even made his own cake last month. He asked me for each ingredient (flour, oil, syrup, raisins, eggs, milk, baking powder, cocoa powder) and then he mixed them and we cooked it. Wasn't very tasty, but he loved it. I think he enjoyed eating it knowing that he made it himself.

[tankgirl73]

I don't think that it's just strictly Montessori... Really it's common sense when you think about it. I just meant that it was when I was learning about Montessori principles (where this stuff is indeed fundamental to the philosophy) that I first really thought about it... it was my first exposure to the idea. You can do this stuff without being "fully" Montessori... but not vice versa.

DD just got herself a carrot and INSISTED on peeling it herself. "I be very careful, don't worry." She did a great job, too.

[Thing1Thing2]

Wow - that's great! I love your blog by the way!

[lifeguard]

We only ever used the sippy for water at night or in the car which we continue to do. I refuse to put anything but water in a sippy 'cause of how often they go missing. At meals & around the house ds just gets a regular cup.

[~cassie]

We have straw sippy cups for both my 3 yr old and 2 yr old. They CAN drink out of a regular, open cup but most of the time they dump it all over the place, throw it on each other so I tend to do a straw cup, or even a take and toss cup with just a straw in it. We also have those big reusable cups(both dh and I use them) and the kids will use them as well sometimes.

[rightkindofme]

We skipped sippy cups because I was uninterested in trying to help her 'unlearn' bad cup behavior. She's always been fine with an open cup. Sure, there have been a few messes--but she pretty much only drinks water so it isn't a big deal.

[Skippy918]

We still use sippys here. He knows how to drink from an open cup, but he prefers to spill the contents and then splash the water with his hand.