How to start 6mo w/ a sippy cup?

[GreenMomPhD]

My 6mo daughter would never take a bottle.  Now that she's 6mo, I am going to try a sippy cup.  I got a TommeeTippy 'transition stage' cup and have pumped some BM.  I am really hoping this will work out and want to make sure it 'takes'.  I'd love to be able to leave her with a sitter so DH and I can go out on a date and not have to worry about getting back to feed her!  Any suggestions for geting her to use it?

[The4OfUs]

Personally, I would skip the spout/vale tip back sippy and go right to a straw cup, one less thing to wean them from.  Neither of my kids got the "tip head back and drink" thing as babies (granted I didn't work with them a ton), but both were using a straw at 6 months old.  We used the Rubbermaid litterless juice boxes for a while, as they have a harder spout so the kid could gnaw on them and not damage the straw.  Actually, we still use them today, we love 'em.  They are plastic, in case that bothers you.  http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Servin-Litterless-Assorted-Colors/dp/B0000CFPHZ

Annnyway, all I had to do to get them drinking from a straw was to suck up liquid and put my finger over one end, then put the other end in their mouth and when they started sucking, let some of the liquid go.  Took all of 5 minutes with each kid for them to get the idea.  DH thought there was no way an infant could use a straw, but how wrong he was! 

I'm sure there are lots more options in straw cups out there now than there were when my youngest was a baby - I think Nuby had one that we liked well back then with a firm straw and a flip top.  My kids used straw cups exclusively for their water and mealtime drinks until they were about 2 and started using open cups at the meal table.  Heck, we still use the straw cups when we have water in bedrooms or playrooms.  I liked the fact that I didn't have to transition them from anything else, since most adults still use straws at one time or another.  The only thing I had to do was introduce open cups at the table, and that just happened naturally as they got older and more dextrous.

Good luck!

[Blessed1]

We introduced the straw cup to my little one at 5months or so and she sorta has the hang of it.  She will occasionally suck liquid up the straw but she doesn't do it often. 

We also just introduced this cup to her: http://www.amazon.com/EIO-Glass-Kids-Cup-Orange/dp/B003U5ZER6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295584727&sr=8-1

It isn't a "sippy cup".  "Sippy cup spouts and valves necessitate a bottle-like sucking motion, but EIO's unique cap promotes correct sipping, quickly and with less mess!"

It is just like a real cup so it is messy...so I wouldn't dare put precious milk in there yet.  I just give a little chamomile tea or water and put a big bib on her and let her practice.  She has it down but she still spills it on her occasionally.  :)