Training cups, sippy cups, straw cups-- too many options make my head explody.

[JulieInChicago]

As a first time mom I'm OVERWHELMED at the options here.  What works?  What do you all do? 

My son is 7 mos and is reaching for our cups now, so I think he's ready for something beyond the boob/bottle.  I'm leaning toward stainless steel since I naturally distrust plastic... I'm also thinking that straws are probably better than sippies since they're more realistic, but what do I know? My current inclinations are toward the Doidy Cup and the Safe Sippy straw bottle.

Help! Someone with experience...  

What works? When did you intro the cup/sippy/straw?  

THANKS!  

[P.J.]

I introduced a regular old sippy  cup at about 6 months. Just a few weeks ago I got a Doidy cup, but so far it's just made a big mess (even with just a little water, it still spills all over and is a pain IMO). So we've gone mostly back to the sippy cup. I know that sooner or later he'll have to learn a regular cup and there will be spills, but I guess I'm waiting til summer when we can do it outside.

[NicolleLynne]

We tried a few different cups with no success, the fluid either came out too easily and spilled all over or didn't come out easily enough and frustrated DD. One thing she always liked was drinking out of my stainless steel water bottle but it was too big for her to handle so we ended up getting her a baby water bottle from SIGG:

http://mysigg.com/store/bottles/3l-10-oz.html

It's super cute, pretty much indestructible and the water comes out just right. You can also buy a little set of grippy handles to go with it if your little one can't get a tight enough hold on the bottle just yet.

Good luck!

[JulieInChicago]

Nicolle- those Sigg's are on zulily.com right now too.  What's the top like?  I can't seem to find a photo of it anywhere that doesn't have the cover on it.

[stelly]

We tried several and I didn't like any of them, but then we found Tilty cups and have stuck with them ever since.  They don't have valves so baby doesn't need to suck quite so hard to get the fluid out, and the way they use them is much more like a cup.  I've given them as gifts to friends and everyone likes them, one could only get her 6 month old to take pumped bmilk from a tilty cup.

www.tiltycup.com

[tzs]

there ARE a trillion options out there and it's so easy to stress but when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter in the long run....they will learn to drink. just pick what works for you or a variety of cups that work for you. i spent alot of time on the internet looking for the "perfect" cup and looking back it was all wasted time.

we did open cup from shot glasses/small cups but i also had a couple of those throwaway sippies, a basic one from babies r us where if you took the valve out it would just drip/pour out the spout, and the born free one with the slit that didn't require much suction. so we mainly did open cup at meals and at other times i might just pull one out depending on my mood or hers (i.e. was she more into drinking or more into tipping the thing upside down and spilling)

[JulieInChicago]

Thanks for your suggestions!  I talked this over with my husband and we narrowed it to non-plastic.  I think we'll be going with Klean Kanteen ones-- i could kick myself for missing them on baby steals this week!  We use Born Free glass bottles right now and were considering also getting the silicone wrapper/protector thing for them and then getting the sippy tops and handles but would that be too dangerous?  Hmm.

[JudiAU]

I'd say to use whatever cup works, baring those with BPA. We use SIGG out because they have tight seal but that tight seal really limits water intake. My kids drink a lot more when they have a sippy with the valve removed. Yes, it leaks, which I think it healthy in terms of cause and effect. But it only ever contains water so it isn't a big deal.  I don't think the brand matters as much as the flow. After about 2, they have open glass cups when they eat meals.

These are cheap, work really well, minimize spills without constricting flow rate, and are widely available. BPA free.  http://www.amazon.com/NUK-Gerber-Starter-Vertical-Colors/dp/B002GESUBE/ref=sr_1_7?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1302887732&sr=1-7

[JudiAU]

FYI- Both Klean Kanteen and SIGG require a LOT of force to drink.

[cristeen]

My DS hates sippy cups. And only recently (at 18 mos) has he started using straw cups. His preference is for a KK w a sport top.

We tried the KK sippy and the Born Free sippy, with and w/o the valves. No go. We tried straw cups w and w/o bite valves. He actually prefers the bite valve at this point. Ive ordered EIO cups, but am still waiting for them.

As for the BF - my guy couldnt hold the bottle without handles until well past a year. It was just too heavy.

[Adaline'sMama]

After trying a ton of cups, we use a  Nuk straw cup.

[NicolleLynne]

Originally Posted by JulieInChicago 

Nicolle- those Sigg's are on zulily.com right now too.  What's the top like?  I can't seem to find a photo of it anywhere that doesn't have the cover on it.

Hi, the top is kind of like the "sport" top on plastic water bottles. You twist the base to close or open it. When I invert the bottle in the open position a thin stream of water trickles out. When DD drinks from it she doesn't seem to need to apply too much force to get a mouthful of water. Hope this helps!

[julesbr]

We use these toddler spouts with our Kleen Kanteen sippy cup. The spout is labelled 18 mos+, but my dd is 15 mos, and she's been using it for a few months with no problems. The spout doesn't seem like it will fit into the KK lid, but it will. You have to give a good shove. It's not absolutely leak-proof, but it's pretty good compared to other sippies we've used.http://www.amazon.com/Philips-AVENT-Magic-Spouts-Months/dp/B0000CED7N/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302905827&sr=8-2