[kezia]

How long do most kids use sippy cups? I have recently been noticing that all of my ds's friends (3-5 yrs old) still use them. At our house, we switched to cups with straws by 2, and by 3 ds was drinking mostly from an open cup. Just wondering what the "norm" is and how much of a weirdo I am

 

[whateverdidiwants]

DD is 26 months old and we only use sippy cups if we're leaving the house and need to take a drink for with us. Otherwise, she uses a regular small cup we got at Ikea that has a wide, rubber-coated base on it. Sure, it can be messier, but she needs to learn somehow, yknow?

 

[Graceoc]

Both my kids (age 4 and 2) use sippy cups out and about and around the house. My 4 yo uses a regular cup at meal time when we sit at the table - my 2 yo still thinks it is fun to dip her hands in or shake it out without a stopper so we still use sippy cups all the time with her. They are both *can* use regular cups, staws, whatever - but I choose to keep the sippy's because it is less trouble for me

:

 

[Leatherette]

My son is 3 and a half, and he can use a regular cup and cups with straws when there are no distractions. He had a 4 and a half year old friend over, and I gave them both regular cups. Both drinks were spilled within 5 minutes. I thought he'd want to be "grown up" like his friend, but his friend's mom said he still uses sippy cups, too.

I knew someone who had a goal to have her 1 year old drinking from a regular cup and never use a sippy cup. Fine. I have different goals. I forget where my own drinks are most of the time. With a sippy cup, no big deal if we forget and something tips over.

He also doesn't nurse anymore, suck his thumb or have a comfort object, so I think he likes to suck on the sippy cup. Doesn't bother me at all.

L.

 

[Leatherette]

I don't think you are wierd, Kezia. Maybe you and your kids are just a little more focused than me and my boy are.

L.

 

[zaftigmama]

We use both. At meals my 3 year old gets a regular cup, with a straw if she wants one. My 1 year old will usually try a cup, spill it, and get a sippy if he gets upset. If he's fine with it, we re-fill the cup.

To walk around the house or have near the bed, we use sippy cups. I like them too (the valveless kind) because I know my water isn't dusty if I haven't used the cup in a night or two. We also use sippy cups at the park, beach, car, etc.,.

Take care,

 

[Marsupialmom]

You know many of our mom's are shaking their heads at the inability to use real cups.

With my son there was no spill proof cups. He was using regular cups at 6 months. So was my second child. My third, well she was at 9 months because that is when she decided she wanted something other than nana's. LOL

But I found water bottles, thermoses, et fine for out in public. I will admit that they are nice for outside on hot days but plain ordinary "adult" type containers work.

I will say this is some of the complaints I have about spill proof cups. They are not replacement for bottles. My ped rolls his eyes when he hears mom say the baby is off the bottle at 10 month but the child. My ENT and dentist has to get on parents that let their kids lay down with them because they can cause the same problem at bottles.

Then I get aggravated with lazy adults like my mil and sil. My nephew had a great suck need. But they would let him walk around with bottles, then spill proof cups. He wasn't eating foods. Drank a gallon of milk in an 8 hour time span. This is not a bad of spill proof cups but lazy adults. He got very ill from it. They had to toss the cups; they would not listen to me. Just make a few rules. 1. You must sit to have a cup. 2. Breakfast first. It just aggravated me to no end how their laziness effected him. I think they can be like any other baby product ABUSED.

 

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

We use a real mix of cups in our house. Both my kids (age 4 1/2 and 16 mo.) can and do use a "regular" cup at mealtimes - when they are seated at the table and (sort of) still. I think they were both using a regular cup at meals by the time they were 1. The rest of the time they mostly use a cup with a lid and straw. But I let them wander at will with their drinks, so this is just to save the carpet (what's left after dealing with an incontinent dog). Sometimes they ask for a sippy top, but not often. I think DD uses a sippy at daycare, for the same save-the-carpet reasons.

 

[mirlee]

It all depends on what we are doing. But, I have to say that Sam prefers to use a sippy cup because that is what he likes. We have a cat that likes to dip a paw into your milk or cereal and I think this is a milk preservation effort. We always take one when we travel because it lessens the possibility that I will have something spilled in transit. We have two cups with valves that have a thermos like quality, but the rest are all valveless. They more like a plastic lid that has a spout.

 

[Teensy]

Well, I am 33 and I still walk around with a sippy cup most of the day - it's a stainless steel Starbucks coffee mug that keeps my drinks hot or cold and limits the chance of spills.

But I do know how to drink from a regular cup.

 

[Ravin]

I've just intro'd DD to the sippy cup in the past week. She's also learning how to drink from a regular cup and a sport bottle, but the sippy will be most practical for daycare which she starts in a little over a month. The sport bottle is what I usually use for water, because I'm a klutz and always spilling things myself. I only use glasses at the table, mostly.

Around my mom's we often use thermal mugs w/ lids for the kids' milk or whatever (my nieces are 9 and 4), so they can drink normally but don't spill as much.

 

[scorpioqueen]

My DD is 19 months she only gets a sippy cup in the car, and gets the choice of one with water at night, other than that its open cup (even in restraunts or other peoples homes) She mastered the open cup at around 10 months.
Deanna

 

[sleepies]

no way id give my boys a cup without a lid before they were 4.........cause my boys spill/dump/pour everything everywhere. they make a mess even WITH a sippy cup sometimes!!!

i guess if it was water i wouldn't care, but anything besides water, i would use a cup...........because of mess

i think by age 4 my oldest wasn't that messy.

 

[Embee]

We use both. Have been since age 1 or so. Just depends on the situation... at meals, we primarly use a regular cup but DS likes to have his water with him ALL THE TIME so his "daily water cup" is a sippy--he can put it anywhere, it can knocked over with the blocks, makes an excellent smoke stack for his train (the couch converted that is). I imagine we'll stop using a sippy when DS doesn't want to use one anymore...

 

[frand]

We use sippy cups in our car for adults and children. We have an 89 Volvo with no cup holders (when Volvo was very principled about this). Sippy cups are here to stay. I wouldn't worry about the use of them as long as you are also taking the time to use regular cups at meals. And I firmly believe it is only a matter of time before they are standard issue in nursing homes and hospitals (after pouring and holding many drinks for my father in his last months of life). I kept wanting to bring one for him but thought the stigma of a 'baby cup' would bother him.

 

[EFmom]

If the kids want to have drinks in the house outside of the kitchen, they use sippy cups or they can have sports bottles of water. At the table, we used cups with spouts at about age 2 and open cups at age 3.

 

[raleigh_mom]

My 1yo only uses sippies. My 3yo uses sippies mostly. Occasionally she uses a cup with straw or a plain cup. Nobody takes a drink to bed, or carries a cup all day.

Why? 1) She freaks out if her clothes get wet. If she spills it means a total change of clothes. 2) Few spills on couch or rug. My DH and I, however, do spill. 3) I have clear memories of spilling my drinks at the table as a young child, and getting yelled at by my family. I choose to eliminate this experience for my DD as much as possible and I means I'm not tempted to yell about it.

I think whatever works for your family is great.

 

[nikirj]

My kids (ages 2 and 4) use regular cups if they're sitting down and drinking, sippy-type cups (not the ones with the valves - these do spill, just not so fast) if they are playing and walking around. Generally, I will use a thermos-type cup or a can if I'm following them around or doing housework or whatever, and a glass if I'm sitting, too.