How to Get a Baby to Take Sippy Cups Instead of the Bottle
A baby can become very attached to his bottle, which can make it difficult to wean him. Most babies seem ready to make the switch around the end of the first year. A baby is more mobile at this stage and will want to be upright, watching the action around her, and won't want to lie down to drink from the bottle. If the transition process is planned out in advance, the frustration level for both parent and child can be minimized. Easing the transition in small steps will also help.
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Instructions
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Offer bottles four times or less per day when preparing the baby for the sippy cup transition. If the baby is used to getting a bottle on demand, he'll have a harder time making the adjustment to a sippy cup later. Make sure the baby is getting most of her calories from solid foods before making this change. If the baby gets most of his calories from the bottle, the baby will miss necessary nutrients if he switches to a sippy cup too early.
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Transition the baby into taking a bottle at mealtimes with solid food, then offer one bottle before bedtime. This helps her adjust to the bottle being a part of a meal, instead of an object of comfort. After the baby is used to drinking a bottle with meals, the sippy cup substitution can begin. Offer breast milk, formula or water until the baby is one year old.
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Find a sippy cup nipple adaptor that works with the baby's bottle system. Most bottles are now easily adapted into sippy cups. Switch to this sippy cup adaptor. The soft rubber or silicone texture will mimic a nipple so the baby doesn't have a drastic change starting out. Make sure the process is peaceful; don't try to make the change when things are chaotic.
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Offer different types of sippy cups if the nipple adaptor doesn't work or if the brand of bottle used doesn't offer an alternative. Start with soft rubber and work up to harder plastic. Some babies prefer to go directly to straw-style sippy cups. Make sure to start with slow flow.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure the child can sit up before offering a sippy cup. Supply a pacifier when the baby needs to suck instead of a bottle.
Substitute the sippy cup during the meal in which the baby drinks the least from his bottle. As he begins to drink more in this manner, substitute the sippy cup to another meal. This way the baby gets the nutrients needed while learning to get his liquids from a cup.
Don't offer juice in a sippy cup until the baby drinks her breast milk or formula well. Otherwise she might refuse to drink anything but juice from the sippy cup.
