What kind of container should be used to quench a little one’s thirst? There are many choices from bottles to cup and in between for infants and toddlers.
Introduction of the cup is difficult, so many parents use sippy cups to help with the transition. The sippy cup may be easy for parents, but it may cause problems for the child.
Why not just transition from bottle to cup?
Bottle basics
When a baby is born, parents are given two choices for feeding: breast or bottle. For the parents who choose a bottle, there are more decisions to make.
Bottles have all types of shapes and nipple sizes. Most claim to eliminate gas, colic or simulate breast-feeding. Parents don’t have to use the same bottles with every child. The key to bottle use is that the parent and baby are comfortable.
Concern about possible harmful effects of BPA in bottles, however, has parents worried about what to buy. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in baby bottles and other hard plastics.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “FDA shares the perspective of the National Toxicology Program that recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.” Due to the scare, bottle and sippy cups of top manufacturers are making BPA-free products for parents.
Parents who are concerned about BPA should take precautions. The U.S. Department of Health recommends that baby bottles or cups with BPA should be discarded if scratched. Also, “BPA levels rise in food when containers/products made with the chemical are heated and come in contact with the food.”
Sippy or cup?
Sippy cups are the transitional method that most parents use when introducing a cup. According to the Academy of Pediatrics’ Oral Health Initiative, the best time to introduce a cup is “as soon as the child can sit unsupported (around 6 months of age), and try to eliminate the bottle by 1 year of age.”
Parents often prolong the use of sippy cups because they are easy. “Sippy cups were created to help children transition from a bottle to drinking from a regular cup, but they’re too often used for convenience,” says Dr. Philip H. Hunke, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).
For parents, these sippy cups have advantages. They generally are spill-proof and can be taken anywhere families travel. Extended use of sippy cups, however, is considered a dental risk, according to AAPD.
“Harmful effects of prolonged use of a bottle (or sippy cup) containing a sugared liquid (juice, milk, soda) especially at night include an increased risk of a condition called Early Childhood Caries,” says Dr. Lisa Richards, DDS, of Dental Specialists of Lake County. “This condition starts with decay on the front surfaces of the upper front teeth and can progress throughout the mouth, the bacteria breakdown can affect the tooth enamel and cause cavities”.
Also, a sippy cup full of juice, milk or other sugary substances that is sipped on and carried around constantly by a toddler is not recommended. “Children should not be permitted to sip at will from the cup throughout the day or night,” Richards said.
AAPD suggests that “unless being used at mealtime, the sippy cup should only be filled with water, and frequent drinking of any other liquid, even if diluted, from a bottle or no-spill training cup should be avoided.”
No bottle, no sippy
The same way we train our children for many other stages in life, parents should take baby steps in transitioning to a cup. Some parents can do a gradual take away of the sippy, while others might want to use the cold-turkey method.
Children should be weaned off the bottle (sippy cup) by 18 months of age. AAPD recommends weaning babies off the bottle replacement with cups at mealtimes. Continue with this process until all bottles are phased out and the child is comfortable with drinking from a cup.
Straws can be a useful tool in the process of cup introduction. Some children as early as 1 year of age can learn to sip from a straw; however, it takes time and patience. Straws are a popular function on some no-spill cups.
The type of cup used also could be important. Plastic cups can spill without much difficulty. It may be a good idea to find a heavier plastic cup that is easy to handle. Limit use of the cup to mealtimes and snacks. To avoid spills, don’t let the child walk around with a cup. Introducing a cup or weaning from the bottle may be easier said than done.
Parents are key to weaning a child from the bottle or sippy cup. Some parents are hesitant to fully graduate their child to a cup because these are comfort items for a child.
Find an alternative to night drinking with a transitional object such as a stuffed toy, a pacifier or a blanket. Only use water if the bottle is needed.
This stage of “no more bottles or sippy” for children, as well as parents, is a wonderful feeling of independence. Just make the process fun and be consistent with the message.
