The growth of a child is an amusing process. During every stage, you need to teach new things to the baby. One most essential transition is a baby turning into a toddler. A breastfed baby now needs to learn how to drink through a sippy cup.
The main reason to introduce sippy cups to the baby is to prevent tooth decay. Many researchers suggest that it is important to introduce a sippy cup to a baby before the first birthday. However, it is not necessary to stop giving breast milk when using a sippy cup. Now let us see 5 tips, how to get baby to use sippy cup:
1. Introduce it as early as possible
Many parents do not think or forget about introducing a sippy cup to the baby. You can introduce a sippy cup to a baby from six months of age. Some parents prefer giving sippy cups for the baby from the age of 12 months. Even if the baby does not take a sippy cup immediately, you do not need to worry. It may take time for the baby to like this foreign object.
2. Introduce it as a toy
There are plenty of ways to introduce a sippy cup to the baby. One of the effective methods is to allow the child to get familiar with it. Give the sippy cup as a toy to the baby. You can give it in mealtime and let your baby figure out how to use it.
The baby will like an object if it is their toy. Make them feel that a sippy cup is a toy. The baby will automatically keep the sippy cup in the mouth after a few days. You can give the sippy cup to the baby when sitting on a high chair or the feeding booster.
3. Try to give tasty liquids
If your baby starts to drink from a sippy can then try to give breast milk in it. As the baby is familiar with breast milk, there are possibilities that it will sip and drink from the cup.
However, if your baby does not drink from the cup, you can try giving other tasty liquids in it. For the babies above 12 months, you can give fruit juice in the sippy cup. Fruit juice is healthy as well as tasty so the baby will start drinking from the sippy cup.
4. Create a bedtime bottle routine
You can create a bedtime bottle routine for your baby. Giving warm milk or other health drinks during the night can help the baby get a peaceful sleep. When providing a night drink, give it in the sippy cup to create a habit.
If the baby is not drinking in a sippy cup, give it a security object to the baby. Most babies use toys as a security object; they keep these toys all night. You can give a sippy toy as the security object and let the baby get familiar with it. This way, your baby will soon start to drink from the sippy cup.
5. Giving sippy cups in the middle of the night
When sleeping in a crib, Most of the babies will cry at midnight. They cry when they are hungry and want to drink milk. During this time, the baby will be in half-sleep. It is the best time to avoid milk bottles and introduce a sippy cup to the baby. Without even releasing the infant will get familiar with it. Also, after putting back to sleep, ensure to wipe the teeth to prevent tooth decay.
Conclusion
From the above points, it is clear that it is not that hard to introduce a sippy cup to your baby. With less effort and practice, the child will know how to drink from a sippy cup. Consider any of the tips to introduce sippy cups as soon as possible.
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