How To Teach Your Baby To Drink From A Regular Cup
Did you know that you could have your baby drinking from a regular cup months before she/he turns two? My daughter was drinking from a regular cup at 20 months, and it was quick and easy for her to learn!
The way she learned to drink from a cup was in the bath! We went without bubbles and most of her regular bath toys for much of two to three weeks. Instead, I would put two or three regular size plastic cups (Tumblers) in her bath, some with Disney or fairy prints on them so that she'd think they were appealing to play with. I sat her facing the bath tap and put a cup in her hand and let the tap trickle cold water, with the water flow just a little more than making it drip. She sat and filled up the cup with a little water, of course most kids love water play so she found this fun and would also try to drink from it. For much of the first week the water went straight down her chest but by the end of the next week she had pretty much mastered it!
This is a great technnique to try at home if you want to have your baby drinking from a regular cup early! Of course you want to use a shallow bath and sit or stand within arms reach of your child at all times. You also need to ensure you have the cold water tap on only and on a really slow flow so that it doesn't start to fill up the bath!
Within a few weeks I was giving my daughter a cup of water with her meals. I still gave her milk and juice in a sippy cup for the first few weeks because water is much easier to clean as a toddler learns to put down the drink afterwards, and you can still have a few spills to clean up! I recommend once you start giving your baby a regular cup with their meals, just fill it up to about 1/3 to start with as a baby can be a little unsteady with their co-ordination and the cup is more likely to spill if it's filled up to the top.
Of course, there's no rush to get your baby drinking from a regular cup, but when you're ready to give it a try I can vouch for this method working!
