Introducing cups (esp when EBFing)
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| Tue, 09-08-2009 - 1:35pm |
The post about bottles made me start thinking more about introducing cups and wondering what people's thoughts/experiences are.
Patrick's 4 months old now, but I don't think we're going to be introducing solids very soon (probably another 6-8 weeks), though I'm hoping to start sitting him in a high chair at the table in the next week or two. I've been reading stuff about introducing cups, but can't decide what kind, or what to put in it!
I'm leaning towards just doing a cup with no lid, but maybe I'm crazy. I'd love to hear any cup recommendations.
I've also seen people advise just giving them an empty cup for starters, but not sure how long to do that for. And then when I do start putting something in it, what? Right now DS is BFed at home and I only pump at work. So, I'd have to either pump some at home or warm the BM (and pump more somehow to make up for it - I don't have a big stash). Otherwise, I guess we could just try water. Would I serve water room temp, cool, or cold?
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We started introducing water in a cup when Ry was...7 or 8 months old I think. We tried a sippy cup earlier at mealtimes, but he never really drank from it. He would just chew on the spout and throw it on the floor.
He does really well with cool water in a small plastic (lidless) cup. If we hold it out to him, he'll grab it and bring it to his mouth to drink, and he's been doing that since we first offered it. I think he learned that because we used to hold the sippy cup to his mouth for him, but make him hold the handles as well.
They say the earlier the better for the cup, so good for you! Put down some towels and go to town!
-Megan
Thank you for the sig Mary
Hi Lorien,
I'm training Teddy to drink from a cup at the moment, so maybe I can help a bit!
I noticed when he was about 4mths that he got really interested in glasses and mugs. I got him a Doidy cup (specially designed as baby's first cup; see here: http://www.bickiepegs.co.uk/acatalog/Doidy_Cup.html) and to start with as you said just gave it to him empty (a few times, maybe 3-4 days). He put it to his mouth anyways so as next step I gave him a little bit of cooled, boiled water in it (room temperature). Obviously I still have to hold the cup for him!
These days I give him a bit of follow-on formula with his solids, to get him used to taking milk from a cup (the plan is that when I go back to work; he'll have his daytime milk feed(s) from a cup when he's at the nursery).
It is an open cup with no lid, and Teddy drinks quite well from it. In the UK they say babies can drink from an open cup from 4 months onwards, and you should encourage it from 6 months onwards rather than giving bottles (for FF mums or those who do both/switch).
I'm sure it will still take a while before he drinks from it without so many spills- he's better at drinking water from it; I think he's not so keen on the formula so quite often he'll just let it run out again!
I just remembered, when he first started drinking from it he'd put his tongue in and lapped it up like a kitten :-)
Hope I could answer some of your questions!
Thanks Katie for my lovely siggy!
I love this board. Thanks for your responses!
Megan: It sounds like letting them play with it is a reasonable idea anyway, so I guess we'll see what he does.
Sarah: Thanks for the info on what to put in it. Maybe I'll pump a bit of milk and see what he does with it in a cup, but mostly wait until 6 months and then do water.
Anna: Awesome cup! I love the image of him lapping it up. Thanks for the advice.
Thank you for the sig Mary