Hunger can be motivating. Make sure your baby has at least a bit of hunger motivation at the meal by separating out breast or bottle-feeds from table feeds by at least 60 minutes. If your baby is 9+ months old, you may separate them even more (by 2-3 hours) to see if this helps. This cup is microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and can hold hot liquids that are up to 428 degrees Fahrenheit; that said, the AAP recommends serving liquids that are maximum room-temperature-warm to your baby, and warns against microwaving to warm. Zoli Weighted Straw Cup: With a cover to minimize spills, and a straw that is sized “just right” for your baby’s mouth, the Zoli cup is a great way for children to get sips on the go.

Honey Bear Cup - Etsy UK

EZPZ Tiny Cup : Designed by a speech therapist, this cup has a weighted base and little bumps on the bottom to help prevent it from tipping over. It’s the perfect size for your little one’s tiny hands and mouths. I heard about sippy cups being bad and knew he was on a binky and didn’t want to add insult to injury. He drinks water and milk and on occasion juice from his straw cups. He often drinks from our cups as well with no straw (it’s either we let him or he scream bloody murder lol) Here is the thing about bottle feeding, though. Because breast feeding allows for babies to naturally learn the tongue and lip patterns that are needed for more mature swallowing (solid foods) and speech development, babies who are bottle fed do not have this experience. So, from birth, babies are learning unnatural patterns of tongue and lip movement. Then come teeth…What you may not know, however, is that these teeth come equipped with “sensors” that tell them when to stop growing. Teeth will only grow until something disrupts their path (i.e. gums, other teeth, tongue).This also applies to bottles, meaning that providing a bottle after teeth begin to emerge can have an impact on the growth of baby teeth. How Bottle Drinking Can Effect Speech There are many sippy cups on the market—soft spouts, firm spouts, with handles, or without handles. But, as feeding specialists, we have to reiterate that we don’t love sippy cups and instead recommend you focus on straw cups when on-the-go or in need of a mess-free meal. Why? Sippy cups encourage your baby to use their tongue in a way that is not ideal for cup or straw drinking. Plus, as soon as your baby masters a sippy cup, it’s time to conquer more mature cup skills, which adds an unnecessary step (and expense) to the process. Basically, because the child has spent so long “mis-learning” tongue position, intervention is now required to retrain the tongue and strengthen lip, jaw, and tongue muscles. When Should I Introduce the Cup?

Teaching Baby to Use Cups + Straw Cups - Solid Starts Teaching Baby to Use Cups + Straw Cups - Solid Starts

Alexandra Bisonó, Senior Art Director for Everyday Health Group, says that her daughter only took a few minutes to learn how to use the honey bear straw cup, and after understanding how they worked, she was able to move on to other straw cups. The honey bear cups are often a great option for children having trouble making the transition from bottles: BabyCenter Senior SEO Content Strategist Sarah Darby says "I tried to get my son to drink from a straw for almost two months with little success. After we tried the honey bear cup, he was drinking from a straw that same day at 9 months."The "honey bear" style of straw cup has become very popular in recent years because it's so easy for babies and toddlers to learn to use. The magic lies in the cup's flexibility: When you squeeze the sides, the liquid rises up the straw. This visual demonstration of the physics of creating a vacuum is a revelation to babies, and really helps them understand how to use the straw. Step 2: Sit down, smile at your baby to catch their attention, and then bring the cup to your mouth to take a small sip. (You can use the same cup if you are comfortable with that or two cups, one for you and one for baby. Just make sure you are drinking out of the same looking cup.) Step 3: When baby accepts the straw in their mouth, take your finger off the top and allow the liquid to pour into their mouth. This usually helps your baby understand to close their lips, and that liquid comes out of the straw.