proper cups

[flora]

At what age do you encourage your kids to use proper cups. My dd has always used one as she never got on with sippy cups.

R is 2.5yrs and she wont' even try using one . The only reason I ask, is that R is using her cup and mine as a comforter. She chews the spouts and juice etc that mum has made is coming into contact with her teeth for longer than it would / should do if you used and open cup. Wouldn't be so bad if they had water in, but she won't touch water!!

Also the cups she brings from home are often dirty, you can take all the bits apart for cleaning but mum obviosly doen'st. (I often hang on to them and just tell her they gone in the dishwasher just so I know they are cleaned!! ) I do this as hannah likes to have a sneeky drink when r is not looking

[sarah707]

I give water during the day freely on demand, dilute fruit juice with lunch and milk with afternoon snack... never squash or bubbles as I have a healthy teeth policy.

I start with cups when they're around 2, but as I'm fed up of washing sofa covers when they get up and walk about when you tell them not to, I am really strict about them sitting down when drinking.

I have a nearly 3 year old with a sippy cup now though as he tips cup contents over his head every time - somebody must have laughed once!

[crazybones]

My os is 2yrs 3 months and have just started letting him try with a proper cup, bit messy but he wants the same as his brothers (8 and 10) but mindee is 2 weeks younger and to be honest there is no way I am going to let him try for a while. I insist on sitting down to drink, whether it be a chair or the floor and he doesnt like this at all, therefore water ends up all over the place. He too chews the cup, shakes it about like a rattle and drips it everywhere. If you are worried about the teeth maybe extra brushing might be good.

[Teresa]

i have got a 2 years and 3 months old mindee and he is using a proper cup, he does really well with it too had a couple of little splodges out the top but nothing major so i would try amd encourage her to use a proper cup by saying " big girls use these cups" and give here a cup aht is just hers. or say oh no we havent got your cup today ... what shall we do? ... i know let use this one "

[manjay]

My ds is 22 mths and has been using a big boys cup for quite a few months. I bought a couple of ones that are hard to tip over but he does have normal ones at toddlers. He only uses this at the table with small amounts at a time. throughout the day he drinks water from a water bottle.

On the other hand my 16 mth old mindee has come to me still drinking juice from a bottle! have managed to get him to use a sippy cup but it has been a struggle.

amanda xx

[buildingblocks]

I have had the same problem as mum lets S aged nearly 3 drink from cup with lid (also big brother aged almost 5) as they run rings round her and won't sit at the table to drink at home so this an easy option.

I have had a hard time here as S will not use normal cups here no matter how hard I tried. I found it hard not to give in myself as I can't bear to see children going without drinks. Anyway after Christmas i hardened as i felt a bad childminder that at 2 and a half he still wasn't using a proper cup. So I just refused to give him a lidded cup and he soon started to use the cup.

these are what i start them on

http://www.urchin.co.uk/product_cate...two-doidy-cups

moving onto similar ones to these

http://www.hippychick.com/index.cfm/.../four_cup_pack

Good luck

[miffy]

I'd definitely be trying to get her onto a normal cup but it's hard if parents won't/don't do the same!

Miffy xx

[Tily Bud]

my nephew is 2 1/2 and for the past couple of months he has been refusing a sippy cup and asking for a 'big boy cup' like the others we have had a few spills but now hes got the hang of it

[Banana]

Mayben its just me - but the only time the children get a proper cup with no llid is at meal times and not always then... but sometimes. If I've got 3 kids between 1 and 3 running around you better believe im having lids on there cups! I ask parents to provide a drinking cup for their child that they are happy for them to use and all of them bring cups with lids. Belle can use a cup no problem, as can 2 yr old mindee - but I would still rather they had a lid to save my furniture etc..

xx

[Spangles]

Benjamin is 3 in April and he uses a proper cup at meal times and the rest of the time he drinks from a lidded bottle thing with his name on - if not, it would just go everywhere and quite often we're out and about anyway so I have to put the drink in something.

[Twinkles]

I only give 'proper' cups at meal times - sitting at table. I start this from 2yrs. The rest of the time they have bottles of water ( the kind they have in schools ) even the biggies. It helps me keep a check on who has had what in the way of water ( they're named ). They are quick and easy to grab when we go out and don't spill.
I don't offer mine anything but water, except at mealtimes then it's water or milk.

[jo f]

I use baby cups with lids on during the day- when out and whilst playing. At meal times the kids have their own cups with their name on ( not as if the liltleies can read them). My after school child enjoys helping me, she's in charge of the drinks at tea time and pours a very small ammount into the cups at a time, think she feels important topping them up and helping out. So far so good!

[Tatia]

Not even my over 8 mindees get cups (unless they're having a cuppa). Everyone has sports bottles and that is purely for practicality and because I was sick of cleaning up spills. My biggest switch is from about 2, when they can go from a sippy cup to a sports bottle.

[ruby]

most of the older ones can drink from ordinary cups and do so at meals time when they are sat down. the younger ones use cups with lids.

but we do have the sport bottle type ones that they have through out the day. they are all different so they know which one is theirs


Cathy

[allinatiz]

Oh, I'm so dumb sometimes, I never even considered buying a few sports bottles for the older ones!

My daughter, who's 16 months, can manage a proper cup with help so I would imagine in a few months time she'll be fine with one all by herself. However, I normally use lidded cups as both her and my mindee like to experiment on their high chair trays with the water in their cups which is fine when it's just drips from a lidded cup but I don't fancy a flood every day

[Alibali]

If you're worried about teeth, but still want a lidded cup, how about the ones with straws in them. They can go in dishwasher too. Mine all love to drink from a straw, and even just water.

Alison x

[ma7ie]

Mayben its just me - but the only time the children get a proper cup with no llid is at meal times and not always then... but sometimes. If I've got 3 kids between 1 and 3 running around you better believe im having lids on there cups! I ask parents to provide a drinking cup for their child that they are happy for them to use and all of them bring cups with lids. Belle can use a cup no problem, as can 2 yr old mindee - but I would still rather they had a lid to save my furniture etc..

xx

I'm with Lana on this. My dd has been using a proper cup since she was 22 months when she is sat at the table. Any other time she and mindees have cups with lids, whether that means sippy cups or the ones with straws.

[flora]

Told R today that all the lidded tommy tipee cup were dirty in the dishwasher!!!!!
Bad girl! will go to hell now for lying

Anyway, gave her Hannah's doidy cup that she used at first.

Amazing, she can do it. Sounds like a drain being sucked out mind

Told mum when she collected her......she said" oh yes she's been ABLE to do it for a while now I just don't like the mess!!!!"

So I said, well we don't have too many accidents with Hannah and we sit down to drink so if it's all the same to you we''ll keep it up

Ok, she said.

So thanks for all your comments.