When Do You Teach Your Child To Drink From A Cup?

Babies are constantly faced with challenges that are very difficult for them, such as learning to walk or drinking from a cup. Swapping breastfeeding for drinking from a cup is a psychological, motor and emotional process, although it only takes a few minutes a day.

Babies need to learn to say goodbye to the things that make them feel safe, calm and happy. This is anything but easy.

When do you teach your child to drink from a cup?

You can let your baby drink water for the first time from 6 months. Before this age, babies should only drink breast milk. Unless your baby is sick or extremely hot, otherwise don’t water him until he is 6 months old.

This is when you can start introducing complementary foods. Reduce the consumption of breast milk and start supplementing it with water, juice and possibly some cow’s milk. The best way to do this is to let your kids drink from a cup instead of a bottle.

Until a child is 7 to 8 months old, he will not have the necessary motor skills to pick up the glass, so you will still have to help.

This process will help your child:

• to develop
• to be less affectionate
• to be less dependent on his mother’s breast, a bottle, a pacifier or even a finger

For starters, we recommend using plastic cups that have a handle and a lid so it won’t break if dropped, or special baby cups that are easy to hold.

A few tips

Recommended cups

• Cups made of non-harmful materials. Because it is better not to use glass cups because of their fragility, silicone is the best material. This is made of rubber that has no taste or smell, is not harmful and can withstand heat.

• Choose cups with attractive colors and shapes to get your child’s attention and curiosity.
• Cups with a soft spout that are also made of silicone.
• Find a cup with a lid that doesn’t leak and has ears to hold on to.

Learning to drink from a cup

All children are different. They all develop at their own pace and in their own way. The motor skills of different babies may be different, even if they are the same age.

Parents don’t have to worry if their baby has trouble using a cup. However, most babies can drink from a cup on their own when they are one year old.

In the beginning, it is normal for children to get messy and wet, even when using a spout. When drinking from a cup becomes a routine, children will become nimble and not spill a drop.

The glass for ‘big kids’

When your child is 2 years old, he should be able to drink from a normal glass, without a spout, which you gradually have to remove more and more often.

Some final recommendations

• Be patient and respect your child’s pace of development.
• Wet the spout with breast milk and give it to your child so that he associates it with the taste and smell of breastfeeding. This makes him want to drink from it.
• Change what’s in the cup. Besides water, you can also put juice and even breast milk in the cup.
• Look for the anti-drip nozzles carefully. Babies often get frustrated when nothing comes out when they suck on a spout.
• Teach them by showing it so they can imitate you.
• Do not use a lid for a while. Once kids can grab the glass, they can try drinking without a lid.

• Be very careful when cleaning the cup and lid. Small amounts of liquid can remain in the corners, causing the growth of bacteria and mold.