Sippy cups are the children’s cups which have a lid and a spout for them to put in their mouth. Usually the spout will have two or three holes in order for the sippy cup to assist the child in regulating the flow of their drink into their mouth. They can be sterilised in steam sterilisers if required, and usually are suitable for dishwashers.
The sippy cup is intended to be a transition between baby bottles and cups, so the process of using a sippy cup should very much be viewed by parents as a facilitation exercise to get the child to a place where they are able to use normal cups. Many parents can make the mistake of allowing the child to use a sippy cup indefinitely. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as the child is less likely to make a mess on furniture or carpet, or the parent simply doesn’t realise the importance of the child learning to transition from sippy cups to proper cups as soon as possible.
Of course, as time progresses, children get attached to their cup – after all it is only the child that uses it so it can almost become an integral part of their day, in the same way as a comfort blanket might. If this happens to your child, don’t worry, there are a number of approaches to wean your child off their favourite cup, not least by replacing it with a new one, and ideally this should be a different design to force the child to recognise the change.
Sippy cups can be purchases online very cheaply. They are of course vital to the child progressing from bottles, but be mindful not to stagnate the learning process and get the child used to proper cups as soon as you feel comfortable. The temptation to wait another few weeks or months before removing the sippy cup from your child’s routine may be strong, but the sooner they are able to use normal cups the better.