3. Moving from bottle to cup
Training Matters,
24 Jul 2018
1 Min
6-12 months
3. Moving from bottle to cup
Training Matters,
24 Jul 20181 Min
In 6-12 months
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From six months of age, parents should encourage their baby to drink from an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve as this will help the baby learn to sip rather than suck, which is better for the teeth.
Comfort sucking on sweetened drinks is the biggest cause of tooth decay in young children. When using a bottle or trainer cup, nothing other than infant formula milk, breast milk or water should be put into it.
From six months of age, parents should encourage their baby to drink from an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve
Advise parents that they may need to try a few cups before finding one that suits their baby. By 12 months of age, babies should have stopped using bottles with teats.
Top tips for introducing a cup
- A lidded beaker without a valve is best. Valves, like bottles, require babies to suck –the habit that introducing a cup is trying to break
- When drinks are offered in a cup, all bottles should be kept out of the baby’s sight
- Initially, it’s best to offer the cup with one meal in the day when the baby is not tired
- Ensure the baby is seated upright, at a table or in a highchair, before offering a cup so that they are in a good drinking position
- Once they are used to one cup a day, others can gradually be introduced
- The bottle that the baby is most reliant on (often the one at bedtime) should be replaced last.
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6-12 months
In 6-12 months