alright... I had a WIC appt today- the first with Trey. Well the "nutritionist" was telling me that you shouldn't give him a sippy cup ever- its too much like a bottle. And to introduce them to a regular cup around 4 months (or when they start watching you drink from your cup). That seems a little young to me. I just wanted to know your guys thoughts/opinions/experiences with this are
Is four months too early for them to develop motor skills to the point of being able to handle a regular cup? It seems to me that this would just create mane more messes for you to clean up. Also, if you're on the go, should you just give them a cup with no lid, or a cup with a lid and a straw (which has issues all its own) or what? an open top cup in the car in the hands of a four-month-old sounds like applying a hammer, with force, to ones own head...
IMO some people want babies to be small adults. I liked sippy cups because they kept spills from happening and they travelled easily. My second son was a little longer learning how to use a regular cup, but so what? He learned by the time he was 3. I really hate when know-it-alls tell people "you shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that" I would like slap them. You should do what you feel is best and ignore the rest.
My daughter was on a sippy cup at 4 months w/ out ever using a bottle. She switched to a regular cup at around 1 yr when she could handle it w/out spilling it. I think a regular cup is too early for a baby that young to handle on their own. Sippy cups save a lot of spilling frustration for parents and baby. Most kids that young will need help handling a regular cup but w/ a sippy cup a baby can handle it on their own and gain some independance.
That seems really young. Why does he even need to be using any type of cup at that age? What is he drinking that requires a cup? Breastmilk? Formula? Juice???? Bella is almost 6 months and I know she would just hit at it and knock it over, but she doesn't use any type of cup yet. She is just now starting solids. I had WIC with Sydney and I learned real fast that the WIC "nutritionists" aren't all they're cracked up to be. I wouldn't take their word as gold if I were you.....but, what do I know.
thats what I thought (what you all said)... she has kind of a whack job- I've learned to just nod and agree with everything she says. But I was just wondering if she knew something I didnt. The only thing she said that I liked was about making baby food yourself instead of buying jars. other than that... everything else sounds stupid thanks you all!
Don't listen to the people at WIC. I never had to go(thank god) but I do have a few friends that had to go. They always make you feel like you are doing something wrong...either your kid weighs too much, not enough, blah blah blah. Do what you feel is right. My daughter is 3 and still has one sippy cup. I use it more for road trips, and for milk when we are home since my cats try to drink her milk and spill it everywhere. 4 months seems too soon.
That sounds ridiculous to me. I mean, come on, they're 4 month old BABIES! Geez! I agree wholeheartedly with what all of the other ladies here said. In our society, it seems like the rage to keep pushing babies to grow up more quickly than they need to. The people that push for regular cups at that age aren't the ones having to clean up all of the endless messes, you are. Not to be disrespectful, but pay those WIC nutritionalists no mind when they spout off things that you feel are unreasonable or go against your better judgement. Do what YOU feel is right. Giving a child a sippy cup is hardly child endangerment.
If a 4 month old needed to be using regular a cup, our boobs would have big gaping holes instead of nipples.. (and they would spill everywhere..)
At one of my WIC "nutrition" classes, the woman talked about breakfast. First, she passed around nutrition labels of two different types of breakfast bars and asked which one we would rather feed our kids. I said neither. She asked me why and I told her because of all the sugars, trans fat, HFCS, preservatives, etc. She asked what I feed my kids for b-fast and I told her usually fresh fruit and yogurt. And she then told us that she takes her kids to Hardee's for a sausage biscuit! That's healthy!!
Argh, that lady doesn't know what she's talking about. What she probably meant (or what she read somewhere, but didn't understand) is that you can use a regular cup to feed a baby, so you can avoid nipple comfusion if you're breastfeeding--NOT that the baby should be able to feed herself that way! Personally, i think 4 months is a perfect age to introduce a sippy cup, especially if your baby is ready for juice, or water, or pumped breastmilk/formula. By that age, most babies don't have an issue with nipple confusion (i could be wrong about that, but mine didn't). I also think it's easier for a baby that age to switch between breast and sippy cup, than breast and bottle, because they are so different. I think bottles are totally useless if you can breastfeed at all, but that's another of my own opinions
150 percent what Ryvre Willow said in her first paragraph!!!! seriously sounds like she got that confuddled!! By the way as a non American can I ask what WIC stands for?
"Women, Infants, and Children" It's a program through the Department of Social Services that provides free food for pregnant/nursing women, infants, and children up to age 5 or 6. They give you things like cereal, juice, formula, dried beans, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, and milk. It's supposed to promote good nutrition.
oh I agree about 4 months is ok for a sippy cup. But this lady said to never use a sippy cup. bottle (or breast for those of you lucky enough to do it )to regular cup. She said it will get them off the bottle by the time they are 1.. which I also agree with. But no 4mos-1year old can use a cup by themselves without it being 97%mess, 3% intake. (If that makes sense to you). Yes I can see trying to help them with it and stuff but I don't think swearing off the sippy cup is the best idea. sorry if none of that made sense... didn't sleep much again
Children that are of the Teething age, tend to BITE into things. You must choose what to use for YOUR child. (Obviously GLASS is out of the question!) For those learning eye/hand co-ordination, A Tommy Tippy is best. Go from there to a plastic tumbler.
sippy cups never did kai any harm. i don't see how they're a problem. she graduated to regular cups when she was ready.
There was a theory for a while that the spout on the sippy cup would cause permanent damage to their teeth. And you all know that 4 month old babies have so many teeth that you have to watch out for. I used a sippy with Dakota until he was big enough to use a straw cup. At home he uses a regular plastic cup. We have stacks of them that we brought home from restuarants. But we still use the straw cup when we are away from home. It contains the mess. When my older kids were little I used a regular cup to give them sips of water from the time they were born. And no, they did not hold it themselves. I held the cup with a tiny bit of water in it and gave it to them. It was a good way to get water into them. As they got older and could hold the cup themselves they used sippy cups. But they weren't anywhere as nice as the cups out there today. I see no problem with it for a toddler. Kathi
kai would never take a bottle. so when she was staying with a sitter they'd give her breast milk out of a cup. she sipped along just fine from birth. at the hospital, since i was so sick after surgery, they asked me if she was goign to be breast fed, and when i replied int he affirmative, they fed her a little bit of formula out of a cup, so she wouldn't get nipple confusion. and there's sippy cups with soft spouts. though i've yet to see these damaged teeth.
And we know that the people at WIC know everything there is to know about kids. Remember, they are the ones who said that Pop Tarts make a good complete breakfast. You know, fruit, grain, and the cup of milk on the side. Kathi
