by Hope Vulnadia

Created on: February 02, 2008

"It's time to get rid of that bottle!" That is the one phrase that parents dread hearing from their pediatrician's.

Yet, with each child, comes the time when we must teach them to drink from a cup instead of the trusty bottle that they have been clinging to since birth.

In my experience, it is easiest to start a child on a sippy cup just as soon as they are old enough to start solid foods.

Once a child is comfortable taking solids in the form of baby food or infant cereal, a parent can begin to introduce the sippy cup.

At first, a parent should shop for a sippy cup that has a spout similar to the bottle nipple.

There are several on the market that have soft rubber spouts that are shaped very similar and even feel very similar to the bottle nipple.

Make sure that the cup that you select for your child's first sippy cup is spill proof and has a valve of some sort that should fit into the top of that cup.

This will not only prevent spills and accidents from happening, but it also will give your child a similar sucking experience to that of the bottle that they are already used to drinking out of.

Once you have chosen a cup, it is time to try it out. Do not be discouraged if your child does not like it at first.

You may have to try several different types and designs of sippy cups before you luck into one that your child likes and will accept.

Introduce the cup at meal time only and try not to push your child into drinking from it.

It is best not to get frustrated with a child who prefers a bottle to that foreign cup. Just be consistent in offering it along with a bottle at each meal and eventually the time will come when your child wants to check it out.

Babies are naturally curious and will want to know what that cup is. At first, it may appear to be the baby's new favorite toy.

Baby may use it for everything BUT drinking out of as well. This is okay. Eventually, your child will figure out what it contains and what it is for.

Make sure that if you are going to try and "Help" your child take a sip from the new cup that you are gentle.

It is always best to just hold it up to baby's lips and let them discover that the cup has something inside it.

Give a favorite juice or formula at first in that new cup to make it more enticing for your child. Chances are, your baby will catch on faster than you realize.

Once they are used to the new cup and the routine of having their drink inside it at every meal, you can begin to eliminate bottles and replace them with the cup.

I was able to actually eliminate all daily bottles with the exception of the bed-time bottle before my children were a year old.

Once their birthday came, they never even noticed that the bottle went away. They just accepted that all drinks now came in sippy cups and never mourned the missing bottle even once.

Your child may not take the transition as easily as mine did, but that is okay, too.

Just make sure to have patience, and be consistent. Include the cup as a staple in all meals and at snack time and soon you will find that bottles have almost eliminated themselves!

Learn more about this author, Hope Vulnadia.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.