I’m ready to wean my child from a bottle. Should I use a Sippy Cup?
A Sippy cup is simply a bottle in disguise – there is nothing functionally different. Parents should pursue bottle weaning by age one, as suckling on the bottle promotes a variety of potential issues, including poor development of mouth muscles for speech.
The shape of the Sippy cup spout and the suction / resistance that the no-spill feature provides are just as harmful as the bottle. Skip the hassle of transitioning to the Sippy cup, teach your child to drink from an open cup (you can begin when your child starts solid foods) and properly from a straw to avoid another (painful) transition down the road.
I teach children how to drink properly from a straw via the Talktools Straw Kit, created by Sara R. Johnson.