Cup drinking is not one skill learned in one day. It is a gradual move from bottle dependence toward steadier, self-led drinking.
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What each cup means
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Cup
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Learning Goal
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Parent Note
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Bottle
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Primarily for breast milk or formula feeding, not for cup-drinking practice.
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Sippy / spouted training cup
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Helps babies transition from bottle to cup with less spilling, and works well for short-term practice.
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Straw cup
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Supports straw drinking, two-handed cup holding, and seated water practice, while also being convenient for outings.
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Open cup
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Supports lip closure, small-sip control, and hand-mouth coordination.
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Readiness signs by age
Age is a guide, but body readiness matters more. Before cup practice, babies should be able to sit with support or sit steadily, have good head control, and have started solids.
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Around 6 months: keep practicing short and small. This may mean a spouted training cup, a straw cup, or a tiny open-cup sip with adult support.
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9-12 months: many babies become more interested in holding the cup, biting the rim or straw, and trying again. Spills are expected. ASHA notes that 6-12 month olds may start drinking from a cup, while biting the cup edge or straw and spilling some liquid.
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12-18 months: many children can drink from a sippy cup without help and can drink from an open cup with some spilling; straw drinking may also become steadier.
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How to start with small sips
Offer cup practice when your baby is seated, alert, and calm during a meal. Begin with a very small amount of water. Let your baby experience the rim or straw before expecting a real drink.
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Open cup: add one tiny sip of water, hold the cup with your baby, touch the rim gently to the lower lip, and tilt slowly.
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Straw cup: let your baby explore the straw first; use a small amount of water. If the cup has a valve, make sure the suction is not too hard.
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Sippy cup: use it as a short-term bridge, especially for travel or moments when spills need to be limited.
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One to three minutes is enough. If your baby becomes upset, coughs repeatedly, or refuses, pause and try another time.
Start with tiny sips. The goal is practice, not a full drink.
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Common mistakes
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Using a sippy cup as a long-term bottle replacement. It can be a bridge, but not the destination.
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Letting a child walk around with a cup. Spouted and straw cups can easily become all-day sipping habits.
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Adding too much water at the beginning. With open cup practice, less is calmer.
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Forgetting the cleaning burden. Straws, valves, and lids need to come apart, wash well, and dry fully.
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Treating spills as failure. With open cups, spills are part of the lesson.
🏷️Note to parents
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Always supervise babies and toddlers during meals. Feeding tools do not remove choking risk. Choose age-appropriate foods, prepare them safely, and avoid small, hard, round, sticky, or slippery choking hazards. If your child has prematurity history, developmental delay, swallowing difficulty, food allergy concerns, or ongoing feeding struggles, consult your pediatrician or a qualified feeding therapist.