Holding Sippy cups and eating utensils

Jessi - posted on 03/18/2011

reading some of the other posts, looks like straw sippy's are the way to go. I didn't have this problem. He had a bit of a hard time at first when we switched (between 12 and 13 months) but I just let him go and he eventually figured out he needed to tip it to get more. Ladies, just wait until they switch to regular cups with straws, that's a real trick to train them to not tip the cup up! We had some issues with our oldest....

Utensils, at the suggestion of our home daycare person... We just offer it. We got some toddler sized spoons and forks and let him play with it/use it. He figured it out pretty much on his own. He still uses his fingers more, but has no problem with a fork. and the spoon, he knows what to do, but he prefers to "stir" the food than feed himself with it and let me feed him with my spoon. In a few months, I'll proabably stop feeding him altogether and let him feed himself entirely. Right now, he's just having fun with it. And kinda learning...

Andrea - posted on 03/18/2011

I tried different sippy cups with my daughter, and found that the Nuby ones worked best for her. She didn't like the hard plastic tops some of them have. It took her a while to get the hang of drinking out of a straw, but when she did there there was/is no stoping her when you put it to her mouth. She holds utensils with one hand and will try to eat with it, and sometimes gets it, but most of the time eats with her hands. I would not worry about the utensils that will come with time. Let them have them with there meals and keep trying.

Jessica - posted on 03/03/2011

i would try a sippy cup with a straw since he is used to sucking. that might work better for him and that way he won't have to tip it at all. i also got my kids to eat with a utensil by giving them a toddler sized one at every meal and just leaving it on the tray. i quit feeding them and they had to figure out how to use it. it worked with every one. i would give them a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt with fruit mixed in so they could still used their fingers to eat if if they had to, but it encouraged them to want to use the utensils to eat it better. if they dropped it on the floor, i would hand it back to them over and over again... eventually they figured out it wasn't to throw either!

Susan - posted on 02/28/2011

Forgot: Utensils are interesting things for her. She enjoys eating with a toddler fork better than a spoon bc it holds the food on better when she turns it upside-down.

Susan - posted on 02/28/2011

We use all kinds of sippies with our daughter (9/25) and let her experiment and explore with regular plastic cups (lots of bibs LOL). She finally learned to tilt the sippy when we put her in the stroller (bc the seat can be reclined at different heights). It'll take a little while but your wee one will get the hang of it! I bet he's doing things that my child is't doing yet. Best wishes and give him lots of encouragement!

Bree - posted on 02/27/2011

My advice is to keep trying, and to tell him how to do it as well. He may understand your words. Maybe show him how to use both his hands to hold the cup before lifting it to his mouth, and maybe work on tilting his head separate from the cup - help him learn the word "tilt" and then work with him on the steps involved.

Katy - posted on 02/24/2011

i am surprised no one has suggested a doidy cup, or other open cup. we use doidy cups quite a lot. they have a slanted top so that the child can see into the cup and understand how it works. they are really good, but obviously v messy. my 17 month old regularly throws the water everywhere but if you only put in an ounce at a time and help him a bit he has worked out to tip the cup and how to hold it (with me holding it too to reduce spillages) occasionally he will put it down without spilling it but rarely. becuase it can be messy i stick to sippy cups when we are out though. only doidy cups at the table.

Mila - posted on 02/20/2011

Born free makes sippy cup tops for their bottles, maybe you can try that? my daughter loves them, but we have no problem with sippy cups, that may be why tho. also, keep encouraging! mydaughter would not hold her own bottle til she realized i will no longer do it for her, its not because she couldnt but because she knew that I would do it for her, so once you stop babying them, they will get it. hope this helps, good luck.

Jennifer Ann Saunders - posted on 02/19/2011

Our son was a late holder. He never held the bottle, but we worked on the sippy cup with him and he does it fine now. The ones with handles are a great way to learn. Don't get frustrated, just keep trying different types!

Now are son uses all types and it's easy...

Sherry - posted on 02/18/2011

My son (born 9/10/09) had the same problem. I just kept tilting the cup for him (yeah, a gazillion times!) and he finally got it. I switched to the soft tip sippy cups and he drinks from those much better than the hard tipped sippy cups.

Jennifer - posted on 02/18/2011

I, too, use straw sippy cups. They seem to be a much easier transition to a regular cup. As for utensils, just continue to offer them to your chlid. If they only try a couple of times, atleast they are trying. Watching you, they will catch on quickly. Sometimes the kiddos are to hungry to attempt the fork or spoon and it is so much faster to shovel it in by hand:) Try giving them a spoon or fork at snack too when they may not be as hungry and see how they react to it. Good luck!

Alecia - posted on 02/18/2011

well i started giving my daughter sippy cups at around 7 mnths and by 8.5 mnths she had em down pat and weaned her self off of bottles at 9 mnths( lucky right?? but she also weaned from the breast waaay early ): ). now my daughter can use any sippy cup and doesnt seem to prefer one over another. she is also good at drinking out of normal cups...as long as we hold it for her. i would just get the straw ones and let him figure it out. same with utensils. my daughter is just starting to be able to get food from the plate to her mouth, but as long as they are practing, they will get it. u just have to let him try is all. riley still uses her fingers alot, even when she has utensils to use.

Jenna - posted on 02/18/2011

I would agree with all the moms who suggested the straw sippy cup route. We used "green sprout" bottles and our daughter (now 17 months) loved them. The only issue is that it proved difficult to move from the straw to the standard "tip your head back" sippy cup. I think we tried four different types with no success. The other day my husband went out and bought the very simple (but very leak proof and bpa free) Gerber sippy cups. Our daughter picked one up and started using it with no problem.

Every kiddo works at different speeds. You may be surprised one day when your son just picks up the fork and starts using it. We let our daughter use a dessert fork when we eat instead of a made-for-babies fork. Of course this requires us to more closely monitor her, but seems to be worth it. Most of the time she just holds it in one hand and uses her other hand to eat, but at least she gets the idea.

Don't stress, your son will be using a cup and utensils at his wedding, until then, let him experiment and enjoy watching him learn about the world :)

Jodie - posted on 02/17/2011

My son hates the sippy cups with the valve in, doesnt want to have to suck that hard. He doesnt understand the straw sippy cups either cuz you have to suck. How do you teach a baby to suck?? lol! So we got him just a nice child sized squeezy bottle with a pop top like a water sports bottle. He loooves it. He drinks from that (with me holding and squeezing the correct amount) and from a normal cup. I of course am not comfortable with just handing him an open cup with liquid in it cuz he will just throw it or turn it sideways and spill it. But when he has better motor skills and understands not to tip it like that I think he will be fine. :)

Lisa - posted on 02/16/2011

Mine learned in the dead heat while visiting relatives in St. Louis through a straw sippy cup. I think she was so thirsty that once she accidentally sucked on it and actually got something in her mouth there was no stopping her. But summer is far away, so he may need more help learning to actually suck. Good luck!

Tonya - posted on 02/16/2011

my daughter was born 9/22/09 as well, she never held her bottle, she refused, so i thought it was going to be difficult with the sippy, but it wasnt, she uses the Playtex brand and loves them! have you tried the handle ones? as for the utensil thing she knows what to do with them just just takes a couple bites off of them then uses her fingers so not much help! sorry! hope it helps

Lacey - posted on 02/16/2011

Mine didnt understand the sippy cup either so we tried the kind with a straw it seemed to be the easiest tranistion between bottle and cup...hope this helps

Jess - posted on 02/13/2011

We had the same issue's with Ava, and out of nowhere one day it just all fell into place ! The only thing I can suggest is perhaps try straw cups, they will leak more if you have to transport them, but they fix the issue of tipping the cup.

Heather - posted on 02/10/2011

Mine have all done better with straw cups so thats what we stick with. The utensils he will master with time. One twin uses them well and the other doesnt have a clue. She eats with one hand and holds her utensil in the other.

Mercedes - posted on 02/10/2011

Use straw sippy cups. They work great and dont require tilting the head back. The Munchkin (Dora) brand worked best in my opinion. && As far as utensils my daughter uses her fingers 80% of the time, so Im no help there. Good luck.

Christina - posted on 02/09/2011

i have same problem - she just bites it - i already bought a few different types - next i'm going to try the one with the straw - not sure what else to do either

Amanda - posted on 02/09/2011

My son's sippy cups have straws. However, he also drinks out of a cup. I don't use the standard sippy cup because I think they are just a crutch (personal preference)! I would just keep at him trying to use the cup on his own. You will be so happy-as will he-when he gets it! How long have you 2 been working on it?
As for utensils, I don't know there. My son has utensils, but 93% of the time, he just goes at everything with his fingers! :)