Anybody elses preemie not wanting to take a sippy cup?

Wanda - posted on 03/22/2009

I just had my son to his pediatrician for his follow-up and I asked her the same thing.  I'd bought several different ones and he wanted nothing to do with them.  His pediatrican said to skip the sippy cups, she called them "glorified bottles".  She told us to get a plastic cup, put a little liquid in it, pinch the top to make a kind of spout and place it to my sons mouth, tipping it gently.  She said that doing it this way he'd get used to the idea of drinking from a cup and before we knew it he'd be able to do it on his own. (my son is 14 months, 11 corrected)

Noel - posted on 03/20/2009

my girls are 7 months now and one loves the sippy cup and the other one just looks at me like what is this? I just keep offering it to her cuz she'll get the hang of it. Good Luck!

Samantha - posted on 03/17/2009

Im having the same problem my daughter wants nothing to do with the sippy cup Iv tried different kinds, from brands to nipples... she chews on them and she will be 1 yr next month.. keep trying Im still trying she will drink some juice out of them but no formula

Julie - posted on 03/17/2009

My son was a 25weeker and the only cup he would (will)drink fron is a free flow sippy cup -not the ones with the valves as his sucking has never been great so it might be worth giving one of these a go Hes now 4yrs old and still cant get anything from a valved sippy cup

julie

Michelle - posted on 03/16/2009

watch for speech therapist most arent feeding therapist. I had one come to work on the bottle w/ my 24 weeker who has a g-tube and he took a few bottles and she came and stuck her fingers in his mouth, gagged him made him cry and now no more bottles. we have to wait till its appropriate for the sippy cup. Just becareful, my feeding theapist says speech therapist do things feeding therapist dont recommend

Michelle - posted on 03/16/2009

My boy doesnt even take a bottle but we are working w/ the honey bear cup. You can squeeze the tummy and push up the milk threw the straw. He gives me a hard time w/ eating solids, wont open his mouth but opens his mouth and forms his mouth to get the milk, what a stinker!!

Missy - posted on 03/15/2009

My daughter wouldn't take a sippy cup until she was 20 months old (18 months adjusted).  We tried every cup you can find!  Finally, her nurse (at the doctor's office) gave us a cup that she said her granddaughter really likes and my daughter actually drank from it!  It could have been a coincidence or it could have been the cup.  Her doctor told us to just keep trying and even put breastmilk in it if need be.

Toni - posted on 03/15/2009

My son was 12 weeks early. He is 13 months, (10 corrected). He is having trouble with his sippy cup too. He knows how, he just isn't interrested. It doesn't matter what I put in it. He is also a terrible eater. He is still on stage 2 baby food.

Misty - posted on 03/15/2009

My little guy did not like the idea of the sippy cup at all. I found one that had a rubber spout and he seemed to like it ok. Once I started putting strawberry in his milk, he did not care where it came from as long as he got it, ths the start of the sippy cup.

If you notice that she will not suck at all, that may be somthing to bring up to her doctor. He may suggest taking her to a speech therapist (they work with any mouth issues).    

Melanie - posted on 03/13/2009

I agree with just keep trying and be patient

Beth - posted on 03/13/2009

Boy does this bring back memories!  My daughter was born 18 yrs ago at 12 weeks early and I remember her hating the sippy cups at first. Just give it time. I kept offering it to her and if she showed no interest, put it away and offered it again later when I knew she would be thirsty.  When she is ready, she will use it.  Preemies are tough cookies, they come out fighting and it never seems to stop lol   As my pediatrician told me years ago when I was stessing over the sippy ,eating table food or potty training...She has never seen a premmie to grow up and  go to college with a bottle in their mouth and diapers still on. She told me to relax, and enjoy the process of being a mother.  And she was right. My daughter is now a freshman in college and guess what, no sippy no diaper and eating just fine. All children, preemie or not develope at their own rate. Relax and enjoy!!

Melinda - posted on 03/12/2009

don't worry my son is almost 2 he wants nothing to do with a sippy cup i am having the same problem.

Josee - posted on 03/06/2009

My little man was almost 3 months early... he's one now but 9 months corrected date... he will not drink from sippy cups either... he likes to drink from a regular cup though as well as a water bottle... You know... I'm just in no hurry to speed up his process of growing and getting older... soon enough he will not want me to do anything for him... so I take advantage of it now while I can!!!

Robyn - posted on 03/05/2009

My daughter was born 8 wees early and did not want anything to do with a sippy cup. However we did find out by acciden she would drink from a glass, we just had to tip it up for her. She does now take a sippy cup after many months of trying but we too had to take the stopper out.

Yelena - posted on 03/05/2009

my son who was five weeks early never drank from a sippy cup  I tried two and he rejected both so I got the point.  I got him a sippy cup that had a straw and he managed to figure that one out better.  The best advice I can give you though is to cut the sippy cup all together especially since she is already 15 months. At around 12-16 months we no longer correct for gestational age and definatly by 20 months she should be close to if not at the level of other 20 month old children.  By 24 months your daughter should feel very comfortable just drinking out of a plain cup.  Some adivice is that you can get her a cup with half of the top cut out so it does not get in the way of her nose and allow her to practice drinking from that.  Make sure you let her know she is a big girl and that she is learning to be just like mommy.  Also you can put some liquid in a table spoon and put it into her mouth just so she is able to practice with swallowing!  Hope that helped!

Pamela - posted on 03/05/2009

my 32 week daughter didn't like them either. We actually went the teach her to drink from a cup method. We got small shot glass or a small votive (yes, glass) and filled it 1/2 way with water. By the time we started her in a daycare at 16 months, she could drink out of a regular cup, with only a few spills. We did eventually get her to drink from the one's that were more like a nipple (avent with the green spout). Also, try a straw cup. They often don't get the tipping the cup to get water, but can work a straw. daughter is 6 now and I had to get rid of most of all but 1 sippy cup, but she always wants one at bed time still - with water and ice!

Kisha - posted on 02/25/2009

My twins were born at 28 weeks. They turned one on 2.2.09 corrected age 10 months, They play with their sippy cups more then drink. But, they are getting used to it. Keep trying.

Kristen - posted on 02/23/2009

Hello Sarah! My daughter Marissa did the same thing! Although, she was born emergency c-section at 32 weeks from my complications with pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. She also spent 1 month in the NICU at UMASS Memorial, in Worcester, MA. She reached her "milestones" a week or 2 after her pediatrician said she would. I breastfed Marissa until she weaned herself at 4 months. She went right to the bottle, the kind with the collapsable tube thing. She DID NOT like the sippy cup and went from a bottle right to a straw. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOUR PREEMIE!

I treat my daughter as if she were a full-term baby and she is off the growth charts!Although she walked at 19 months (17 months corrected) and talked at 19-20 months (17-18 months corrected) she is at 100% on the growth charts now. She wrote her alphabet at age 2 1/2 and her name at 3. She is extemely empathetic and continuously surprises me with her love of learning and ability to surpass her "preemie" namesake. People look at me like I am crazy when I tell them she was born at 32 weeks, weighing 3lbs 5oz, @ 18in. You would never know Marissa was a preemie, so please, believe in your daughter and trust in her. Allow her to grow at her own pace and continue to encourage her, love her and support her, and she will grow before your eyes!

Liz - posted on 02/21/2009

My twins are eight and a half months old  they were born six weeks early. My son is into a sippy cup for a little while then wants nothing to do with it.  But both of them like to chew on it, though I'm not sure if that's because they are teething or not, but we've had no luck with them yet either.

Janelle - posted on 02/21/2009

my little boy wasn't quite sure what to do with the sippy either when we first started, what I did was put some water in the cup and take out the stopper so that when he tipped it he realized that water came out. he soon got the hang of it, watch not to put too much in the cup in the beginning because it can come out fast for them. Good Luck!