sippy cup rant

A - posted on 05/27/2010

Heh, the lady would have had a fit with me, probably. I started my son on an actual -cup- at about 9 months. He didn't like the sippy. My Dr. said it was fine, a child drinks when liquid is in the mouth, end of story, just make sure he wasn't drowning himself.

I mean, technically, you can cup feed a newborn, and it is sometimes recommended to avoid 'nipple confusion' (had a nurse suggest it when I was breastfeeding and he'd get to upset to latch on).

Breanne - posted on 05/27/2010

People are so rude! No one has the right ot say anything to anyone else about how to parent. I haven't given my girls anything but a sippy cup(I breastfeed and rarely was away from them and when I was they hada a bottle). My girls were 6 months old and used a sip cup like pros! Be proud of your little one she is doing something a lot of 2 year olds don't even do!

Chantelle - posted on 05/27/2010

Not at all i can't believe they had the nerve to say that! we give our 5 1/2 month old a plastic cup to play with at teh dinner table and she knows how to get it to her mouth....she loves it! You are NOT doing anything wrong...that woman must have been jelous of the development you child is at, to say such a horrible thing!

Mazy - posted on 05/27/2010

My mom underestimates my son as well. She always says he can't or shouldn't be able to do something if his 2 year old cousin can't do it or if "normal" babies don't do it at his age. And when he proves her wrong, she claims that he's crazy advanced & we understimulate him. GAH! I can't win sometimes! I think he's just a normal kid...

Lindsay - posted on 05/27/2010

Yea, my mom underestimates what my kids can do as well. My mom said my 3 yr old wasn't smart enough to put a small dora puzzle together or play go fish but I be darned, she did. I hate when people do that. I myself am the type to say something back. I have quite a mouth on me.

Sarah - posted on 05/27/2010

I think it great if she can use a sippy cup already. Whenever I feel my kids are ready for something I let them do it. I got rid of my babies bottles before they were a year about 11 months. They ate mostly food any way. By the time my daughter was about 1 1/2 we got rid of the sippy cups cause she could use a cup. I feel you should always encourage them to do things thats how they learn. My first daughter is always trying to do things for herself and learn as much as she can. If I thought like that lady in the store my daughter wouldn't be as smart as she is now. She has a five year old brother and she knows how to do everything he knows how to do plus more. I look pretty young too so people just assume I don't know what i'm doing. I'm children behave more than I see other children who have mothers that look ten years older than I do. What age the mother is has nothing to do with how good of a mother you are and you sound like a pretty good mother!

Missy - posted on 05/27/2010

No! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that. I also gave my daughter a sippy cup with her "meals" as soon as she started on solid foods. By 9 months she was totally 100% off the bottle and using a sippy for meals, etc.

Why do people think it's ok to give advice to perfect strangers?
Sorry that happened! Let it roll of your back!

Kristy - posted on 05/27/2010

Don't worry about what other people say, i know it would be annoying, i would have abused her back. But you know your child better than anyone else and you know she can use it properly, i think my son would have been around that age when i gave him a sippy cup. There is nothing wrong with it.

Gwynne - posted on 05/27/2010

No one has the right to tell u how to raise your child!
But I know how discouraging this can feel as I was a teen mother, and many ppl thought it their responsibility to let me know that I couldn't and shouldn't be doing it on my own.
Some even went so far as to say that if I didn't give my son for adoption that I'd be ruining BOTH of our lives!
I am a very good mother and I've done it all on my own!
So Glad i didn't let the clucks from the hens ruin my life for real!
Gabriels' Mother

Chelsea - posted on 05/27/2010

i was suprized when i got judged at the doctors office wating room for the same thing. my daughter's ped. suggested we put her on juice for consitpation at 3 months old and i gave it to her in a sippy, a lady in the waiting room got mad at me because she was to little to be using one. if you ask a ped, if they can hold and suck out of it then they can use one. some people have no clue, i think it helps because when it came time to throw out the bottles she was only using for pumped breast milk she could care less about not useing them anymore.

Carrie - posted on 05/27/2010

I also started giving Analeigh a sippy cup at 4-5 months and she was doing pretty good with it. She like to hit it on things so I figured she wasn't quite ready. At our 6 month check up the doctor was asking if we had tried it at all and gave us one of the ones that is just the cup with the little plastic lid that doesn't have a stopper. After that we gave it to her all the time with a little water and sometimes a little formula. She is now almost 9 months and is a pro with her sippy. That's really unfortunate that someone had the balls, sorry for my words, to try to tell you how to parent. Babies learn through exploring and that's what your baby girl was doing with her cup. She says "your poor baby" well I say her poor children because they probably never had the chance to learn through exploring.

I love watching my daughter learning things and trying something new for the first time. And the reaction that she gets when she figures something out is amazing and makes me so proud.

Don't let it get to you too much, I know it's hard to not let it at all. I probably would have flipped my lid if that were me she was talking to. Just know that you are doing what you feel is best for your daughter and NO ONE can tell you different. ♥ =)

Ramona - posted on 05/27/2010

Wow I would have said, "well I can't stand mothers who allow their babies to drink from bottles until they're three but I'm classy enough to mind my own business!" Then I would have smiled sweetly and walked away. Some people think that their opinion is of interest to every other person on the planet. You're doing just fine :) Good for you for getting her started on the sippy cup!!!!!!!!

Jaime - posted on 05/27/2010

What a stupid, ignorant SOB! Oooo, Im so mad I could just hunt that lady down and rip her hair out! And it wasn't even me she was talking to! I have some pretty nasty things being said in my head but I'll refrain! Who does she think she is!?! I hope you bitched her out...teach her to open her mouth with things that are none of her concern. Not to mention that a sippy cup is a much better opion than a soother. Stupid woman obviously has no clue what she's talking about! Soothers are bad for babies gums/teeth, unless you get the ortho-soothers. I'm just waiting for the day when someone says something to me b/c I look like a teen but Im almost 29 years young. I have a speech all planned out! SO, in conclusion: YOU are COMPLETELY RIGHT and that stupid bi*ch is COMPLETELY WRONG! Man, now Im angry that Im shaking from it! Your poor baby my ass, you should have said, 'no, your poor children that had to be raised by someone as ignorant as you!' And then spit on her! Sorry for the rant, I just hate people like that. Just let it roll off you, your better than that!

Jessie - posted on 05/27/2010

I get alot of looks because I am 24 pregnant and I have a 6y/o and an 8m/o but no one has said anything to me, and go you if your baby can drink from a sippy cup like that, my baby can't/wont hold it when I am around and know he gets hot and thirsty, plus when temperatures run as high as they have been these past few days out it would be cruel to let them go w/o water and risk dehydration. tell that old drawd to shove it up her you know what at least we can keep up w/ our kids and still have fun

Jennifer - posted on 05/27/2010

My son is 11 months& we were on the max train when i gave him his sippy && this older lady asked if he's advanced because he's drinking from a sippy..I told her he's 11 months she looked at me blankly..He started a sippy at 31/2 months just occasionally getting him use to it because in Oregon i was told babies need to be off the bottle by 10 months so that was my goal have him sippy ready by then which is he.

whenever i take my son anywhere i get dirty looks&& looks of pure astonishment because i am a young mom& I look younger then i truly am.so getting judged for the way my son looks what he's eating or drinking out of how his stroller looks even is a constant thing in my life. the older people just don't get times have changed.

Heres another example::My son will not wear a hat or a hood ever he takes it right off.i was waiting for the bus with him and its raining outside.We were waiting under the covered area when this older lady she had to be in her late 60's early 70's asked why it is now a days YOUNG mothers don't put hats on their children.So i explained to her that my son will NOT wear one no matter what i do. then on I got a dirty look the whole time i was waiting for that bus then we got on& she started talking about me to another older lady while I'm sitting 4 ft away from her..
People feel they have the right to make remarks about other people& how they seem to raise their children.I have problems like this even with my boyfriends family on how i raise my son.He was a premie (8wks early)so what he's doing now is what a full term child would be doing.i stay home alot because I am so worried I'll snap at the wrong person.

Sara - posted on 05/27/2010

I have 5 children and I would always ofer a cup from the time they could sit up and I see no harm in givin your baby a sippie if that is what they want.I say the earlier the better then getting them off the bottle is easier.Keep doing what you are doig your doin nothing wrong.

Brittany - posted on 05/27/2010

Sounds like that lady was pretty ignorant. I started my son on a sippy cup when he was 5 months old & by 6 months that's all he wanted....no more bottle. I guess that makes me a really awful parent hahaha. ;)

As far as the whole teen mother thing goes.....I'm 23 & could pass for my 13 year old sister's twin. I get dirty looks all the time, I just smile at them. Kill 'em with kindness. It looks even worse when my husband's with me though....he's 25 & looks like he could be 28. (Not to mention our kids are 15 months apart, we get crap for that a lot too....people telling us to wait a bit longer before we have a third. As if it's their business.) :)

Kirsten - posted on 05/27/2010

oh my god thats really crazy. My parents gave all 4 of us water from a sippy cup from the minute we were born my mum breast feed us so we just had boob for milk and a cup for water. That is generally the done thing. That is why they make cups for 4month+. I would not of been able to keep my temper with this woman, her poor kids will be wrapped in cotton wool by the sounds of it. I would be so proud if my daughter was drinking from the cup all by her self. She is clearly under educated/miss informed. does she think babies don't get thirsty?

Brittany - posted on 05/27/2010

The earlier the baby uses a sippy the better because you wont have a 3 year old walking around with a bottle. Which by the way Im sure she would have lots to say about that. I was told to start her on a sippy around 5-6 months. And whether or not the baby can use the sippy I dont see why it was a problem for her to have it. If she was just playing with it thats none of her business PLUS babies learn by exploring. My daughter would just walk around with hers and stare at it for a while before she actually used it. Her cousins had one though and I thought she might be thirsty and want to try so thats what we did! I would just keep doing what your doing. Giving your daughter a sippy cup is not harmful to her so ignore the comments. You and your doctor know whats best for daughter so just keep your chin up and know your doing whats best for YOUR daughter.

Mazy - posted on 05/27/2010

Also...why just stick a soother in the kid's mouth (I'm assuming she meant a pacifier)? My son never used a pacifier becuase he just didn't want one, but I was often lectured on how I 'should' give him one. If he wanted something in his mouth, it was becuase he was hungry or thirsty, darn it!

Mazy - posted on 05/27/2010

I think it's great that you use the sippy cup...and you can even give her her formula/milk in it as well. My son started a sippy around 5 months as well, and by 6 used it for all of his drinking needs. Now at 11 months he uses a regular cup & only the sippy as a water bottle ('cause it's hot out now).

I think that other woman is crazy, and I understand how you feel. Everyone thinks I'm a teen mom as well (going on 27 in real life) and I get comments sometimes too. So not cool. I hate it when people assume, especially when they couldn't be farther from the truth!! I don't condone telling them off either, because, well, my children are around & I don't want them to hear me swear or raise my voice to a stranger, so I either ignore them or I tell them as calmly as I can just how horrible it must be for them to live with so much jealousy.

Diana - posted on 05/27/2010

That's just ridiculous! I took my sons bottle away at 5 months and he hasn't even cried for it! He took right to a sippy cup and I haven't even thought of going back! I think it is great when you can break them from a bottle because it will cause problems the longer you wait! Don't take it to heart what the lady said cuz it's none of her business what you do with YOUR child!!

Ashlye - posted on 05/27/2010

Honestly the fact that you did not tell that lady to shove it, and mind her own business amazes me because i would have. The way you choice to raise your child is up to you, not a stranger at toys r us. I think it is amazing you give her a sip, it will be easier to bottle break her, i myself did not start on the Sip till 6 mnths, she didnt even start to drink out of it till 7. I do not even see anything wrong with water bottle or sip. The water will help the babys digestive tract greatly. I

Kerra - posted on 05/27/2010

WOW that's stupid! WIC even told me to start a sippy cup around 6 months so we could have her off the bottle by a year

Crystal - posted on 05/27/2010

my youngest son has taken a sippy cup sence he was 2months my milk dryed up and he wouldent drink from a bottle i was desprite so i gave him formuls in a sippy cup the controlled flow leak proof i almost skiped the bottle faze but he stills his brothers but yes i know what u mean my oldest was premee and hes 2 now but still drinks from a bottle when some people see this thay yell at me or give me that look i once got in a yelling match at walmart she grabed my sons bottle and said i should feed him real food a quit being a lazy teenage mom (im 28) well my son has a condition his throut is soft if he eats real food at this point it will colapse cutting off his airway i say thay dont know our reasons for doing things and just need to shut up its getting tiring

Anna - posted on 05/27/2010

First of all, don't let that lady get to you. I'm a young mom and had my go around will people like that. One time I had a lady ask me if my daughter was my little sister...I was a bit surprised because I didn't know her and it was totaly random. I told her no and that she was my daughter. She looked at me and shock her head and walked away. LOL
You're lucky you're daughter likes a sippy cup. My son is almost 2 and most of the time refuses a sippy cup. He'd rather have a adult cup.(which makes a mess!) I don't think there is anything wrong with it, as long as you are monitoring her while she drinks it.(which it sounds like you are). You do what you feel is right, no one else knows better then her mommy! :)

Nikkole - posted on 05/27/2010

wow some people if that would of happen to me i would of went off on the lady. i give my little girl a sippy cup at 5 months old, she 8 months now. i wouldnt listen to that lady she doesnt know what she is talking about

Monica - posted on 05/27/2010

omg that's ridiculous!!! both my kids were drinking from sippy cups by the time they were 6 months!!! some ppl are ignorant and they project their insecurities. just know that ppl are dumb!!! i have never been talked to like that about my kids that i can remember but i know strangers like to butt in and express their worry about stupid hings lol i can't remember an exact occurance for myself but i know that i would just be stunned silent lol. and then think of something smart to say later on LOL> but seriously yes your baby needs water if he/she's started eating solids and why keep a child on a bottle for too long?? good for you!!!

Jamie - posted on 05/27/2010

some people are idiots! There is nothing wrong with a tippy even when a baby is that small! If they want it let them have it, Just easier to break them from a bottle later on! No matter you are or where you are people are gonna give advise, I just say thanks for the advise n move on!

Stacey - posted on 05/27/2010

health visitors now recommend using a sippy cup as early as possible, its the best thing for babies teeth, my son is 6 months old and has been using his for a month by himself (sometimes he needs a little help), there is nothing wrong with that. I think the only time a stranger has the right to step in is if someone is hitting their child or a they think a child is in danger.

Jen - posted on 05/27/2010

you got to love people and their random comments

Carly - posted on 05/27/2010

some people got too much time on thier hands!

Kathryn - posted on 05/27/2010

Wow! What a ____! There is nothing wrong with giving your baby a little bit of water from a sippy cup. I swear, some people think they know everything about everyone elses kids. Don't let her get to you. You're not doing anything wrong :)

Amanda - posted on 05/27/2010

my daughters were around that age when I started to give them sippies....they only got a bottle for milk. But I have had a lady come up to me in public and tell me she was gonna call CPS because I swatted my daughters leg....the story: she was in the shopping cart, and about 2 and 1/2 yrs old. she learned how to unbuckle the belt. And she kept standing up and I kept sitting her down and I was telling her "no, you might fall and bump your head" and I had given her about 10 warnings and then said "you're gonna get a spank if you don't sit down...." I said that about 3 or 4 times...then I said Im gonna count to 3, and if you're not sitting down..... So basically when the lady said that to me and was going on and on about spankings being child abuse... I said 1. there is no where to give a time out in Walmart, 2. did you hear me tell her over and over? So she knew it was coming 3. I didn't even make a red mark, it only hurt her feelings. Then I asked the lady if she had kids, and she said no.....And I said Please don't advice me on how to raise children when you have never done it! Some people are rude and just don't know any better. I have found that if you just smile politely and excuse yourself. It's irritating, but you have to just have confidence that you know you are a good mom, and don't let other people's ignorance cause you to have a bad day. Just have a sense of humor about it, and maybe say something like..."oh, she's 4, she just looks young for her age" and walk away quickly...leaving them with a confused look on their face and then you can walk away laughing. :) Don't hold on to it, because you being upset does nothing to her, just causes you stress you don't need. Hope you have a blessed day!

Elise - posted on 05/27/2010

Nothing wrong what so ever infact i believe i was told babies should have learned to drink from a cup by 6months old. All babies develop at different stages and if your child is able to do so then there is nothing to suggest you being in the wrong. I can't stand people sticking their noses in and you are quite right, What gives them the right? I had a similar experiance when my little boy was just 8 weeks old i left the house for the 1st time with him and my 2 year old daughter and was enjoying my day when a woman told me to stop my little girl from throwing a tantrum. I have had trouble with her doing this and have actually been told by professionals how to handle her behaviour i burst into tears when she started being cheeky to me. I had slight post natal depression which didn't help. People are far too quick to judge other people and it's ridiculous. Anyway rant over lol. Keep up the good work as I'm sure you are a great mum. x

Tabatha - posted on 05/27/2010

never happened to me but my doc prefered me to give her water in a suppy cup at 5 or 6 months. so that ladys just weird.

Armisha - posted on 05/27/2010

No I don't think its wrong to let ur baby drink from a sippy cup. My daughter started at 8mts and boy did my family go off on me, but who gives a rats tail. Her dr told me if she likes drinking from it let her. If I stand correct she said its better for her and her teeth. Remember she is your daughter and you know what can and can not do. Forget what the older strangers say. Its a new GENERATION.

Jessica - posted on 05/26/2010

I really wish I had started my daugheter on a sippy when she was young like that! It was soo difficult to switch her from a bottle to a sippy. Good for you. And don't worry too much what others say; you know what's best for your baby.

Lee Ann - posted on 05/26/2010

well that was not her place to say anything, but you will meet people all your life who think they know how to raise your child better than you do, just dont pay any attention to them and laugh it off, i know its upsetting, but its best not to listen.....i gave my daughter a sippy cup at around the same time, i see nothing wrong with it, every child is different, there is not one baby who will start every single thing exactly the same as another one dose

Natasha - posted on 05/26/2010

Honey your doing right..most of the time if you want it then so does the baby..I started giving my son a sippy cup at six months and of course he did not know how to properly use it. However thats how they learn..she was so out of line for that one..I wouldve told her to go see jesus lol..before I let her have it lol. No seriously continue to do what works best for u and ur baby 9 times out of 10 every child and every mother has different methods to their madness take care.

Jessica - posted on 05/26/2010

Don't let those types of people bother you. I'm 22 and I look like I'm 12 so I sure get a lot of weird looks from complete strangers when I'm at the store with my 10 month old. People can be extremely rude and inconsiderate. Being that your the childs mother, you know whats best!

Tiffany - posted on 05/26/2010

This is where I learned that even beligerent, well-meaning older moms need grace!

Just nod your head, say okay and smile, then let her know that your pediatrician thinks your child is amazingly ahead of her age group, and LEAVE HER THERE. If she tries to follow you to 'talk' let her know that she's technically harassing you and you will go get management to help her out of the store.

Christina - posted on 05/26/2010

Don't worry about it hun. Sometimes people let there opinions get the better of there manners. My daughter has been drinking juice and water from her cup since she was about 4 months. I don't see anything wrong with it.

Lindsay - posted on 05/26/2010

My first son was off his bottle completely by 8 months. He was just ready. I think we started him on a sippy at 4 mos. My youngest son, now 8 months, hates the sippy and I don't think I'll be gettin him off the bottle anytime soon. Different children develop differently, that's what makes everyone unique. Don't let anyone tell you how to raise your child. Now, if you were flogging her or something, I could see someone berating you that way, but a sippy??? COME ON!!! Just don't listen to them hun. You know your baby better than anyone else and if you think she is ready, then she is. The fact that she is doing so well on it just proves that!!! Keep your chin up and just remember that everyone wants to put their two cents in but you and your baby are the ones that count!

Jennifer - posted on 05/26/2010

This reminds me of my favorite public incident..lol. My son was about 2 years old and we were at our local county fair. Well at that age as some of you know, kids are very independent and don't want to hold your hand or be in a stroller. So I had him in one of those little harness things that have the little leash that keeps the kid within a couple of feet but still keeps thems attached to mommy. This older woman comes up to me and starts going off saying how can I treat my child like a dog putting him on a leash and blah blah blah... well anyway, she is in mid sentence and a police officer comes up and interupts her saying, " I just had to tell you that that is the greastest thing I've ever seen. You don't know how many hours we officers spend at these things looking for lost children because they slip away from their mom's hand in a crowd. I just wanted to thank you." Lol, you should have seen the look on that old woman's face, she just turned and walked off. ROFL!!!

I don't think there is anything wrong with giving a 5 month old a sippy cup, besides, my little one is 4 1/2 months and today I statred her on a sippy. People need to just butt out and mind their own business.

Sandra - posted on 05/26/2010

my daughter has been drinking from a sippy cup since 5 months as well and I still only put water in it and she is 7 months old. Heck when she was 5 months old she was taking sips of water from our glasses (so cute she would curl her tongue like a cat to lap up the water)

Mothers like that are "know it alls" and seem to forget that at one time they were a new mother as well.

There is NOTHING wrong with what you are doing

Alisha - posted on 05/26/2010

I have been abused by the best of mother's and i still do i'm 27 yrs old with 2 kids 3 and 1 ... i see kids that are older than my son sucking on a dummy or worse and sometimes i do wonder bout other children and parents but i step back and think maybe they dont have the time to change a habit ... but i will not say anything to anyone in public as i know how much it hurts when someone critisizes you bout your child. And sometimes those who critisize are the ones that don't have children or have bad behaved children and feel bad that your child is better than theres ... so i say just take it in and blow it off like there is no tomorrow ... You know what is good for your own child so keep it that way!!!

Carly - posted on 05/26/2010

My son has drank water between feeds since birth as he suffered with constipation. He loves his water and we started him with a sippy cup today (he's now almost 5 months old) and efter poking himself in his eyes, ears, nose etc he finally got the hang of it and seemed very proud of himself.

I personally dont take advice from strangers and would have politely told her to mind her own. Being a young mum doesnt make anyone a bad mum and no-one has the right to suggest that to anyone.

Brandi - posted on 05/26/2010

Ive been told the same thing . But Wic offices encourage mothers to start their babies on a sippy cup around 6 months of age . Some babies take them sooner or later . And Its completely okay for your baby to have a little bit of water .

Stephanie - posted on 05/26/2010

actually I was told that at about 6 months you should introduce a sippy cup so they can get use to the idea, I introduced it to my daughter at about 5 months old as well and its not a teether to her.. she understands that she sucks on it and it gives her water.. just because kids aren't raised today like they were 30 years ago doesn't make either one wrong. I think you are doing just fine!