Within 18 months from their birth, babies go through an oral development phase, where they use their mouth, jaw, and tongue to get a feel of things. This phase may last longer than it should without any intervention. That means your baby will still seek the milk bottle when hungry when they should be drinking from a cup already.
To move this phase along, use a training tool to help your baby make the switch—such as sippy cup lids. Let Ashtonbee give you more information about their benefits and how to use them.
5 Benefits of Using a Sippy Cup Lid
A simple sippy cup top has many benefits for a parent and baby. It may look like a fancy spout placed on a regular cup for some, but it can do the following:
Trains Babies to Drink on Their Own
Being able to drink in a cup can be a challenge for your child. It can be difficult for those little hands to grab the open cup and drink on its rim. A sippy cup lid will help your little one drink more easily because the spout mimics the milk bottle’s tip.
Prevents Choking
Some babies can hold an open cup and drink from it. But they can get overwhelmed by the sudden pouring of liquid out of the cup. As a result, they choke. Sippy cup lids can prevent this by regulating the amount of liquid your baby can drink.
Keeps Things Spill-Free
Because a spill-proof sippy cup keeps the water from suddenly pouring, it prevents your baby from making a mess. You don’t have to worry about having liquids spilled all over the floor, tabletop, or your baby. The sippy cup holds it in.
Easy to Clean
Sippy cup lids are made of silicone, so you can easily rinse off any stain or gunk caused by formula milk, powdered juices, and other flavored drinks. This keeps the lid bacteria-free for your baby, making it convenient for you as a parent.
Weans Them off the Bottle
Sippy cups train kids to embrace the regular cup slowly. By allowing them to have the familiarity of a milk bottle, they can let go of drinking from one more easily.
Tips on How to Use Sippy Cup Lids
Sippy cup lids can bring parents a ton of convenience on many occasions. That’s why they’re letting their babies use them frequently.
But the point of using a sippy cup silicone lid is far more than just keeping liquids off surfaces—it should help babies become independent from the spout. Here are some tips you can follow to make sure that happens.
Use It Only During Mealtime
As a busy parent, you allow the use of a sippy cup lid anywhere around the house for the sake of keeping things dry and clean.
Your baby also wants this because they’re comfortable with their old bottle-feeding ways. They tend to carry a sippy cup with them at all times. Prevent that from happening by only using the sippy cup during mealtime or only when the need arises.
Wean Your Baby From the Sippy Cup
If you’ve successfully taken your child off the bottle feeder using a sippy cup lid, the next step is to wean them from the sippy cup. The goal is for them to drink from the cup’s rim. So you’ll have to let them attempt by occasionally removing the sippy cup lid.
Once they get completely used to drinking from a glass, the sippy cup has done its job.
Try Using Other Feeding Tools for Training
Sometimes, your baby isn’t really after the contents of the milk bottle or the sippy cup; they’re after oral stimulation. They want to bite and chew on stuff, and these silicone tips are easy prey. The best way to train them to drink from the rim of a cup is to satisfy their oral fixation by using other feeding tools.
Spoons and Bowls – You can place these items in front of your baby during mealtime. Make sure the spoon is small and soft enough for their teeth and gums, and the bowl has soft contents that you can chew easily.
Straws – Another brilliant idea to transition from sippy cups is to use a straw cup. This mimics the sippy cup spout and the idea of sipping.
Ashtonbee’s Silicone Sippy Cup Lids
Sippy cup lids from Ashtonbee are good baby items to help you get started training your baby. They are made of non-toxic, food-grade silicone. Plus, it’s non-clogging and safe.
The sippy cup lids come in a pack with five pieces of silicone lids that are dishwasher safe. They are all stretchable and can be used on any regular cup.
If you think this is the right training tool for your baby, explore our website. But if you’re looking for something else, check out our collection of baby essentials here.
