The introduction of a sippy is an important milestone when the baby is weaning or moving from bottles into sippy cups. These cups have been created for babies in different stages and age. The different stages include:
4-6 Months
At this stage, the baby is younger and you’re introducing them to independent drinking. The transitioning phase should be in such a way that it’s a resemblance of natural breastfeeding.
For that reason, you should look for a sippy cup with soft spouts and comfy handles that hold easily. Check customer reviews to make sure the cup is spill and leakage proof since the baby is beginning to train on their own and the cup can topple over and cause a mess.
6-12 Months
As the baby grows, you may need to move to bigger cups with a greater capacity. At this stage, you can choose from the different types of cups available in market stores. You can choose from spout cups, spout-less; and straw cups.
The key thing is to choose a lightweight cup with a comfortable grip handle. With the handle, the baby is training on how to hold the cup and drink without your help.
12-18 Months
At this stage, the baby has fully mastered the art of drinking on their own. The baby is big and you can transition from handled to ups with hourglass or curved shape.
According to American academy of pediatrics, the baby should be fully transitioned into sippy cups by the age of 18-months.
18-Months and Up
At 18-months, the toddler does not need a sippy cup. It is a good idea to introduce the baby to an open-topped cup so they can train on how to sip. But do not overfill the open cup so the baby does not spill the liquid.