Cups with Lids

• Sippy cups are a popular choice when parents transition a child to drinking cups. However, experts believe that children who use sippy cups will experience more difficulty developing speech clarity and general articulation. While there is still limited information on the facts behind this, concerned parents can take another route: straws. In fact, dentists generally prefer straws be used because fluid does not splash all over the teeth, leading to decay, as sippy cups do.
  
  

Age

• The time you choose to transition a child to a safe drinking cup depends on many factors, including age. The primary age range during which most children are nine months. Of course, just because your child is within this age range doesn't necessarily mean he will safely drink from a cup; you must also consider his motor skills. As a general rule, babies who can hold a bottle on their own can generally handle a cup.
  
  

Supplementation

• Child experts generally advise that parents do not transition a child to safe drinking cups overnight. This means that you should not have the cup act as a total replacement with regard to how the child drinks. In other words, a drinking cup should be thought of as a supplement to the regular bottle- or breastfeeding that a child is already used to. Gradually ween the child to the cup to allow him time to become adjusted to it.
  
  

Fluids

• When giving your child a drinking cup, while she no longer needs to be limited to breast milk or formula, it is also important to make sure you continue to provide nutritious fluid along with it. When you begin the transition, just offer water. This is especially a good idea when transitioning him to a cup without a lid; water won't get sticky when spilled. At six months of age, put some juice in the cup instead, but only four ounces for the entire day.