21-Month Old Won't Use Sippy Cup & Only Drinks Milk

Hi J.,
When I switched my daughter to sippies, she refused at first. I bought a couple of those swirly straws and cut them down to size. She loved them and we eventually switched over to the normal sippy covers.
Good luck!

Hi!

We changed my daughter over from bottles when she turned one (three months ago). The change was really tough for the first week or so. She would drink from sippy cups and bottles before she was one- but when we took away the bottles she was stubborn and went on strike for a couple days and wouldn't drink anything. Eventually she started drinking water and juice- now she will drink milk, too.

One thing that I thought was interested was that when she was younger she liked the sippy cups with the soft spouts like the Dr. Browns or the Nuk sippies. When she switched from bottles- she didn't want to drink from those any more (I think that they were too close to the real thing) and what she really likes now are the super cheap take and toss cups- they make her happy and my life easier- we have about 12 in circulation now.

I do think that at 21 months you may just be able to use regular cups. Perhaps you can take her shopping for her very own 'special' cup for her to drink out of?

Good luck!

My son was the same way. He loved getting milk from the bottle, not so much the sippy cups. We finally just had to ditch the bottle cold turkey. The first few times he wouldn't drink his milk, but eventually did. Now he's not a big fan of milk and gets his calcium/fat from yogurt; he drinks a lot of water.
(41 yo mama with 23 month old son)

At 21 months, ditch the bottles. You don't need sippies too much anymore either. Give her small amounts of milk in a "big girl cup" without a lid. Find one with her favorite character on it. This will help limit her milk intake- my daughter doesn't take quite as much volume from a regular cup as a sippy because she drinks more slowly. I wouldn't worry about your daughter's milk intake- 24oz is the upper limit my doctor recommended for this age.
When you're out and about and can't do a lidless cup, I take a regular water bottle. My daughter loves drinking out of one like the grown-ups and happily drinks water this way, whereas she doesn't drink water out of a cup for the most part.

Throw away the bottles. If she's thirsty she'll drink. At 21 months old she should be able to drink from a sippy cup. I do however recommend trying either a tumbler cup which isn't spill proof but has a lid only in her high chair. My oldest couldn't get the sucking and tipping action so something she just had to tip worked wonders. My youngest we had a little trouble with too, but you have to be persistant and find the cup she can drink from. Some of those sippy cups are very hard to suck. You could try it first to see if that could be her problem. Take the valve out of the ones with valves. You have to get rid of the bottles though. Also, it's okay that she drinks milk with meals. So make that her cup at the table is milk. Then when she's out of her high chair I would give her a cup of water to walk around the house with. Not juice there's really no need for a toddler to have juice. But if you limit her to three cups of milk a day with meals only and then give her a cup of water when she's thirsty she will drink it. Just like you'll drink when you're thirsty she will too.

J.,
If you start putting water in the bottle instead of what she desires (milk) and then explaining "milk goes in big girl cups now" she will (hopefully) then switch to the sippy cup of milk.
This of course will not go with out a fight or perhaps a tantrum or two but YOU have to be the consistent and you have to be confident enough to call the shots.
That's what being a parent is, the shot caller, the one who is trying to save her from a lisp or any other speech empediment. The longer she uses the bottle the more likely speech development can be effected.
Good Luck and stand your ground.

If she doesn't like a sippy try a regular cup especailly outside this summer. We got play group and a few kids that are just over 1 drink out of a regular cup there. It took a few months for my son to completely get the regular cup down but now thats all he drinks out of at home and uses a sippy when we are out or a cup w/ straw.

J.,

Your daughter should be getting alot of her nutrition from solids now so I would drop all but maybe the nightime bottle. If you really want her to give up the bottle than do it "cold turkey". Offer small amounts of water or milk in a cup with her meals and if she doesn't drink it, don't fret.

Unless it is particularly hot, most people get most of their liquids from the foods they eat. Offer plenty of fresh fruits and vegatables. If she is eating those, she is probably getting plenty of fluids. Just give plenty of opportunities to drink throughout the day. If she is thirsty, she'll drink.

J. L.

Hi J.,
At almost 2 most kids can even try for a regular cup. I say don't make it an option any longer. Only big kid cups for her! Bye bye bottles, what a relief for you in the long run.
E. :-)

If she likes the sucking feeling, you could try any of a number of cups with straws or straw-like features - there are some that have hollow handles that you suck on like a straw. They aren't spill-proof so look around. You could get rid of the bottle during the day and just give it before bed with water in it.

If you give plenty of foods like fruit (especially juicy things like watermelon, orange segments- try mandarin, maybe, or clementines - and pears) as well as veggies, plus whatever else she eats like cereal with milk or some yogurt, she'll get plenty of fluids. Juices have a lot of sugar so be careful with those - certainly water them down.

I agree that, if she's thirsty, she'll drink. Unless it is a swelteringly hot day, you shouldn't have to worry too much.

We also use a great food supplement that mixes with water - it comes in vanilla and chocolate for kids, is delicious, and it gives so much nutrition as well as the fluid since they drink it right down. My doctor thinks it's great and so do my friends' pediatricians - so much better than Flintstones and no warning labels. My stepdaughter's pedi told her to skip those Flintstone or other kiddie vitamins - that she was wasting her money making "expensive urine" and not giving the kids any benefit. I can give you more info on that if you want.

My little one took the Nuby soft spouted sippy for mealtimes (with milk). And then she has a different color one that's always out for water. We don't give her any other liquids - our pediatrician said skip the juice so the only other liquid you might want to make available is water.

That said, my 22 month old still takes two bottles a day with milk - one before her nap and one before bedtime. It's not like she's sucking on it all day so I don't think it has any big impact on her speech development.

So again, maybe try to transition to regular cups with milk at mealtime, leave a soft spouted fun looking sippy with water out within her reach during the day (she might try it left to her own devices) and allow her the bottle before sleep for now? That's what I do....I may hear different advice at our 2 yr checkup but so far that works for us. My little one LOVES drinking out of the regular cup.

I'd let her have her bottle for now. Start by leaving it at home when you go places. She will only "have" a sippy cup. Try to be sneaky about it...and "don't make a big deal about it" in front of her.
If you "tell" her that her bottle stays home, she may fuss even more. Once she's used to it staying home, you can tell her that it stays home.
I assure you that she will not be walking down the isle with it in her hand when she gets married.
Now for the more important things.
A healthful tip is to "warm" her milk and give it to her before she goes to bed. It is very good and will help her to sleep more soundly. Milk is best taken warm and between meals or with sweat foods and 1 hour before or after dinner or lunch meals with salty foods. Water or juice "with" salty meals is better for digestion.

Make a committment to read to her "every" night before she goes to bed. Don't stop as she gets older. That's even more reason to give her that special time. You can even turn the reading into special talking time about her day too. It will be the very best thing that you will ever do for her.
Good Luck!
S.....mother of 4 wonderful children.

Just go right to regular cups! Remember that the fancy-schmancy sippies are relatively new inventions. I startd teaching my son to use regular cups when he was 15 or 16 months old, and he does great with them. You could hype it up that she's a big girl to use cups.