Sippy Cup Rules

I use the same cup for juice and water all day long. I use another cup for milk and put it in the fridge when it is not in use. I wash the cups at the end of the day to get them ready for the next day. As long as you wash them once a day, you're fine. And as long as you keep the milk in the fridge when not in use, you're fine.

I read an article about this exact thing recently. I can't remember the exact guidelines because what I do fell within the limits they outlined. Yes, cups can definitely breed bacteria, especially milk, which sours pretty quickly.

So here is what I do that I read was ok. I use 2 sippy cups each day- one for water, one for milk. He only gets 2 cups of milk a day, so with milk as soon as he is done at mealtimes I rinse it and put it in the fridge. Then use it again later at another meal. I try not to let it stay out more than an hour, but sometimes I forget and it's out for a couple. I toss any unfinished milk if it is out for more than an hour. If I remember right away I just put the milk in the fridge and top it off later.

For water, the times are more lenient. Mine drinks water constantly throughout the day. He always has a water cup going. I just rinse it periodically when he empties it and start him over with fresh water. Maybe every 4-5 hours. I also leave a cup next to his bed at night, so I rinse the water cup really well right before bed and refill it and that is what he uses if he wakes up in the night and wants some. In the morning he might drink some of it on the way to my room, and after that I toss it and get a new clean cup. Mine knows that drinking last night's water is not my preference, so he will come tell me that it is old and he needs new water.

I always pour any water we don't use into the dog dish, mine too. Hope that helps!

Why not just give him less liquid at a time? Give him half a cup of milk instead of a full cup. Personally, I wouldn't drink milk that's been warm, then cold, then warm again. yuck! Water doesn't really matter. I would dump out the old and fill with new at every meal and snack

SH is right, I wouldn't keep it past 24 hours. So, if you stick it in the fridge after he is done - then just toss it out at night, especially for milk. Maybe not fill his cup all the way and make an extra trip for another serving. Water I wouldn't be strict on the 24 hours, but then again, you could always just toss the rest in a house plant or dog dish and not feel bad about the waste. Obviously, you can't do that with milk, but just cut down on his amount some and you won't waste as much :)

Good luck!

Yes, same thing can happen to sippys/other liquids.

You can stick it/the left overs in the fridge... but I wouldn't use it after 24 hours. Max. I wouldn't want to drink it myself after that point. He can drink it again, if it has not been too long. I have done that as well.
But yes, bacteria can accumulate in any saved drink (due to back flow as a person sips). Be it a soda can or cup or sippy.

for water, no big deal. for milk, give him less. and yes, after an hour or two i would throw it out if it hasn't been refridgerated. if you put it in the fridge, is it any different than an adult drinking out of a cup, then putting it in the fridge to finish later? don't think it's a huge issue. don't overthink it. but don't keep handing him sippie cups full to the top if you know he won't drink it all, either. common sense. you can always give him more if he needs it.

For milk, we put the cup back in the fridge and use it again throughout the day. I have the Playtex Insulator cups, so they do keep the milk slightly colder than a regular sippy when it is sitting out. We usually put it back in the fridge within an hour of taking it out.

For water, I'll use one cup the whole day and leave it out the whole time. I only use one cup for myself all day for water, so it seems fine to me.

We always wash the cups at night and use clean ones the following morning.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - summer sale thru 7/31

I wash our sippy cups once a day. I leave the milk in the sippy cup until it's gone, I just refrigerate it in between meals. I leave the water cup out all the time and my son takes his to bed with him at night. He's a very healthy little boy.

I put milk in a stainless steel thermos with a straw sipper lid (Funtainers) for the whole day. It keeps the milk cold for 12 hours. I usually have to refill once in the early afternoon. Then I wash it at the end of the day. This way, when I'm nursing the baby or hands aren't free, etc., my kids have their milk readily accessible and don't need me to keep walking back and forth to the fridge just so they can have a drink or two of milk when thirsty. Haven't had any issues thus far. For water, they use the same cup all day.

It is simple, water never goes bad. Water doesn't need to be refrigerated. Water can be left out or in the fridge. Water is a precious commodity and should not be wasted, but because it comes out of the tap quite readily, most feel it is "cheap and can be wasted". Please use it wisely. If you get a cleanse glass with each glass of water, so should your child.

Juice and milk, in my opinion, should not be given to children. Water is what their bodies need and I have yet to meet a child who gets enough water daily. Children are about 80-90% water, yet parents want to feed them juice and milk. Juice and milk are empty calories and truly there is not enough "good" in either to make a difference to the children. When do they get water? When do they actually rehydrate their bodies?

Think water is boring? Freeze fruit and throw one or two pieces in the cup. It adds a zing to it. STAY AWAY from flavoured water, vitamins added to water, or anything that is "artificially" coloured. WATER...PURE WATER... (my recommendation is Reverse Osmosis or distilled water).

Here is the bottom line question...if you are worried about bacteria etc, why not eliminate the cause all together. Choose a healthier alternative and teach your child to drink enough water to live well. Then the "can I let it get warm and cold again" question does not even need to be answered.

B.
Family Success Coach

I honestly don't know, but I've been using the same cup for an entire day as long as it's not visibly disgusting. If my 2.5-yr-old uses it for a snack and doesn't finish his milk, he puts it back into the fridge to get out when he's thirsty later. We'd end up throwing away a ton of liquid and doing a lot more dishes if we used a new cup for every drink! (I do, however, change my baby's sippy more often, but she only gets water in it for now. She also tends to drop it on the dirtiest floors she can find.) Although, I probably wouldn't reuse formula or breastmilk- even though those are a lot more valuable than skim milk!

I start every morning with a sippy cup of water for each of my boys. They use the same cup all day and then take it to bed with them. In the morning it goes in the dishwasher and I get another one. It's never been a problem and my kids have never gotten sick from it...my oldest is five.

As for milk, I usually just let that be for the meal and maybe a little bit after. I try and keep that a shorter time though...not so much the bacteria, but just the milk spoiling...

Good luck!
-M