What cup should my child use at certain ages?

Hi! I’m Elisabeth. For my first blog post I’d love to talk about something I get asked a lot- picking the right cups for kids.

Children go through a hierarchy of feeding skill from birth to three years of age. This often includes breast feeding, bottle feeding, puree eating, cup drinking, utensil use, etc. Many parents ask me- “what cup should I have my child use at X months or X years old?” Let’s discuss

When teaching our children to use a different vessel we should keep it simple- 1. bottle, 2. open cup, 3. straw cup. The world has millions of child products to offer us these day. The most important thing to keep in mind is teaching our child the life skill of drinking from a cup they will come across in their lifespan, typically open cups and straw cups. Below are the steps and age approximates that will keep children up to par with open cup and straw cup drinking skill:

6-7 months child will hold bottle in both hands

8-10 months cup drinking is introduced to child

9-18 months child is introduced to straw cup and masters straw cup drinking

12-14 months child holds open cup with two hands

24 months child drinks from open cup without spilling

24-36 months child holds open cup with one hand

Should your child have difficulty with any of these developmental areas, has continued bottle usage past recommended age by your pediatrician, or frequently coughs/chokes with any of these vessels, please reach out to us with questions/concerns. We offer a free 15 minute phone consultation.

Cheers!