Drinks All Day Long In Sippy Cups Or Just During Meals?

[countrymom]

well then it must be a canadian thing ! because my kids have sippys (tupperware with lid) but they don't have them all day. I give it to them and they go and sit somewhere and drink or stand. My older kids have cups with lids (tupperware--you insert a straw and are spill proof) they have water all day, even my own kids like this.

maybe I'm lazy or anal, but I would hate to constantly clean water off my floor or their trays. They also only get a half a cup if not less, so its not like a full cup of water that is being downed all the time, just enough to quinch their thirst and you have to remember kids play hard too.

[Childminder]

Here we use the USDA food program guidelines and have milk w/every meal and sometimes w/snacks. Sometimes juice w/snack or water is allowed. They always have access to water from the dispenser and 5oz dixie cups, too. They are encouraged to use regular cups at any meal and they always have to be sitting at the table and know which cup is theirs, even the one year old. I do not use the valves w/any sippy cups because they are not allowed to leave the table w/cups unless they get water and are then not allowed to leave the kitchen. We do have a towel handy for water spills.

[Fruitloops1]

I have a 15 month old that doesn't know how to use a cup at ALL! I lift it to her lips and she dips her face into it and then pushes it away. I've tried with her but the only thing she will drink from is the sippy (I am pretty sure she is on a bottle at home...she doesnt even **** from a straw). I dont like them much, but use them for walks because of the lid.

[sahm2three]

I have sippies and regular cups for the big kids available at all times with water in them and at their request they get a drink. No one is allowed to walk around with a cup.

[jojosmommy]

Here we only drink at meal times and water breaks which are an all group thing. I dont do sippys for anyone once they turn two. They dont need them. IMO raise the expectation and they will meet it.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I have 10 children all using lidless cups. I had a 3.5-year-old who came here unable to use a lidless cup because Mom INSISTS on him using a sippy cup. That took a lot of work due to him never being exposed to it before. But, all of the other children are just the typical spills here and there and it is no big deal. They each have a cloth at mealtimes and will wipe up their own messes (well, to the best of their own ability).

Developing self help skills is of critical importance to me. It actually takes a lot more work for me to work with the children to develop them, but at age 3/4 they ought to be doing a lot by themself.

We drink at breakfast (milk), after morning recess (water), at lunch (milk), at snack (water), and after afternoon recess (water).

[nanglgrl]

I am not flaming you are trying to sound critical but why wouldn't you expect your group to use cups?

Children ARE capable of so much more than we think......they also will only do what is expected and honestly you have what I would call an older group of kids.

I teach every single kid I ave to use an un-lidded cup (I use 5 oz Dixie cups) by the time they are weaned off a bottle. Kids can tip their own bottles by 12 months, they understand the concept of tipping to get the liquid so with a bit of encouragement, support and on-going help they can transistion to a regular cup easily by 1 year old.

I don't have a problem with other kids "getting into" cups because I don't leave them out but as far as the use of one in general, kids as young as your 14 month old can easily be taught how to use a cup. They do have the ability. We just have to support it...even though it is and can be a messy process...LOL!!

I agree. Children can do so much more than we give them credit for. I have a new 22 month old who started a week ago and every time I gave her a regular cup she would dump it on purpose so I let her have her sippy but only at meals. When we were outside I would give her a regular cup of water (they always have full cups of water when we are outside) and yesterday I was pleased to tell her mom that we are done with the sippy cup because she didn't spill the regular cup at all.
A daycare parent remarked to me last week that my 2 year old is really good at using his utensils and that her son isnt. I told her that's because I started giving him silverware at 1 year. He has had an entire year to figure it out. Most parents don't give utensils until they think their child is ready to use them perfectly. It doesnt cross their minds that it's a practice makes perfect activity.

[Heidi]

My DC kids only get milk or water at meal and snack times. If they want a drink other times during the day, they ask and I get them a cup and they sit at the table and drink it and that is that.

Nothing in a sippy cup and I surely do NOT ever allow kids to simply roam free with a sippy filled with anything. No wonder kids are potty trained at older and older ages....we gotta break them of their "drinking" habits first. LOL!

I don't even let babies have bottles filled with anything all day. I make them a bottle, hold and feed them and take the bottle back.

I also don't allow sippy cups or food to come into my house or leave my home. (Can you tell I hate sippy cups )

same here...

I only use a "sippy cup" from when about the time they start on solids until they seem more aware of what's going on at the table (they don't flip their plate over, for example). But always at the table. Nothing gets carried around. Even outside, they bring their cup to the faucet for a fill, then give them back to me when done. They don't have to sit to drink outside, but no wandering, either.

[MaritimeMummy]

A daycare parent remarked to me last week that my 2 year old is really good at using his utensils and that her son isnt. I told her that's because I started giving him silverware at 1 year. He has had an entire year to figure it out. Most parents don't give utensils until they think their child is ready to use them perfectly. It doesnt cross their minds that it's a practice makes perfect activity.

I'm the same way with the utensils. Funny how a person doesn't really relate utensil use with cup use. ;-)

I tried restricting the fluids but it's going to be a slow process, I can tell. I'm soooo tired of the kids picking up the wrong cups and drinking from them.

[Heidi]

I appreciate every bit of advice here. I really do. I don't consider anyone to be flaming. :-)

So you think I'm not allowing these kids to do what they are capable of doing? I guess I just see my kids as really young...my 23 month old is pretty young acting still so I just never really considered HER old enough to do it. It's all I can do to get her to sit down and eat her meals without running all over the place with food in her mouth. The 19 month old likely could. The kids that you guys have drinking from cups at a younger age (younger than 2), do the parents do anything at home to help out with it? Or do they get cups at your daycare, sippies at their home?

I bought little china espresso cups at the dollar store. They hold maybe 4 oz, and I introduced them to the twins I had at about 14-15 months. Because they are a little heavier, they don't spill as easily as plastic or paper.

In over a year, only one has been broken.

As for running around, seat belt until that stops! Everyone asks to be excused, except the 10 month old I have. I ask him every time..."would you like to be excused?" He hasn't answered yet...

[nanglgrl]

I am not flaming you are trying to sound critical but why wouldn't you expect your group to use cups?

Children ARE capable of so much more than we think......they also will only do what is expected and honestly you have what I would call an older group of kids.

I teach every single kid I ave to use an un-lidded cup (I use 5 oz Dixie cups) by the time they are weaned off a bottle. Kids can tip their own bottles by 12 months, they understand the concept of tipping to get the liquid so with a bit of encouragement, support and on-going help they can transistion to a regular cup easily by 1 year old.

I don't have a problem with other kids "getting into" cups because I don't leave them out but as far as the use of one in general, kids as young as your 14 month old can easily be taught how to use a cup. They do have the ability. We just have to support it...even though it is and can be a messy process...LOL!!

I'm the same way with the utensils. Funny how a person doesn't really relate utensil use with cup use. ;-)

I tried restricting the fluids but it's going to be a slow process, I can tell. I'm soooo tired of the kids picking up the wrong cups and drinking from them.

I use a permanent marker and put a different shape on each cup and each kid gets the same one every day. The kids catch on pretty quick to what shape they are plus I'm killing two birds with one stone! Lol. The same could be done with different colors. When they are younger and we first start the "shape cup" I place the cup on a laminated picture of them to make it easier.