Question about cups for 3 year olds

[GoinToDisney]

We are the type to drink liquids all day (mostly water), not just at meals. Right now, my dd is using the dora cups where the straw pops up and it's spill-proof. I was wondering what other moms do. When is it unacceptable to use sippy cups? She can use open cups and does at meals at the table. I should add that I carry around a water bottle (rubbermaid) with a lid so I don't spill too.

What do you bring as far as cups into the parks with you? I want something spill proof, yet easy to wash without a dishwasher. I prefer to wash straws in the dishwasher. I can't use the take n toss straw cups because they are not spill proof. Any ideas?

 

[tjmw2727]

My kids used a straw/sippee cup or a small water/sports bottle until age 3ish when we were out and about. We also did regular cups no lids at the table for meals and at other times. We used 5oz dixie cups with just a bit of water to start and increased the amount until they were proficient. Don't worry about appropriate ages - IMHO whatever works is fine.

For WDW I would invest in a couple packs of the "disposable" cups -they have some that have lids and a sippee spout and some that have straws. Get whatever you think your child will like. The nice thing is that they can be washed out and re-used but are cheap enough that loss isn't an issue.

You can also get paper cups with lids and straws at WDW with the exception of AK and AKL.

Something like this is what I used and my sil uses now:
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp83795_3...toss_spill_proof_10_oz_cups_from_9_months.htm
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp86779_332828_sespider/the_first_years/take_and_toss_straw_sippers.htm

IIRC the lids are interchangable straw or sippie spout !

TJ

Oops - I just noticed you don't want the take and toss because they arn't spill proof. I would either just use the spill proof ones you have and wash the straws the best you can for the short time your away.

 

[jazzmine]

DS is getting the hang of drinking out of a regular cup but when we are on the go, we take sippies along with us too. He has two types, ones with the straws that flip up (sounds like you have those too) and the other are Playtex Insulator cups (we have the Cars ones). The Playtex ones don't have a straw but they are more like a tippy cup and from our experience, they don't spill.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Our son uses open cups all of the time, except bed time. he'll take a cup with a straw to bed.

When we travel, we just take a bottle of water and he drinks from that. Screw the top back on and throw it in the back pack!

 

[WantToGoNow]

We did away with sippy cups around the time my dd4 turned 18 months -- that's when she had to stop using them at daycare so I wanted to keep it consistent. She pretty much drinks out of the same thing I am -- cups with or without straws and bottles. This was easier to accomplish as she was never allowed to walk around the house with a bottle/cup -- just at meals and snacks and those were at the table.

 

[barnaby1]

We keep it simple on holiday and take 1 water bottle for the family (one with a pop up top) and drink from that. My dd uses an open cup at meal times.

 

[_queenie_]

My DD3.5 is usually fine with a normal glass and straw in restaurants, but the cups below seem to work pretty well on the go. They're more like a regular adult coffee tumbler than anything, easy to wash. If you're bringing a stroller into the parks it's fine to just keep the cup with you, it also helps that the disney restaurants give kids those disposable cups with lids so you don't have to pull the sippy cup out at the table. The refillable mugs you can get at the resorts come in handy, too.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2815280

 

[Nanu57v]

I don't know for sure, but I worry the sippy cups will have teeth issues, so we are phasing DD2 out of them. She drinks from a sippy cup before lunch, and then the rest of the day she either drinks from a regular cup or a water bottle (the kind with the screw lid like a soda bottle). However I'd make exceptions for trips to WDW, since everything is all different.

 

[_queenie_]

I don't know for sure, but I worry the sippy cups will have teeth issues,

I'm not sure about that either, but I think they might give speech issues. My DD13 had wonderful speech very early as far as talking (52 words by 12 months) and having a conversation goes, but she had a lisp that didn't go away until about the start 2nd grade. She was a terrible spiller, so she used sippy cups at home right up until the end of Kindergarten, that's when we pulled the plug (of course it was back in 2000 when everyone still thought they were harmless). After a few months being off of them I noticed a huge difference, but I'm sure that comes with age as well. Luckily, the extended use didn't effect her teeth at all. I've just had my DD3 use the straw and tumbler cups instead and she's had no problem.

 

[Disney 'Ohana]

We used the take & toss cups too, but my only gripe was that they leak if tipped. They fit nicely in my llittle cooler I brought with me into the park too. The Nuby Sports Sipper (from Walmart) was too tall for it . But when we were in a restaurant I just poured her drink into it. Rinsed it out right after. That things easy to clean.

*the take & toss cups, I find that a nipple brush doesn't clean it very good. I had to use a toothpick to get in the grooves of the lid to clean it best.

 

[DevilDuckie]

Uh... I use them!

Seriously, they're the best thing to use for margaritas in the pool (no glass allowed) and they keep your drink from becoming one with the water.

I think that if sippy cups make life easier on the go you should use them. Three isn't tragically old for such a thing.

 

[rileysmommy]

I'm not sure about that either, but I think they might give speech issues. My DD13 had wonderful speech very early as far as talking (52 words by 12 months) and having a conversation goes, but she had a lisp that didn't go away until about the start 2nd grade. She was a terrible spiller, so she used sippy cups at home right up until the end of Kindergarten, that's when we pulled the plug (of course it was back in 2000 when everyone still thought they were harmless). After a few months being off of them I noticed a huge difference, but I'm sure that comes with age as well. Luckily, the extended use didn't effect her teeth at all. I've just had my DD3 use the straw and tumbler cups instead and she's had no problem.

My ds is now a little over 2 years old and he's been receiving speech therapy for the last 8 months. The first thing the speech therapist had us do was get rid of the sippy cups. So he now drinks out of a straw and what a difference. I believe that sippy cups can have an adverse reaction on speech and other mouth issues.

 

[bartleby1]

We are the type to drink liquids all day (mostly water), not just at meals. Right now, my dd is using the dora cups where the straw pops up and it's spill-proof. I was wondering what other moms do. When is it unacceptable to use sippy cups? She can use open cups and does at meals at the table. I should add that I carry around a water bottle (rubbermaid) with a lid so I don't spill too.

What do you bring as far as cups into the parks with you? I want something spill proof, yet easy to wash without a dishwasher. I prefer to wash straws in the dishwasher. I can't use the take n toss straw cups because they are not spill proof. Any ideas?

I would just bring the straw cups that you have and only put water in it. They won't get terribly dirty then. My 3 year old uses them sometimes. Sometimes she just drinks out of a regular water bottle. You could also get a sport bottle with the lid on it that squirts out. Now that my youngest is 3, I feel so liberated not having to carry diapers and cups! LOL!

Whatever you choose to bring, be sure she practices plenty before your trip. Nothing worse than having a frustrated kid on vacation!

 

[belle&beast]

My ds is now a little over 2 years old and he's been receiving speech therapy for the last 8 months. The first thing the speech therapist had us do was get rid of the sippy cups. So he now drinks out of a straw and what a difference. I believe that sippy cups can have an adverse reaction on speech and other mouth issues.

I am a speech therapist and we always recommend using straws rather than sippy tops because straws help develop oral musculature and sippy tops are similar to sucking on a bottle which is not a mature suck like from a straw. Did I use sippy cups? Yes, until each child was about 2 years and when we were in the car until about 3.5. Then we were strictly open cups or straw cups.

In WDW we always use water bottles or disposable cups with lids. In AK in December we did have paper straws at a counter service meal, so at that time straws were available.

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

Uh... I use them!

Seriously, they're the best thing to use for margaritas in the pool (no glass allowed) and they keep your drink from becoming one with the water.

I think that if sippy cups make life easier on the go you should use them. Three isn't tragically old for such a thing.

I am with you on this one. We still have the spillproof sippy cups for DD4.5 and DS3 for situations where a spill would be a mess (in the carpeted front room, my car, and yes, Disney).

They do drink out of open cups, straw cups, juice boxes, even bottles of water at different times.

Both have extremely clear speech for age. DD4.5 speaks as well or better than DD15...except she sounds like Minnie Mouse.

DS13 would NOT drink out of a sippy cup when he was young. We had to get straws for him. He was in speech therapy for 2 years.

DH's coffee cups for the car are basically sippies for grown-ups. Spill proof cups are handy.

 

[_queenie_]

I am a speech therapist and we always recommend using straws rather than sippy tops because straws help develop oral musculature and sippy tops are similar to sucking on a bottle which is not a mature suck like from a straw.

I wish when my DD13 started speech therapy when she was 4 the therapist would have told me that. I asked her if using the sippy cups was going to causing the problem and she said no, so I continued using them until she turned 5 1/2, 6 (in the car/home). I realize I've been repeating myself, but I couldn't believe the difference! It must have been the cause because the lisp just wasn't getting any better after therapy for 2 years.

 

[belle&beast]

I wish when my DD13 started speech therapy when she was 4 the therapist would have told me that. I asked her if using the sippy cups was going to causing the problem and she said no, so I continued using them until she turned 5 1/2, 6 (in the car/home). I realize I've been repeating myself, but I couldn't believe the difference! It must have been the cause because the lisp just wasn't getting any better after therapy for 2 years.

Not all SLPs are well versed in oral motor development. For a long time it was occupational therapists who worked on eating issues. Now it seems the trend is that the OT helps get the food to the mouth and the SLP works on what happens in the mouth. Don't get me wrong, I work really closely with OT on feeding issues, but there was a time that SLPs were not well trained in that area.

 

[kt_mom]

DD is almost 5 and she uses a regular cup at home or a juice box or whatever depending. But she also uses these bottle type things I found at Target, and I think they have them at Walmart. They are kind of tall and skinny and the top is a character, alot of them are disney. (DD's are all princess but they come in pirates, Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, etc). The drinking part is sort of like a sports bottle. They can go in the dishwasher for cleaning. And we reuse them. DD eats poptarts or whatever in the car in the morning b/c we leave pretty early and these work great. In Disney she just drank out of our water bottle, but these would work for that as well. And she loves them.

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

DD is almost 5 and she uses a regular cup at home or a juice box or whatever depending. But she also uses these bottle type things I found at Target, and I think they have them at Walmart. They are kind of tall and skinny and the top is a character, alot of them are disney. (DD's are all princess but they come in pirates, Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, etc). The drinking part is sort of like a sports bottle. They can go in the dishwasher for cleaning. And we reuse them. DD eats poptarts or whatever in the car in the morning b/c we leave pretty early and these work great. In Disney she just drank out of our water bottle, but these would work for that as well. And she loves them.

Those are called Tummy Ticklers and my boys love them too. We have oodles of them in our cup drawer. Walmart sells them in 3 packs and Target now has them in 2 packs. They are a little pricey but since they come with Juice in them and they are re-usable, I think they are worth it.