Hello little sippers!

Many of you may have started giving your little one small sips of water or milk from an open cup. This is a useful skill that will last a lifetime but it can take a bit of practice and sometimes it may not be smooth sailing. You may also be introducing an open cup to an older baby or toddler who is keen to mimic you but hasn't mastered the skill yet. Whatever age of your baby, we've pulled together helpful advice and top tips from experts in this blog to support you on your sipping journey with Babycup Sippeco First Cups. We also have a helpful guide you can download here. 

Sip sip hurray!

Firstly, it's important to recognise why learning to drink from the right sized cup when you start weaning is vital. Babycup Sippeco First Cups were developed with little hands in mind making them easy for little hands to hold. The cup isn't too heavy when filled for baby to lift themselves, promoting independence, and the liquid can funnel easily into your baby's mouth. 

Did you know that Babycup Sippeco First Cups have been approved by the Oral Health Foundation? They are the only mini open cup to receive this accolade. Dr Nigel Carter, Oral Health Foundation CEO and dentist for over 40 years, says, “Developing proper drinking habits at an early age is vital for oral development. Primary [milk] teeth are crucial to jaw development, speech development and adult teeth placement.”

But don't worry if you're thinking of an open cup and your little one is a bit older. Our little cups have a big age range and are ideal for those first starting out, including cup-feeding infants to support breast-feeding, those with feeding challenges such as tongue tie, as well as toddlers.

How to encourage baby sipping

It's good to remember that spills are part of the learning process so start with small amounts, and wear a good bib like those from Tidy Tot to protect baby's clothes. For tips on introducing water and water quantities, take a look at this great blog from The Mummy Nutritionist. 

Here's some top tips to encourage those sips:

• Be on your baby's eye level, use their name to encourage them and praise their attempts 
• Have a drink yourself and let baby mimic your actions - you can always try using a Babycup too!
• Use your hand to guide the cup to their mouth on their first few attempts, and to lower it back down again
• Help them tip the cup only slightly to let them get used to the cup on their bottom lip
• Resist the urge to take over and let them by watching you and following your lead - you're the best teacher

What the experts say about Babycup Sippeco First Cups

SR Nutrition, weaning specialist and mum of two:

"I absolutely love the Babycup First Cups as they’re the perfect open cup for the first stages of your baby’s weaning journey. These cups are tiny, to suit tiny hands and they also allow for a small amount of liquid, which is essential so as not to overwhelm baby at the start when they are practising the art of sipping.

Remember that sips of water with meals is all baby needs between 6 and 12 months of age, and Babycup First Cups provides just this.

Top tips:

• Let them play – don’t worry if it’s tipped into their food the first 20 times…it’s all experimentation for them. Playing with food, cups and water is part of baby’s learning. Stay calm and simply SHOW them what the cup is for
• Role model! This is key! Baby will learn HOW to use cups from watching you. So, give a quick demonstration using your baby’s cup so your baby understands what you expect them to do. Be sure to do plenty of open cup drinking in front of them
• Be consistent with offering it. Try to offer a mini cup of water at every meal so it becomes the norm and so that baby has plenty of opportunity to practice

For more great tips and advice, explore other expert articles in our blog including ‘3 easy ways to get your child drinking more water’.

Charlotte provides lots of additional great advice and weaning support on her website.

Sip sip hooray! Have fun sipping.

SHOP HERE FOR BABYCUP FIRST CUPS