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Ceasing the Sippy Cup
Tips for Making the Transition By Renee Roberson
"Tongue thrust, or reverse swallow, can occur from prolonged sippy cup use or non-nutritive sucking, such as with thumbs or pacifiers," Hunke says. During a tongue thrust swallow, a child places their tongue between their teeth before and during the act of swallowing.
"We played word games at the dinner table, she had to do breathing exercises with a straw and she had regular speech therapy sessions at our public school," Thomas says. The family was also lucky that a speech pathologist lived next door to her daughter's babysitter, and she worked with the child throughout the summer after school had ended for the year.
"Toddlers are creatures of routine," says Elizabeth Rider, a Boston-based pediatrician and professor at Harvard Medical School. "You can make rules and stick to them." Rider shares her tips for making a gentle transition from the sippy cup:
- Make a rule that the sippy cup only "lives" on the table or high chair during meals and snacks. Parents can state matter-of-factly that the "sippy cup stays on the table" and can empathize with the toddler who wants to carry it around all day. Make statements to your child such as "I know you'd like to carry it around, but it has to stay on the table. That's where the sippy cup likes to be."
- Over the course of a few days, gradually dilute whatever is usually in the sippy cup (such as juice) to water. If a toddler likes juice, he or she may lose interest in the cup if it's just water.
