Transitions are tough for everybody, but especially for kiddos saying bye-bye to their comfort items. Pacifiers, cribs, and bottles--they all have their time. Moving on from the bottle can be especially hard because, for years, it's been the ultimate source of comfort: food.
A sippy cup has been the classic bottle-weaning tool for years. They're easy for kiddos to use, spill-proof, and bring similar comfort to sucking on a bottle. But recent research has suggested straw cups may be better for your child's development.
Sippy Cups: Negative Impacts on Oral Development
So, why the pushback against the classic sippy cup? It all has to do with oral and speech development in our children's earliest years. Arguments against this type of training cup will be similar to those discouraging prolonged pacifier usage, thumb sucking, or using a bottle for too long.
1. Tongue and Swallowing Development
One of the biggest disadvantages to a sippy cup is that it leads to improper tongue positioning. When you graduate from bottle to cup, your child is learning the mature swallowing motion. The tongue is supposed to rest at the top of the mouth, behind the front teeth, but the sippy cup physically blocks the tongue from doing so.
This leads to a thrusting tongue position, which can delay starting on solids. Imagine trying to introduce your child to food, and they just push it out of their mouth with their tongue instead of properly swallowing! That's the motion a sippy cup encourages.
2. Lip Positioning
Sippy cups promote an open-mouth, slack lip posture. This can affect speech, breathing, dental health, and even sleep. Mouth breathing also has effects on facial development, emotional and mental capabilities, and even physical oral development.
3. Dental Problems
Similar to pacifier fears, a sippy cup can contribute to misalignment of the teeth. Constant suckling on this kind of cup encourages the tongue to rest in a forward position, which puts pressure on the front teeth. Improperly aligned teeth affects speech patterns and eating abilities.
Depending on how your little one uses the sippy cup, the spout can also put pressure on the teeth and the soft palate. Both the improper tongue position and the hard spout of the cup can lead to orthodontic issues down the line.
4. Delayed Speech Development
The physical detriments of tongue, lip, and dental issues all contribute to speech delays. A too-forward tongue position makes saying the "L," "D," and "T" sounds very difficult. Misaligned teeth lead to noticeable speech impediments.
5. Dependency
Just like a bottle or pacifier, a sippy cup encourages a suckling motion. This has soothed your baby their whole life, so they may transfer emotional dependency from a bottle or binky to their cup. A dependency will make it more likely for your child to use it for extended periods of time, making all the negative side effects more likely to occur. And, it'll be a difficult habit to break.
Straw Cups: Benefits for Oral Health
If a sippy training cup has so many risks, what makes a straw cup so much safer? A straw both encourages healthy oral development and speech patterns.
1. Proper Tongue Positioning
A straw doesn't get in the way of your child's tongue resting on the roof of their mouth. They practice mature swallowing rather than the immature suckling motion of infancy.
2. Strengthens Oral Muscles
The action of drinking from a straw encourages your little one to exercise their tongue, lip, and cheek muscles. Instead of a slack, suckling motion, drinking from a straw makes your child engage their facial muscles.
3. Lip Positioning
You have to make an O-shape to drink from a straw, which is a vital lip position to making the sounds "M," "P," and "B." You can use a lip block or cut the straw shorter to ensure your little one doesn't put it too far into their mouth and gets all the benefits of the straw.
4. Getting Used to a Grown-Up Cup
Starting your little one on a straw cup immediately helps them adjust to grown-up eating and drinking habits quicker. They won't develop a dependency on the suckling motion of a sippy cup, and their oral muscles will be prepared to handle food. You'll avoid a potentially tough sippy-cup weaning period later.
5. Propert Dental Development
Because a straw encourages proper tongue positioning and does not put pressure on the teeth or palate, your little one is less at risk of misaligned teeth. You can make straws even safer by choosing one with a lip guard or short length.
Common Concerns and Questions
1. What about spills?
Many parents love sippy cups because they're believed to be the most spill-resistant option. But, that isn't necessarily the case anymore. Plenty of straw cups are anti-spill, and there's even options like the 360 cup, which allows your child to drink from an open-cup design mess-free.
2. Are sippy cups always bad?
Similarly to pacifiers, and negative affects of a sippy cup really show up with prolonged usage. Unfortunately, the soothing suckling motion they provide encourages your little one to form an emotional dependency on their cup. You can use one sparingly, but if your little one decides they prefer the sippy spout, then it can be difficult to get them to try another type of cup.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is that your child is drinking enough. If they prefer a sippy cup, try to introduce other types into their routine. Keep an eye on their speech and oral development, and consult your pediatrician if you're concerned.
3. What about open cups?
When bottle weaning, the end goal is to get your little one ready to drink from a normal cup. Many parents find a straw or sippy spout are the easiest to transition to, but you can try jumping straight to an open cup! You can avoid messes by using a 360 training cup, and a cup with handles will help your little one hold on to it. There are so many options to pick from, and we've curated a quality selection to get you started.
4. Can I use a regular straw?
Yes! You don't necessarily need to buy a special straw cup unless you want a spill-proof design, specific aesthetic, or handles. You can pop a regular straw into your child's drink anywhere you go, preferably a soft, reusable silicone one.
Prepare Your Little One for a Big-Kid Cup!
Ready to give the straw lifestyle a try? We love the EZPZ straw training cups or the Mushie children's straw cups as starting points. They come in lots of colors, some with handles, with soft, silicone textures that make them comfortable to use. Happy sipping!
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