Why I Give My Children Cups at 3 Months

At 3 months, I give my children sippers. I get looked at crazy & asked, "why?" & "how?" So I figured I'd blog about it. 

The "why". It all starts with Skyland, my oldest. He was 13 months when he finally got off the bottle, & 2 1/2 by the time I weaned him off the sipper.  And he gave me havoc during both weaning periods.  My doctor used to tell me to start weaning him around 6 months, but Skyland would not take the cup.  He was formula fed until 11 months (he had a hard time digesting food for a while), I didn't want him to risk missing meals.  So we waited until he was eating regular meals to wean him, and by then he was super attached.  

But I decided with Azariah, my second born, that we weren't going to put everyone through that, again. I didn't want sleepless nights, loud chaotic days, & an all-around upset child again. I swear Skyland went through withdrawals, and I just could not deal with that again.  Once was enough! 

So I bought cheap bottles for Azariah, and at 3 months-- with my pediatrician's blessing and encouragement--  I switched him to the Nuby with handles. It worked flawlessly. He held the handles and fed himself, & was fine with every switch of brand or style of sippy-cup. I kept a few different brands and styles in the house after 6 months so he never got attached to one. By the age of one, he was pretty flexible. He could use cups with straws, take-and-tosses, water bottles, anything. Poor Skyland couldn't even use a straw until he was 2! 

Because this method worked so well with Azariah, I'm sticking with it for Noelle. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? On the 24th, my sweet girl turned 3 months. And yesterday, I moved her to the sippy cup.  The "how" is pretty easy: I hand them the cup instead of the bottle. She grabbed it and held it the first time I gave it to her; I was impressed and sad at the same time.   But she seems to be liking her newfound independence and isn't putting up a fuss. Doesn't even notice her bottles are gone. Using sippers makes her seem like less of an infant, but it prevents a hard time for everyone later on.