Every parent wants the best for their child. But we all know that raising a baby can be difficult. One of the challenging parts of raising your baby is switching their regular sippy bottle to a cup with a straw. Considering you do this while the baby is still young, it can be tricky for them, but it may also be beneficial.
Like many parents, you might be wondering how to teach a baby to drink from a straw. There is no need for pressure and trying to achieve this immediately. But babies are quick learners. With the help of a few steps, your baby can start understanding what it means to drink from a cup and a straw. They will eventually realize that they have to suck on the straw to get their preferred liquid.
What Age Should a Baby Switch to a Cup With a Straw?
The best time to introduce your baby to drinking with a straw would probably be the time you introduce it to solid food. The baby will show if it’s ready for that transition. Most people introduce their babies to solids when they are 6 to 12 months old.
When babies are 6 to 12 months old, they are interested in everything and learning new things. Therefore, they gain new skills more quickly. If the baby is older and a competent toddler confident in drinking from a bottle, it can be harder to teach it.
The goal at this age is to teach them a new way of consuming liquids, not to replace a bottle. Start with a few steps at a time. This way, the baby won’t feel pressured. And if your baby is older than 12 months, don’t worry. It can still pick up this skill.
Introducing a Straw
Before you teach your baby to drink from a cup with a straw, it needs to get the basic idea of how a straw works. It’s essential first to find a straw that would be suitable for a baby. Many straws are skinny and long and are hard for a baby to use.
There are a lot of straws on the market. Whichever one you choose will get the job done. But please choose an eco-friendly one. Saving the environment is highly important, and plastic straws are a substantial hazard to oceans and the animals living there.
People’s opinion is that milkshake straws work the best. They are thicker and broader, which means the baby can suck the liquid easier and won’t lose interest by the time any liquid makes it to its mouth.
Cutting a straw in half would be preferable, so the baby doesn’t need a lot of strength to suck the liquid all the way to drink it. Following are certain steps you may take to figure out how to teach a baby to drink from a straw.
Read more: How to Help Baby Crawl
Method of Teaching a Baby to Drink From a Straw
Preparing your cup
Starting with water would be the best first step. We know babies are messy and can spill liquid everywhere. We suggest you start with a small cup filled with water. After that, take a paper straw and cut it in half.
Getting precise with the method
The next step would be to put the straw in the water and place your index finger on top of it to create a suction. This way, there is a perfect amount of water in the straw that won’t be too much for your baby.
Starting the process
As your baby sits in its chair, take the straw and hold it over its open mouth. Slowly release the water by removing your index finger from the straw. Be careful not to allow too much water to go in at a time, or it may be a problem.
If your baby seems intrigued and interested, repeat this. And if not, don’t force it on them. Try it again another day. Eventually, your baby will start closing its mouth around the straw. And if it doesn’t, demonstrate it with their cheeks so they can imitate you.
Keep holding the straw
After they start closing their mouth around the straw, don’t release your finger from the top of the straw when you put it in their mouth. This way, they will have to suck to get the liquid out. And keep increasing the amount of water in it, so they have to suck more and more.
Try putting the straw in a cup when you’ve done all this, and when your baby starts understanding the concept of drinking from it and doesn’t seem to need more help. You will notice if they’re able to drink from a straw in a cup.
Repeat the process
If they start opening their mouth, do this all over again. There is also another method. You can get the liquid in the straw and put the straw in their mouth. When they start to suck then put the other end in the cup. This can be pretty tricky, and you will need to be quick, but it may help a lot.
Benefits of Teaching a Baby to Drink From a Straw
Just like every other skill, teaching your baby to drink from a straw will further ease the process of drinking from an open cup. And these two are essential lifelong skills they need to learn. Your baby will use both of them further in their life.
Another thing to keep in mind is that 360 cups and sippy cups may encourage a way of drinking that is not great for the development of a baby. But don’t worry if you’ve been using this kind of cup. Most babies are adaptable and will change their habits quickly. All you need to do is get started.
Conclusion
These types of skills that a baby needs to acquire can take time and patience. The baby’s safety should always be the number one priority. If you can’t teach your child how to drink from a straw right away, take a break and try another day.
The baby should always feel okay and not pressured and stressed; otherwise, it won’t learn anything. And all babies are different. Some will get it right away, and others will need more time. But eventually, every baby will learn. Patience is the key. And also, be prepared for water to be spilled everywhere. We hope our advice was beneficial in helping you figure out how to teach a baby to drink from a straw.
