Open Top Cup Advice

[daycarediva]

I always use open top cups. I transition during non meal times with sips of water, and once kids get it, I start at meals so that they can pour their own milk/water from a pitcher.

One child, 20 months, just DOES NOT get it. She does other things, like feeds herself with utensils with minimal spillage, and can scoop/pour water with accuracy in the water table.

BUT, more than a tablespoon of liquid in a cup? It's all over her. She follows directions- holds it with two hands, tips slowly, etc. Then just spits it all out like she's choking.

She is fine drinking on sippy cups, I don't buy non spill, so the flow is fast/just pours out and she sucks as well so I know she SWALLOWS liquids just fine.

It's been offered for nearly two months full time.

HELP! Sippy cups drive me crazy and she's the only one using one!

[DaveA]

Cup with handles but no lid? I’m drawing a blank.

[HappyEverAfter]

Not sure but this was what came to my mind right away: With a sippy cup, even if the flow is fast, her mouth is likely in a different position (lips pursed around the spout) than when drinking from an open cup (lips parted and mouth open) . I wonder if when she tilts back the open top cup if she's breathing too much while trying to drink and swallow. If she can drink from an open cup using a straw then this may be what the issue is. Too much swallowing of air/trying to breath and drink at the same time. She may just not be ready.

[midaycare]

I have a few kids right now who just aren't getting it
Every day they spill. Huge mess. They are 2 and 3. It's ridiculous, but at home they all get sippies. No advice, just empathy.

[Hunni Bee]

It might be a sensory thing - she can deal with the slow flow of a sippy cup but doesn't like the feel of liquid flooding her mouth.

I say that because I am like that. Most open-cup drinks I don't finish because I can't stand the sensation of cold liquid hitting the roof of my mouth. Straws, cans, Tervis...I'm fine with.

Anybody who knows me knows sparkling water is the way to my heart - water in a can

[midaycare]

It might be a sensory thing - she can deal with the slow flow of a sippy cup but doesn't like the feel of liquid flooding her mouth.

I say that because I am like that. Most open-cup drinks I don't finish because I can't stand the sensation of cold liquid hitting the roof of my mouth. Straws, cans, Tervis...I'm fine with.

Anybody who knows me knows sparkling water is the way to my heart - water in a can

Funny you mention that; I don't like liquids in a glass or cup, either. I also don't like cold liquids and drink all my liquids warm. Water, soda, everything is warm. I can't even imagine putting ice in my drinks.

I drink out of bottles or I have reusable cups with a top and/or straw.

[MomBoss]

I drink everything out of a straw . It must be a sensory thing for me too.

[Blackcat31]

I make the transition exactly like you do and every one in a while I get a kid like that.... I take the toss and take cups and I "punch" out the top of the spout on the lid so it's wide open but still a spout...it will just pour out if tipped over.

It does take a bit of "adjusting" (I use an emory board and if needed sand paper...!) so the edit I make isn't sharp enough to harm.

It seems to help a lot. Once they can manage more liquid without spilling or letting it just pour all over too fast I actually start shorting the spout and continue doing so until it's pretty much gone all together. I have to toss the lid as it's not fixable but these are take and toss cups anyways so...

It seems to be a better in-between step then just reverting back to a sippy because like you I have this weird adversion to sippy cups all together.

[Blackcat31]

Funny you mention that; I don't like liquids in a glass or cup, either. I also don't like cold liquids and drink all my liquids warm. Water, soda, everything is warm. I can't even imagine putting ice in my drinks.

I drink out of bottles or I have reusable cups with a top and/or straw.

I don't like ice either.
Water...room temp.

I like my coffee hot though!

I don't like straws... I saw too many commercials that keep saying your face (mouth area) will look like smoker later in life due to the all lip pursing done.. ::

Truth or not, I don't know but I rarely use a straw.

[daycarediva]

Her sippy cup is wide open, I actually drill a large hole through them (like bc suggested) and she's fine. Maybe the mouth shape thing is right, I'll try a straw, but I don't want to mess with that every day either.

I make the transition exactly like you do and every one in a while I get a kid like that.... I take the toss and take cups and I "punch" out the top of the spout on the lid so it's wide open but still a spout...it will just pour out if tipped over.

It does take a bit of "adjusting" (I use an emory board and if needed sand paper...!) so the edit I make isn't sharp enough to harm.

It seems to help a lot. Once they can manage more liquid without spilling or letting it just pour all over too fast I actually start shorting the spout and continue doing so until it's pretty much gone all together. I have to toss the lid as it's not fixable but these are take and toss cups anyways so...

It seems to be a better in-between step then just reverting back to a sippy because like you I have this weird adversion to sippy cups all together.

Great idea to cut the mouth part down! Dh suggested making a semi circle on the side of a take and toss lid (for snacks, no hole) and gradually making that larger. I'll try your idea first, I actually keep/use the snack lids for the take and toss and her sippy top already has a huge hole in it.

Today I put a TINY amount in it and she did alright. Easily a teaspoon or less. I can't spoon her drinks all day though.

I loathe sippy cups. I think kids are crazy dependent on them now. Dragging them everywhere, yuck. Ds had a friend over who was 10 and asked me for a LID on his drink. I was so confused. I said "It's a glass, they don't come with lids." :confused: I mean, my own kids are 10 and up, I haven't had a sippy cup aside from young, new daycare kids in my kitchen for over 8 years.

[homeishere]

360 sippy cup

I've had great luck with these:

They get the kids used to the shape of an open cup, but still won't spill everywhere.


http://www.target.com/p/philips-aven...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Ariana]

I had a 2.5 year old like this. No idea why he could not grasp the concept!!

[jenboo]

We do open cups at the table and 360 cups the rest of the time. They greatly improved ones we got the 360 cups.

I also don't drink from an open cup. 99% of the time i drink from a spouted water bottle. I hate cups

[daycarediva]

I just ordered a 360 cup from Amazon to try.

She's doing awful on the cut out side idea.

She's doing awful with the sippy cup mouth part cut down.

She's doing awful with a straw. :confused:

A regular sippy cup top seems to be the only thing she 'gets',

I understand the preference for certain cups. I'm partial to glass, and really love straws myself. My concern is the ability in general, I already have speech and motor skill concerns.