How do you get a child to learn to tip the cup backwards to get juice/milk/water out?

I tried the "he will figure it out" but unfortunately he just won't drink anything all day.

I can't sit here holding the sippy for him everytime he is thirsty. He is 1yo.

Is there any recommendations on how to teach to hold and tip??? Because he is having trouble holding, although he can hold it, but he can't figure out to tip it. I try showing but he just lets go.

If you are not offering help, and only going to cause issues, please DO NOT POST. Constructive replies only!

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Honestly, I go to a straw cup for a few months until they're a bit more mature with their problem-solving skills. For the most part, everyone's cups are identical (all the Take n Toss type sippies) but I have one set of Take n Toss straw cups for those youngsters who don't get the tipping thing right at one. Every one I've had so far, save one, has been on regular sippy cups by 18 months, most by 15 or 16 months.

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We go right to the straw cup too. I mostly have "Take and Toss" cups. But, for the infants (before age one) I have a couple of the Nubby straw cups.

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Could you try only putting about 1oz in the sippy so it is not so heavy? And adding a little more once the child gets the hang of it. I know you would have to keep opening and adding more, but the weight may be the problem.

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I use the Gerber double handled sippies from age 1 to 2. They have a soft spot and it's a smaller cup (holds 125ml) so easier and lighter for babies to learn to tip. Two handles mean its very easy to hold too.

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Thanks for the replies. His mom sends him the nuby kind. and he's got the avent kind (soft spouts with handles, and bottle type sippies with nipples and sippy spout nipples too). She said even regular bottles he will not hold. Insists on you holding it for him.

It's not heavy, so that's not the issue. He's also a very big boy.

I might go get the straw type tonight and try him tomorrow or wednesday, see if it's any better. I'll probably try him with a cup and straw first, to make sure.

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I would let him learn the bottle sitting first, then a cup,... or try it without the stopper so its free flowing, help him hold it and push his arms up, instead of pushing the cup up. then after a few days put the stopper in, still prodding him to push up using his arms, not by doing it for him. Then let him figure it out.

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He doesn't get a bottle anymore, just the sippy style bottles.

I tried just secretly tipping the bottom of the cup while he is in the highchair, or his arms.

AS SOON as I go near him or touch the cup or his arms, he lets go. So I just the the cup fall to the table and stand it back up. He will not let me take his hands to hold the cup. Or show him to tip it.

BUT he does know that tipping the cup upside down makes the drink leak out on the table. So he understands that concept.

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Did he ever hold his own bottles?

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lol,... how old? Id just keep on keeping on. Rinse and repeat next meal,.. but if he wont hold it up there to drink, you shouldnt hold it for him. Personally I would leave the sippy there for him and hold a regular drink cup for him, so he is drinking, but when hes ready to do it unassisted he can, but not give him the sippy,.. Id drink him from a topless cup.

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As far as I know he has never held his own bottles. This is his first full day here, so I haven't really had to deal with this.

And he's 1 yo.

I tried the topless cup and he just smacks it away from me every time.

i tried my take n toss and he puts it in his mouth and gets a little bit of drink from the spout leftovers, and then tips it back. But he also quite enjoys tossing the cups. So I just pick it up and place it away from him because the lids come loose on those ones.

I'm just sort of at a loss. Because I've tried many times to see how I can do it, and i've NEVER had an issue transitioning to sippies before.

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its his first day? and hes one,... ahhh,.. he will be fine. =-) keep offering,.. may take a week or so but he will be fine. Just keep offering,.. hes adjusting to a ton at once,.. give him time. =-)

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Agree totally with this!

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oh and congrats on the newby!@!!@!@!!@

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I've had him as a drop in for a while. He's very familiar with me and how things go. But it's his first Full day. I've been worknig on the sippy cup thing for a few weeks now and still no go. Given that parents feed him bottles and such make a difference and I will discuss this with them at pick up.

DCM is having a difficult time being her first full day away from him. I am not going to drop any bombs on her, and I will give it a few weeks to a month for him to figure out the cup. I am just trying to find the easiest way to help him figure it out, and nothing seems to be working for me

I've never really struggled with any transitions before.

The hardest thing I ever did was help a 3 yo remember to say "pardon me" instead of "whadya say" that took 2 months, but a year later and mom says he is remember to say pardon me every time

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Hi, one of my little ones is like this too. He cannot/will not hold his bottle, and until this last week a cup. His mum has just got him a new cup that he likes and he is finally drinking himself - still not his bottle though . I guess you just have to keep trying different styles until you hit the jackpot - goodluck!


Hello to all btw!

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Hello anabel! Welcome to the forum!

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Welcome anabel!

BTW, anyone seen this bowl "Loopa Gyro Bowl"? I saw a commercail on it and it seems like a great invention for toddlers http://www.gyrobowl.net/loopa-gyro-bowl-review/

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yeah, i saw the pop up ad twice while looking on this thread too - thanks!

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when i read the OP i was thinking "i've never seen a baby who hasn't bent their head backward and held their bottle up" but then i saw you say he wouldn't hold his bottle either.

i don't think it's a matter of not knowing how. he doesn't want to and as long as he doesn't have to he won't.

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I've seen this before a few times.

Divide the process into the two elements: clasping the bottle and gravity (tilting it and keeping it up in the air)

Put him in a high chair and put a bunch of pillow on the tray that snuggle up to his belly and are wide enough to be wider than his armpit to armpit.

Then hand him the cup... place your hands over his hands and then rest the cup on the pillows. His elbows should be resting on the pillows.

Keep your hands over his hands that are holding the cup while he drinks.

Then slightly release the pressure of ONE of your hand clasps and see if he will stay on it. Once he moves his hand away put it back. Do this gradually with BOTH hands one at a time until he gets the idea to CLASP it.

Over the next few days switch to you fingertipping both of his hands with one of your hands. Gently release the pressure from your fingers one at a time.

Do this for quite a few days. Let him have the pillows there to rest it on until you see him LIFTING it off the pillows.

Sometimes they need to FEEL the pressure on their hands that they are to PUT onto the cup. The gravity is the easier part if you get the hand thing down then he will automatically lift it over the height of the pillow which will be above his lips and tipped down toward his lips. His BASE is the pillow top not the below high chair tray.

This is common in kids who have playtex bottles and kids who do fingertip circling comforting motion like hair twirling while they drink.

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While the cncept of the non spillable gyro bowl is cool, I see no reason for child to carry food and eat. We only eat seated. Period. Never in the car, never running on the playground, never bouncing in the playroom. I see no reason a child can't sit at the table to eat. Possibly teaching a valuable lesson in table manners at the same time. Interacting and showing them that what they say and think is important. MAKE TIME to allow your child to eat. It's important.

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I wouldn't use for food but they are REALLY sweet. We want them to play with them. Here's hopeing the plastic isn't crappy on them. It's so hard to find good quality plastic products with moveable parts.

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Thanks Nannyde Will DEFINITELY be trying this.

My only problem is that he will not let me grasps his hands at all. He fights it and I can't force it because the power I'd need to do it would hurt him. He's a strong boy, but I tried, and I just know the force I would have to use to win over his would be FAR too great for him.

Update though, by the end of the first full day (yesterday) I had him learning "arms up" and he started to lift the cup just enough to get some out (but a lot more air probably). I advised both mom and dad to work on this at home, and really to make him drink for himself.

Today they brought a different style sippy and he's doing a little bit better, but not much.

I will try the pillow thing for sure.

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The only thing I can think of other than a toy that this would be good for, is say the kids want to help you serve some snacks or something. You could put the food in these, and they can walk them to the table and you don't have to worry about it spilling???

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I can see them being good for a snack at the park, or when you're somewhere like a fair or some other similar event where keeping child quiet and food confined is important. Eating at a nicer restaurant, too.

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Okay so before you go about putting him in the pillowed high chair get him on your lap facing AWAY from you and clasps his two hands with your two hands. Do a great hand and wrist massage and then do some fingertip massage up from his wrist to his elbow. Pay special atention to the inbetween of his fingers.

Rock him front to back while you are doing it. If he refuses your hands just rock him and keep your hands out with your palm up. He will eventually put his hands in yours.

You want him to get used to your hands on his hands before getting in the chair. Because he's fairly new to you he doesn't recognize your touch yet. He will get it.

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I will try the massage as soon as he wakes up!!! I thought yesterday maybe because his arms/hands are so chubby maybe they hurt?

He loves to cuddle with me, be held, picked up etc. He's definitely comfortable with me, just the hands he doesn't like. But I will get him used to the hand touching. Maybe if it just starts with clapping hands or something before the massaging.

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We have been struggling with this for a couple months with my little colicky boy. I have tried about 6 different types of sippies. I always started my kids off with the straw kind, but can NOT get this little guy to figure out any kind of sippy! Now parents want to take the bottle away. HOW is he going to drink?! The only way I can get him to drink is out of a regular cup and I do it for him. He isn't going to get enough fluid this way!!! UGH! Days like today I wonder why I answered the door! UGH!

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i tried a cup with a straw and he would put his lips on the straw but didn't know how to bring the juice up.

Any suggestions?

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I'm seriously not trying to or wanting to derail the thread...I'm wondering why the need for a sippy cup at age 1? Mine can both hold their own bottles, but they can also both hold a sippy cup-they just prefer to drink from the bottle. I also don't give them any sweetened drinks. Breastmilk, formula, milk, coconut water or water, sometimes with spinach, carrots and a variety of blended organic fruits. That's it. Is this really a cause for concern with tooth decay? Should I be encouraging the use of the sippy?

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He doesn't get bottles at home, so she doesn't send bottles.

It is recommended to break them of bottles due to tooth decay and other things around age 1, because the older they get the more attached to it they get. But this is not set in stone. It's much the same as a blankie, soother, or stuffy. They become attached to it, this is their comfort, this is how they soothe themselves.

Mom says he never holds his own cups/bottles, and he just cries and so she always just did it. So he has just learned not to do it himself.

But my concern is that if I'm not doing it for him, he is not getting his fluids.

He did pretty good yesterday. And as long as I kept the fluids full in the cup he was figuring it out. Although he much prefers to tip cup upside down and bend the spout on the table/floor so it pours out of the cup.

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I wouldn't do hand clapping or anything exciting. Just a calm... relaxing massage.

You can also do the pillow trick on your lap/his lap and hold him facing away from you. I prefer to do it in the highchair because once I get them used to me releasing my hand over their hands then I want to be able to step out of it.

You can also use heavy duty blankets instead of pillows... just fold them to the right width and height.

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If he's doing that he's *probably* not actually very thirsty. You can allow it (normal exploration at that age) or you could take away the cup...depends on how much of a mess it's actually making and how patient you feel at that moment.

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I haven't read all the replies but I usually just help them hold it in their hands and tilt their arms and their heads back a little so that the drink gets in their mouth. If you are using a sippy cup that has a no spill plug, you have to take that out at first while they are learning. This way, as soon as the cup gets tilted back, it drips into their mouth without them having to suck. It only takes a few days for them to catch on. Once they get the hang of the tilting back then put the spout stopper back in and it will take a day or two for them to learn to suck while tilting. Please keep a close eye on them while the stopper is out of the cup or you wwill certainly have milk all over every wall in your kitchen!

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HAHAHAHA yes!!! I learned that fast with my first.

I never use the ones with stoppers and if mom's send them I refuse them.
Normally kids use my cups but the youngest ones get to use theirs until they are big enough for other cups.


As for the helping their hands hold, that does not work. He immediately pulls his hands away (as in previous posts but that's ok, I don't always read them either). As soon as you go near the cup or his hands he pulls away. But he has such strength the force of his hands against yours, I would actually end up hurting him if I use my force to push his hands back.

so far just touching the elbow gently is working, might just take a little longer.

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