Sippy cups: Breaking the addiction

By Jen Boyer

Most parents of young children have an assortment of spill-proof “sippy” cups in their kitchen cupboards. They’re ideal for life on the go, and their mess-preventing convenience can’t be beat. But most children are using them too often, and for too long.

“Sippy cups are the training wheels of transitioning a child from bottle to cup,” says Dr. Regina Ramirez, mother of a 10-month-old and pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Strongsville and Brunswick campuses. “It’s not necessary to avoid them altogether, but a child who carries around a sippy cup of milk or juice all day will fill up on liquids, and won’t eat proper amounts of solid food.”

Overusing sippy cups carries other risks too: Tooth decay; obesity or poor weight gain; improper muscle development that can lead to speech problems; and changes in the shape of the jaw that have been linked to sleep apnea.

“The slow, steady pressure of a sippy cup has the same effect as orthodontics over the long term,” says Middleburg Heights dentist and father of four Dr. Jon Kirlough. “It can cause constriction of the upper jaw, which can lead to years of orthodontics, or even surgery.”

“There is no developmental benefit to using a sippy cup,” asserts MetroHealth occupational therapist JoAnn Granke. “It prevents the muscles of the mouth from developing properly, because children don’t have to use lip closure and tongue mobility to drink.”

Poorly developed mouth muscles lead to garbled speech sounds, drooling, and oral habits that continue well beyond 12 months, the time after which a baby should rely more on his hands than his mouth to explore the world around him.

Dr. Nada Haddad, a mother of three and pediatrician at MetroHealth’s Main and Lakewood campuses, suggests parents switch a bottle for a sippy cup at 12 months, then convert to cups with straws after one to three months. “Try to use them only at mealtimes,” she cautions. “They’re not meant to be used as pacifiers, or to be carried around everywhere.”

“By 18 to 24 months, most kids can use a normal cup at the table if there’s only a small amount of liquid in it,” says pediatrician Dr. Carrie Bohenick of Akron Children’s Hospital. Bohenick, Haddad and Granke all point to 15 months as the age when a child should begin to use a regular cup.

What if an older child still uses a sippy cup? Not to worry. Odds are good that the child’s mouth will self-correct once he or she kicks the sippy cup habit.

To help an older child quit, Kirlough recommends picking a date a few months in the future, like a birthday. Talk to the child about how he or she will soon use big-kid cups instead of sippy cups. Make sure he or she has lots of encouragement from relatives and family friends. Above all else, stay upbeat, reassuring and confident, so the child will believe he or she can be successful.

Sippy Tips

• Choose cups that hold no more than 6 to 8 ounces.
• Except at mealtimes, sippy cups should be used only for water. This protects your child’s teeth, and prevents him from sucking down bacteria-laden fluid that’s been sitting too long.
• Never let your child take anything but water to bed.
• Let your child practice using regular open cups, beginning when he or she is around 15 months old.