Why is open cup drinking important?

Drinking from an open cup is an essential skill that helps your child develop necessary oral motor skills that will encourage safety and independence while eating and drinking. Experts suggest introducing open cup drinking around the same time solid foods are introduced, as early as six months!

bluebirddayprogram.com - Teaching Open Cup Drinking | Blue Bird Day

Does juicing help with belly fat?

However, there are no scientific studies showing that replacing solid food with juice will detoxify the body. People also use juices as nutrition...

Last updated Sep 26, 2019

How do you train yourself not to eat?

How to stop overeating: A dietitian's top 10 tips Familiarize yourself with recommended portion sizes. ... Include a fiber source with meals and...

Last updated Jun 9, 2021

Common yard weed melts 60lbs of fat?

Made into a potent powdered supplement blended right into water or your favorite beverage to be appreciated as a scrumptious morning smoothy.

Learn More »

Promotion

1. Introduce early and often

Introduce your child to drinking from an open cup as early as six months. Introduce it after every meal. Some parents find success practicing during bath time to avoid spills! Start with a small cup with a somewhat soft or flexible lip to avoid any accidental bumps to your child’s teeth or gums. Fill it with a minimal amount of water and guide the cup to your child’s lips (encourage your child to also hold the cup under your hands). Slowly tip the cup up until the water reaches your child’s lips for 1-2 seconds and then lower. Model the skill yourself! Say “Ah! Yummy” After you drink to show your child you successfully tasted the water.

2. Use milk or a preferred drink/puree

If your child is not motivated by water, try using a preferred drink to entice them to practice this skill. If your child has difficulty with cup control and is frequently spilling water try a thicker substance, such as watered-down puree, smoothies, or yogurt. This will flow more slowly from the cup and give your child more control and time to prepare their mouth and lips against the lip of the cup. If your child continues to refuse to drink from an open cup, try putting a favorite flavor yogurt or puree on the rim of the cup. This promotes oral exploration of the cup and increases exposure and comfort with a non-preferred item.

3. Choose helpful alternative cups

Open cups are not always the most realistic on-the-go option when you are outside of your home or kitchen. But when choosing a more portable option, avoid traditional hard spouted sippy cups. Similar to drinking from a bottle, hard spouted sippy cups keep children’s tongue tips lowered while drinking. We want to encourage children to raise their tongue tips to emulate the oral motor skills required for cup drinking. Soft spouted and straw sippy cups encourage this skill better than hard spouted ones. Additionally, 360 handled sippy cups are a great way to practice open cup drinking in a more spillproof and portable fashion.

4. Reinforce your child’s attempts

Be sure to praise your child whenever she attempts to practice this skill! Reward your child’s efforts with celebration, praise, or even a fun reward activity! This will show your child that her efforts are valuable and keep her motivated! Remember, we are social beings and drinking and mealtime are a social experience. Try to make practicing these feeding and drinking skills fun and interactive! Don’t be afraid to make messes and be silly as you enjoy this special time with your child. Cheers!

Do diabetics get tired quicker?

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms associated with poorly controlled blood sugar. Wind up your energy levels by paying attention to your...

Last updated Dec 15, 2020

Does honey help with digestion?

Raw honey is a potent prebiotic, nourishing good bacteria in the intestines which facilitate healthy digestion. Honey contains non-digestive...

Last updated Dec 8, 2019

Traditional “juice” activates 24/7 fat-burning

A potent powdered supplement blended right into water or your favored beverage to be appreciated as a scrumptious morning smoothy.

Learn More »

Promotion

Which is better straw or sippy cup?

Straws Strengthen Oral Muscles Instead of using a “suckling” method of drinking (like with traditional sippy cups), little ones are able to practice using the mature pattern of swallowing that will allow him or her to safely drink and eat. More good news about using straws?

therapyworks.com - Why Parents Should Skip the Sippy Cup and Start with Straws

When a child uses a pacifier or a sippy cup with a hard spout frequently or for an extended amount of time, he or she can start to show signs of a speech delay. That’s because the muscles in the mouth that he or she might not be strengthening and developing while drinking from a sippy cup are the same ones that are used to speak. Children who often drink from sippy cups might rest their tongue more forward in their mouth at other times throughout the day. Doing this instead of “tucking” it on that bumpy ridge (known as the alveolar ridge) behind the top front teeth can stop speech and language skills from advancing. The tongue has to be strong and coordinated enough to make sounds like “T”, “D”, and “L”. Research tells us that there’s a correlation between where the tongue is positioned during swallowing and a child’s articulation of speech sounds.

What is the best thing to drink for anemia?

Floradix. Although not technically a beverage, Floradix is a liquid iron supplement that's a good choice for people with low iron stores. ... Prune...

Last updated Jul 16, 2020