WEEK 02: Cups and Straws

I only added one new thing to the menu this week, but we're focusing on weaning to cups and I have quite a few thoughts on that.

We started what I consider "traditional sippy cups" a long time ago. I offered a cup with water around 7-8 months old in the afternoon with a snack. It wasn't an everyday event to start, and was definitely not successful for a while. One of my boys liked to grab the handles and hold on, but would not drink much. The other would drink if I held the cup for him, but wasn't much for holding on. Oh well, we kept going with it. I should mention that these are the types of cups with spouts, handles, and no-spill valves on the inside.

I tell you all of that to now tell you that I'm not a fan of this type of cup. I guess this is one of those first time mom learning events, but I wish I had never introduced this type of cup with a spout. Why? Well, do you ever drink out of a cup with a spout? Is it a skill that needs to be learned? No, of course not. You either drink from a plain cup, a travel mug or cup with a lid and hole, or a cup with a straw. I've also heard that these types of cups inhibit speech and language development. So, I recently purchased some child cups with straws. Yes, they are still spill-proof, but were labeled as appropriate for 2 years+. Well, my boys aren't even 11 months old, so what am I doing? Well, I have read and heard from others that babies are born with an instinct to suck from a straw and that you can successfully introduce a straw as early as 4 months. Wow! I really wish I had seen this fact earlier. I started the straw cups once a day this week and it was hugely successful. I've tried two kinds and am officially a fan of the Munchkin Mighty Grip Flip Straw Cups.

FOOD DESCRIPTION
We continued with existing foods this week, but added a tastes of a bagel a couple times.

PROCESS
There was no new food preparation this week. I tore off small bits of the bagel I was eating at breakfast to offer the boys.

WHAT I LEARNED
I didn't learn anything new about making foods this week, but am more open to offering food from my plate.

REACTION
Both boys were fine with the bagel, but did "chew" on the pieces for a while before swallowing.

SUMMARY
This week was good for feeding. I'm still looking forward to growing our options.


Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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