17 mos old..is this ok?

Question:

i let him have a sippy cup with milk other than being in highchair....so he basically can drink whenver he wants...

Answers:
This is one of those questions that some people get really passionate about, but for me it goes on the "don't sweat the small stuff" list. Here are some myths:

1: If the child drinks from a sippy cup than he is basically "drinking from a cup":

False

All the developmental milestone charts, when referring to "drinks from a cup" refer ro a regular cup, not a sippy cup.

2. A sippy cup is better for a child's teeth than a bottle:

Pretty much false.

A sippy cup (especially the spillproof kind) is really not much different from a bottle. Not to mention they have some now with essentially bottle nipples attached to a sippy cup lid. And night time sippy cups are just as bad as night time bottles when it comes to cavities.

3. Carrying around a sippy cup all day is bad for him:

Partly true.

Kids can really get all the nutrition they need from meals and snack times. Anyone who says their child needs to carry something around to get enough to drink is completely misled. Now as long as you are sticking to the 18-24 oz of milk rule and 8 oz of juice (mo more than these amounts), then it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference if he carries it around or not. But he doesn't "need" it.

4. Babies and toddlers should never use sippy cups:

False.

I think sippy cups are fine for car trips, or occasional use when roaming the house.

In the end, I usually recommend trying to get them to drink from a regular cup when seated at the table, use sippy cups sparingly or when really needed (but dont fool yourself into thinking this is much better than still being on a bottle), and definitely avoid night time sippys or bottles. And consider just giving water (of most of the time water) in the sippy and save juice and milk for meal and snack times.

Good Luck!

Other Answers:
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There is nothing wrong with that-- at 17 mths? he shoulda been had that cup takin it wherever he go that should be his best friend right about now
Source(s):
ghettoville america

i think it's ok i do the same thing with my two year old,you should do what you feel is right.

nothing wrong with that..

yes There is nothing wrong with that

No he can't cause he is still a baby.

I dont think so, just as long as he can't open the sippy cup! That was be awesome on the carpet!

Do you only drink when you're at the table? I know what you mean...it's so hard because you want him to have enough calcium and sometimes the only way to do that is let him "snack" on a sippy cup as he goes about his day. I think they say the downside to this is that it can be bad for their teeth (although not as bad as if it were a bottle) to be sipping on milk all day.

Kids at this age need 16-24 ounces of milk each day. If he won't drink that much milk, you can make sure he gets enough calcium throught cheese, yogurt, etc.

I would say that it might be a bad habit that he's getting into by having a sippy of milk available all day. If he just likes having a drink, fill it with water. If you absolutely can't (or don't want to) break him of the habit right now, at least get one of the sippy cups with the straw so that the milk isn't sitting on his teeth.

I'm a mom of a 14-month-old and I totally feel your pain on trying to get the right nutrition in him. It's hard!! Good luck!

Yes, that is perfectly OK. I have been a mom for 27 years and have provided daycare in my home for over 19 years. I have kids walking around with sippy cups all the time. Between age 2-3, I start giving them sippys that have straws instead. By 4 I like them to drink their milk from a cup at the lunch table. During the summer everyone has a special sippy cup with a straw that we put ice water in before we go for walks or play outside. Two things to be careful with is don't give your little one a sippy in bed unless it only has water in it and be careful that he isn't getting too much milk that he won't eat for you. Two common problems I have seen numerous times. I personally don't serve juice since it has a high concentration of sugar and fills little tummies too quickly. Occasionally a little juice diluted 1/2 with water is part of our snack time, but only every couple weeks or so. The only problem (and its happened to me) is that he may not be hungry for food when its time to eat. Also--milk has so many calories>(this is why he wont be hungry). He may be suckin down "sippy cups" full of milk and taking in way too many calories--more than his little body can burn off. I am not by far telling you to "watch your childs diet". My son-at that age- gained lots of weight because i was filling him up with milk. He didnt look healthy--he looked overly-big for his age...not just cute chubbiness. So--the cuppy itself may not be the "problem"--aside from Breakfast, lunch or dinner, try giving him water, gatorade or fruit juice in the sippy cup. This is a great way to get his water intake up. And--my kids have bad teeth because i gave them the cup with milk to sleep at night. HORRIBLE choice. My 7 year old had to get 6 silver caps put on when he was 4 due to the sugar in milk giving him cavities. So--take it easy on the milk--good job weaning him from bottle to cup!

I've never restricted drinking to a high chair with mine. If they're thirsty, let them drink and sippy cup is the safest way. I also agree with the the responder that said substitute water if they're drinking too much milk.

well, when your thirsty do you get a drink? yes, it is fine. I hate it when a child has to cry to let someone know they are thirsty! That is one thing I hate about daycare centers.
Source(s):
mom of 5

um yes I think its better for his teeth to drink water during the day. At this age I think your toddler only needs one pint of milk per day and this includes what you use in breakfast cereals and any dairy products that you give him. If he is drinking milk all day he may not be interested in food as he will be too full.

more power to him for his independece good for you for allowing his independence

No, it really isn't. I found out the hard way that there is such a thing as too much milk. My son, who now is 6, was VERY thin, didn't eat much and was sick alot. Come to find out kids should only have about 20oz dairy a day, my son was drinking 60 to 80oz a day. (When my doctor found out, he about had a heart attack!) Because of all the milk he didn't eat alot, he had diarrhea and his allergies/asthma were so much worse!
So, I only let him have a sippy cup (10oz) in the morning and one at night. When he got to where he was eating cheese and yogurt, the milk went down to about 5-6oz in the morning and evening.
The rest of the day he drank water, or juice, but my kids love water! To this day, they ask for a water bottle to have in the car, on the playground, everywhere!
Hope this helps!!

of course this is o.k. if he can drink out of it with out choking, then it's fine. You know your son and what he's ready for, and even if you're not sure, see what he does with and how he reacts to. If he is having trouble, get him a sippy cup that still has a soft tip, this makes the transition from the bottle to sippy cup easier for some kids.
Source(s):
Mom of one and one on the way and an auntie of six.

YOUR DOING FINE. GO WITH HOW YOU CHILD ACTS. SOME DO IT SOONER AND SOME DO IT LATER.

SIPPY CUPS ARE GREAT ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD OR A LITTLE SOONER, TRY A CUP WHILE SITTING IN A HIGH CHAIR (WITH WATER) AND GO FROM THERE.

A LOT OF PARENTING IS GUT INSTINCT.

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17 mos old..is this ok?

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