Should my baby use a bottle or sippy cup?
Some breastfed babies may never take to a bottle and so weaning them off is no problem, but formula or mix-fed babies may find comfort and attachment to their bottles and may struggle to let them go.
Once your baby can sit up themselves in their high chair you might want to make the switch to a sippy cup, or at least start getting them used to one, as you will eventually need to phase out the bottle to protect their teeth. A sippy cup can be a good transition for baby to get used to drinking from a regular cup.
Starting with a soft teat will help your baby make the transition, but remember sippy cups tend to be free-flowing so this can be a messy phase whilst your child adjusts to the change. However, the free-flow is important for your child to learn to sip rather than suck the milk or water.
If your baby resists or refuses the sippy cup, try offering their daytime milk feeds in the sippy cup, or start with cooled, boiled water, and then slowly change out the bottle feeds as they get used to it.
It is recommended that by 12 months babies are no longer drinking from a bottle to protect from tooth decay.
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