How to teach a child to drink from a mug: useful tips

Pediatricians try to adjust their children to certain standards, requiring their mothers to be able to hold a spoon at 8 months old, and in a year they go on a pot and recite poems on their own. But the kids are different. They develop according to an individual plan, and this is normal. If the baby is more than a year old, and he drinks from a bottle, it does not matter. The kid will surely learn how to handle the cup, and mom will help him master a new subject.

Funny and attractive

It is necessary to introduce the child to the mug at 5-6 months. Children at this age try to touch and nibble surrounding objects, copy the behavior of their parents and quickly learn.
A cup is selected according to several criteria:

• bright color;
• little weight;
• Doesn't crash when dropped.

A mug made of safe plastic will do. Plain or with a pattern, rubberized bottom, which does not slip on the table or linoleum. Children are offered several options so that they themselves choose the most convenient and attractive. Babies who are 6–9 months old are advised to buy a drinker with a non-spill lid and a silicone tip. They are softer than plastic varieties, so they are associated in infants with a pacifier and a bottle. Hard tips may appeal to a child whose teeth are climbing, because they are ideal for scratching gums.

There are drinking cups with a straw, but such dishes only slows down learning. Why does the baby refuse the cup? Due to the strong sucking reflex. The baby draws milk from her mother’s breast or bottle. But if he tries to suck the liquid from the cup, he will choke, so no tubes, only spills with silicone tips and regular mugs.

How many pens should be? The crumbs will like a cup with two, because it can be wrapped in palms, like a bottle or mother's chest. Although it is worth offering an option with one. Some kids like to alternate circles. Today they’ll grab a cup with two handles, and tomorrow they’ll change their minds and ask for one, like a dad’s.

Buy simple mugs without intricate details that are difficult to wash. The water dish is rinsed with detergent. Plastic varieties can not be sprinkled with boiling water, but iron can.

Preparatory stage

10–20 ml of water, milk or a mixture is poured into a bowl. They put a spill in the playroom on the floor or a low table so that the child can reach and take bright dishes. The second mug, in which there is nothing, is taken by mother. She pretends to drink some very tasty juice from the container.

The baby will definitely want to use his mug. Mom supports the plastic container and helps her turn over. A child who tried to drink water from a spill is hugged and kissed. You can treat him with something tasty so that the mug is associated with pleasant events.

Children who have mastered the drinker are offered a regular cup without a lid. Drinking from such a container is more difficult, so parents will have to wipe puddles and change t-shirts. Not even a bib will save. But you can’t get angry or take away the mug from the baby, otherwise he will then refuse to touch it.

Mom's helpers

If the baby does not notice bright cups and cups, but requires a favorite bottle, it is advised to cheat. Remove the cap with a pacifier from the container and invite the baby to drink water or a mixture from the throat. This is necessary so that the child gets rid of the sucking reflex.

Other children are first given juice or water from a spoon. When the little one has mastered the cutlery, he is introduced to the spill.

You can conduct a small experiment and fill the bottle with jelly, which the baby cannot stand, pour a little milk into the cup.Both capacities are offered to the child. First he reaches for the bottle, but changes his mind as soon as he tries its contents. The main thing is that the cup always has a tasty drink, then the baby will quickly learn to drink from it and forget about the existence of the nipple.

During the day, several drinkers or cups are placed around the game room. Pour into each a little water or compote, literally 2-3 sips. They must be at hand with the baby so that he can quench his thirst, without interrupting the game. In the evening, the child is offered to drink milk or a mixture from a drinker with a rubber tip, which will replace the bottle.

Almost like an adult

Kids love to imitate the actions of parents. A child who eats cereals and mashed vegetables is advised to sit at a table with adults. Put a plate and a drinker in front of him. Mom or dad takes his cup and shows it to the baby. The parent says that he has a tasty drink there. The same is in the children's circle. Now dad will drink his portion, and the baby can take a beautiful mug and try what's inside.

The adult brings the cup to his lips and drinks it off, then helps the child raise the spill and tilt it. The baby takes one or two sips, he will not drink more. Parents are sure to admire the baby, because he is so big and knows how to drink from a cup, like dad or mom.

It should be shown how to properly take the mug and put it on the table so that the child can drink from it without any help.

Difficulties and Tricks

Cups and bottles are incompatible. If the mother is going to accustom the baby to the cup, the remaining containers need to be removed. For children who have developed a sucking reflex, it is easier to drink from the lid with a nipple, so they refuse mugs. But parents must be persistent. Water or juice is poured into a plastic cup, the mixture is given from the bowl.

Children who loudly demand a bottle include cartoons or read a book to distract from obsessive thoughts. When the child calms down and focuses on an interesting lesson, they imperceptibly slip a drinker and offer to drink.

You can not give a bottle to stop the tantrum or put the baby in bed. No nipple, period. Adult children drink from a mug or drinker. If the tantrum continues, and the cartoons do not help calm the screaming child, they give him a bottle, but the container is filled with unsweetened kissel or tasteless herbal tea. Let the baby take a sip, sample the drink and refuse it. As soon as the baby pushes the bottle and says that he doesn’t want, his mother hands him a mug of milk. The child quickly realizes what is tastier in the cup and agrees to part with the nipple.

Plastic shedding is not removed, but left on the bedside table next to the bed. If a child wakes up at night or in the afternoon and wants to drink, he can quench his thirst with water from a mug.

A drinker should not be associated with crumbs with something unpleasant, therefore, during training, you can not scream at the baby. Intentionally spilled water, is that fun? Mom calmly explains that only bad boys or girls do this, and then wipes the puddle. And it is better to offer the child to arm himself with rags and together eliminate the accident.

It is forbidden to forcefully shove a cup in your hands or make you drink only from it. You can pour water or juice in any dishes that the baby liked. Let it be a plate or soup ladle, a large spoon or even a saucepan.

Sometimes parents, tired of wet T-shirts and constant changing clothes, give up and give the baby a bottle. Or take it with you when they are going to visit. You can’t do this. If the baby gets a pacifier, he refuses the cup. We have to start learning from scratch, persuade the baby to use the mug.

Game method

The child is shown a new spill and allowed to hold in his hands. Mom takes a similar dish and tells what it is for. Drinks herself out of a plastic mug and treats plush toys.The baby is offered to repeat after mom. An adult comments on each action. For example, he says that the bear ran a lot and wanted to drink, so he needs to be given some water. But the plush assistant will only drink from the mug, he does not like the bottle. And the rest of the toys refuse the nipples.

Then the mother asks her son or daughter if she wants to drink from a cup like a bear? The game helps the kid learn new dishes. The main thing is that the mug does not turn into an ordinary plastic toy. They explain to the child that when the bear gets drunk, he puts a spill on the table. The bowl should not be thrown on the floor so as not to break.

Some children quickly refuse a bottle and switch to a cup. Others, even in 1.5–2 years, refuse such dishes. No need to worry and rush things, put pressure on the child and make him drink only from the mug. He will master a new subject when he is ready, not earlier, so you need to be patient and wait.

Video: how to teach a child to drink independently