I'm in sippy hell!

So, I decided to go cold turkey on my girls and ditch the bottles. We had been trying a slow transition originally but it was a nightmare. I first started with the avent magic cup with the softer spout and found the flow quite slow and that they liked to chew on it more than suck it. Probably feels good when teething. So I decided to try the sport spout which is harder, faster flow. They had been consuming 16 oz total of milk prior to sippys. This has now decreased and I worry about them geting enough to drink as well as vit D.

My one daughter is doing well on it. She has always been a fast drinker and finishes quickly. I do find with the sippys that they are missing the last ounce or so due to the fact that they really need to tip it. Is this normal or should I try another brand???? When she doesn't get the flow she assumes its done and hands it to me, with no interest in having mom hold it to get the last bit. I hate this waste of the milk, drives me crazy.

My other daughter is the issue. She will flat out refuse to drink out of it at times. If she does take it she drinks only 1/2 of what in it. Her nighttime bottle last night she refused. I tried giving her water in another straw type sippy which she refused as well. My husband was not impressed that I put her to bed without milk. She slept through the night just fine and then only dranks 1/2 her sippy this morning. If she were dying of thirst, I assumed she would drink. One thing that concerned me this morning is she cried out when she was drinking it, like maybe the spout hurt her mouth or maybe new teeth coming in?

I'm wondering if I should try an different kind or just keep going and hope by the end of the week they accept it more. I'm a bit worried about calories and fluids so I have been trying to sneak in some toddler formula into their cereal and have water available at all times, they just don't really seem that interested.

I'm getting frustrated :headbang:

So I am wondering if there is a better sippy out there to try?? Any thoughts or advice?

 

Maybe try straw sippies?

I don't know how to solve the problem of having milk left over.. they almost always leave a bit in the bottom. We just keep putting it back in the fridge and refill it throughout the day and just throw out the leftover at the end of the day.

The refusing to drink will also go away. Their intake definitely goes down for a few days during the transition and then suddenly it's like bottles never existed. Just be consistent and keep offering it and eventually she'll get the idea that there's no other options. She will not starve or dehydrate herself. You could also water in a sippy at times too just for practice.

 

We've never had much of a problem with our boys refusing sippies, but we have these cups:
http://www.amazon.com/Nuby-Insulated-Spill-Straw-Colors/dp/B000BPPPL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294436616&sr=8-1

They can get almost all of it out of the bottom and no need to tip it up - the tipping up drove me crazy, too! We got them at our local Wal-mart.

 

What she said

There's almost always going to be a bit of milk leftover in most cups, not much you can do about that. We also refill it during the day and then toss it at the end of the day (sometimes even the next day if we are gone most of the day).

And my twins took about 2 weeks for their milk intake to go back up to what it was with their bottles after we did the sippy cup switch. They'll get it, you just need to be consistent. Kids can sense when you are uncertain about something and they'll play you like a fiddle Toss or sell or store all those bottles mama and make the jump to sippy cups!

 

It took at least a few days for mine to start chugging from their sippies after we gave up bottles completely. It's OK if they don't get much milk for a few days. (And if DH isn't impressed with them going to bed without milk, let him put them to bed for a few days. :spiteful: )

Also, I know there are a million different sippies and everyone always wonders if there's a better kind out there, but IMO it's better to just pick one and stick with it. Kids need time to practice, and if you're switching sippies on them every two days (or more), they're going to get confused.

FWIW, we used the Take & Toss sippies and never messed with any of those straw or soft-spout ones. The Take & Toss ones last for several months before the spouts get so chewed that you have to throw them out, and they seem to be pretty easy to get the liquid out of. Plus, there are only two pieces and you can stick them in the dishwasher (top rack). The only downside is that they do leak (a lot) if they fall over, so we never let the kids wander around the house with them.

 

That's good to know. We've been playing with sippies for six months and I put the bottles away on Monday and mine aren't drinking much either. Athan refuses almost every time but he still wants to nurse so that may be part of his problem. I stress out it, too, but I keep stuffing them full of yogurt and cheese for one meal a day to help with calcium.

 

Thanks girls I am trying to be consistant. I've had the same sippys around for them to drink out of since they were 6 months old, so you think they would get it by now. I'm just wondering why Quinn is being sooooo stubborn. She takes a few sips then pushes it away. The whole time my husband is huffing because he wants me to just stick it in a bottle. I refused to tonight, even though she drank only 2 1/2 oz before bed, for a grand total of maybe 10oz of milk all day. She is well aware that the milk is in this cup, she just doesn't want to have it for whatever reason. She had a large dinner and went right to bed no problem. Its day 3 of sippies only, I think my kid will survive but her dad might die from the stress.

 

My husband is the same way but I finally put my foot down. I also packed the bottles away in the basement.

 

Neither of my twins drank another drop of milk after the bottles were gone. Just this month at 3.5 years old they started allowing milk in their cereal bowls!

I did worry at first (especially since they are small for their age). They are fine and get enough calcium and vit D through other foods.

 

Mine use straw sippies, the "Flip n sip" type are our favorites. We finally gave up on tippy sippies. Since we're still nursing, they don't drink a lot of milk this way, and oftentimes, I end up with full sippies in the fridge the next day. I don't feel comfortable giving it back to them, but I use it in my coffee and on my cereal. At least then I don't feel like it's wasted.