At what age do you stop using sippy cups?

My kids recently turned 3 years and we're still using sippy cups, for meals at the table and also when we're away from the table. I'm wondering when and how you start to make the switch to "regular" cups/glasses. Should I start letting them have plastic cups at the table? Any feedback is welcome!

thanks,
thea

 

Never really took to sippies, but switched from straw cups at 2 to open cups for meals. We only put a small amount in the cup and they did quite well. Initially we used coffee mugs -- it really helped them to have the handle. They were completely on open cups by 2.5.

 

Ive switched all of mine around age 2. I start off letting them drink out of my cups while I hold it. .(thats probably around 18 months or so) and eventually I will give them their own little 4-6 oz kid cup in the kitchen. Mine have always done pretty well with the ABILITY to drink out of a 'big kid' cup. . but it did take me a little longer to get rid of the sippy cup with the twins. I was only giving it to them at bedtime, but once I decided to get rid of it, (or my mother decided really) it wasnt that bad.
Good luck.

 

We still use them. They use open cups too, but it's not always practical so I have sippies still!!

 

We still use sippy cups here. Mine just turned 3, but I'm not ready to give them up yet. They do use regular cups at the table, but we'll be sticking with the sippy a bit longer here.

 

We also use both. Sippies for everything except lunch and dinner at the table. I always have water sippies out and with us wherever we go, so I can't imagine using cups for that yet.

 

We use sippies and I plan to for many months to come. I love not having to worry about spills!

 

I can't remember when we stopped using them at the table, but we continued to use them for a long time after that for roaming drinks--we stopped when we went to visit my folks on the girls 4th birthday, we stayed there for 3 months, and I just left the sippies at home. Our house is all tiled and my parent's hous is all carpeted, so there they stopped having roaming drinks all together, only drinks on the table or in the kitchen/bathroom, no drink to carry around with you. I think having that change come when were in a new place helped a lot, it was just that places rule, and we were there long enough for it to become normal.
They have stainless steal sports bottles now that we take when we go out somewhere.

 

Mine are almost 3.5 and we're still using them, but I've told the girls that we're not buying any new ones when our current ones break. I buy the really cheapo ones (either Take & Toss or the Dora ones that come in a 6-pack), so the spouts get cracked after a few months of use. We're down to a few lids of each kind now, so I imagine it won't be long.

When we do quit using them, I said I'd buy sports bottles for their milk at bedtime, or to take with us in the stroller or the car. I don't see any need for them to stop drinking milk while we read to them. We can just wash the bottles every night.

 

We use cups at meals and a sippy cup at their afternoon snack. We started using cups shortly before their 2nd birthday.

 

Sippy cups here 90% of the time. At dinner I try to give a cup with water, only water and that excites them. Micah and Lucas are 4 and Molly is 2. I think it will be quite some time until we are completely rid of them.

 

We do their morning milk in a sippy, because sometimes they have that sitting on the couch, and it's early, and I just can't deal with spilled milk in the morning. Meals and anything at the table is an open cup. If we're going out I'll still take a sippy of water sometimes.

 

Sarah likes to drink from a cup, but Allison can not stand messes and knows that sometimes she will spill her drink from a cup and still requests a sippie. The majority of the time we still use sippies because they are just easier and less messy. But when we are outside and I really don't care about messes, we use cups.

 

My girls were using cups by 2 1/2 (I think) but still using the straw cups when playing outside or when we went on trips until after 3. My son has been using nothing but cups before he was 2 (no sippy at all or straw cup). I really hated cleaning them so I got my son off of them sooner. I started out with just giving them very little water in a child size plastic cup and once they got a little better at it we gave them milk at meals but still very little in it and just refilled the cup more frequently. As they got better at it we filled the cups up more. I taught my kids early on that the cups stay on the kitchen table and if they want a drink they stand by it and leave the cup there. They don't get drinks in the car usually or while out unless we are eating someplace or I usually have a water bottle with me and I share with them.

 

Once my boys went to sippies, I got my daughter off of them. She had to "give" them to the boys. So I would say she was about 3.5. The only thing we do is that if we are in the car, she gets a Thermos sippy like the boys.

 

QUOTE(~* dfaut *~ @ Mar 23 2009, 03:39 PM) [snapback]1241123[/snapback]
We still use them. They use open cups too, but it's not always practical so I have sippies still!!


Yep same here!

 

we ditched the sippy lid around 3, but still use the toss n take straw cups. I bought some of those plastic cheap cups from walmart that have the built in straw to the side of the cup, but open on top, and we use those at home. BUT NOT in my new car! lol.. in the car they use the toss n take straw cups or i also bought some of those universal water bottle spouts from toys r us and they drink water from those in the car.

 

We switched around 2 1/2. We use the little plastic cups from Ikea.

 

By age 2 they got a regular cup for meals at the table. At about 2.5 we stopped sippies all together because I hate cleaning them. Also they were figuring out how to unscrew the lids and spill them. I hated finding them anywhere. Best way to keep cups in the kitchen was no sippies. I would take a water bottle with me for drinks on the go.

I do have sippies for using only when they are sick and need a drink near them.

Cindy

 

We have been using open cups since my little guys were 2. I love not cleaning up the sippy cups and just placing the cups in the dishwasher. We do use sippies occasionally when we are in the car or at night when they need a drink in bed.

 

We do both with regular cup at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And then sippy cup for traveling, restaurants, and playdates. We buy those regular cup from Target. They sell a lot of cute kid animals/sparky cups with 3/4 divider plates (matching). I carry 2 divider plates in our diaper bag when we go to restaurant because often time their plate are too hot for them to touch. (I leave them in the van and I just put in the diaper bag for that day)

I can't imagine going full-time with regular cups. It would be too messy for us.
RJ