Valves in sippies

Is there an age where you take the valves out so they don't have to work so hard to drink from sippies? I've tried a couple of times and DS does fine, but DD has trouble. I guess I'm just wondering how long they use regular sippies and what the next step is?

 

Maybe I'm not challenging my 3-yr-old enough, but he still uses sippies with valves, especially for car trips (but usually around the house, too). He can drink from a regular cup or with straws, but I like the sippies with valves because they don't spill. If he shakes the sippy without a valve, water (or milk or whatever) will spew everywhere.

Not sure if him still using a sippy is hurting his teeth - haven't asked the dentist...

 

Have you tried the munchkin straw cups? You don't need to suck on them very hard, they're very easy to use/clean, and they don't leak.

 

We still use the valves in true sippy cups (not the take n toss ones). I don't care if they have to work harder to get it out, at least it's not spilling everywhere!!

 

My thoughts exactly. My girls drink out of open cups at meal time, but they have sippies of water all day. I like not having to police them keeping the cups on the tables and its great for the car too.

 

I took the valves out and it just made a huge mess!! We still use the valves in the cups, we have the avent ones and you can turn the valve around an make it a little easier for them to get out but I still have it on the hardest level and they seem to drink just fine from them.

 

We're planning on leaving the valves in for a while. My guys just love to shake their sippies up and down, balance them on their heads, "accidentally" drop them off the high chair, etc. so I like not having to deal with the mess. Eventually we will probably move them to open cups at the table, but I barely trust myself with open beverages around the house, so I'll stick with sippies for them while they're "on the hoof"! :lol:

 

I agree, the mess factor keeps our valves in the sippies :good: During meal times they get an open cup or straw sippy. Good luck!

 

My almost 4 year old still uses a sippy with the valve. It is a mess factor for us too. We are starting open cups at the table only.

 

I agree...keep the valves in to keep the mess at bay!

 

My guys are too young for this, but I left a valve out accidentally tonight and holy bejeebus, did that ever make a huge mess. At least Austin tried to save the day by licking the milk directly off the floor :wacko:

 

I've taken the valve out when I'm trying to show them how to use a sippy. Initially, it is something new and they aren't sure what to do with it. Once they know their is something in there, and how it fits in their mouth and I see them trying to suck on the mouthpeice, then I put the valve back. I've got some straw cups and we are still working on getting them to figure those out. Its a slow go.

 

I never used the valves. I took them out right away because the dentist told me that it was bad for their teeth and that the best cups were ones that were like coffee to go cups.... so I never used the valves, and YES we have had many, many, many messes!! I've also only allowed them to have soothers at bedtimes and yet still I think they will still need braces when they are older....sigh....

 

I still have the sippies for when they are traveling and such but we also have cups, given to us from our local WIC office, that they have to kind of bite down on to get the liquid out. They are safe for the teeth and don't spill too much unless one of the boys is actively shaking it. There are cups w/o valves that are made to not have too many spills while transitioning to open cups.

 

Please don't take the valve out of their sippies, at least not at other people's house. My girlfriend never puts the valve in her 2 year olds sippy and it gets ALL over the house. She rents so she doesn't care about her carpet, but I can't tell you how many stains we have from play dates at our house. I know they make some that are a faster flow for bigger kids.