Best Sippy Cup For 6 Month Old Breastfed Baby 2023: Reviews and Guide
When you choose to breastfeed your newborn baby, it’s a great choice for both you and your little one. The American Academy of Pediatrics promotes breastfeeding your baby for about 2 years and longer if you choose. Breast milk is the natural way to provide your baby with the proper nutrition for healthy development and promotes increased bonding between mother and baby. Many mothers wonder when to transition their baby from breastfeeding to a sippy cup. We will look at the options and review the best sippy cups for 6 month old breastfed babies to help the changeover go smoothly!
Our top pick – The ZoliBOT Sippy Cup is a great first cup for a baby to learn self-feeding after being breastfed. Your little one will feel independent with our top pick transitional cup that’s frustration-free for your baby!
Top 5 Sippy Cup For 6 Month Old Breastfed Baby
1. ZoLi BOT 6 Ounce
The ZoliBOT Sippy Cup is made of polypropylene and a food-grade silicone straw that’s soft and wont jab baby’s delicate gums. The smart weighted straw has a stainless steel weight and allows your baby to get all the liquid from the cup. ZoliBOT made this cup with a valve-free lid that prevents slurping air and the high-quality Sliflex straw is flexible for new learners. With a smart design, this cup allows your baby to get enough liquid without gagging or having to suck on it too hard. Made to take abuse, this cup can be tossed and turned and rolled around but it won’t leak or come apart. Make the transition from breastfeeding simple for your baby with ZoliBOT Sippy Cup!
2. Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi Straw Trainer Cup
Munchkin’s Weighted Straw Trainer cup can be tossed and turned and still let your baby drink from it easily. Liquids are dispenses from any angle with the weighted straw and the flip top lid is made with Click Lock engineering to be sure of a tight seal when closed. Munchkin will replace this cup if there is a leak and it’s a perfect cup for being on-the-go with your little one! The bottom of this innovative cup is rounded and the weight inside is shaped like a disc so the straw moves smoothly without crimping. This is a great beginner’s cup!
3. NUK Fashion Elephants Learner Cup
This NUK Learner Cup allows a smooth change from breastfeeding to baby’s first cup! The spout is soft and easy on baby’s gums so they won’t miss breastfeeding. The handles are easy to grip for a baby’s tiny hands and can be removed when they outgrow them. Moms will love that the cup is spill-proof and easy to wash. NUK made the silicone spout with a special air vent so baby doesn’t swallow air, just the liquid in the cup. It’s easy for your little one to drink from; liquids flow easy from the comfortable spout! This cup is a great beginner cup for your infant 6 months old and up.
4. Playtex Sipsters Stage 1 Spill-Proof, Leak-Proof, Break-Proof Soft Spout Sippy Cups
Playtex has been making family products since 1932 and these Sipsters Stage 1 Sippy Cups are just one of their safe, smartly designed products. A baby feeding specialist and pediatrician helped design these easy to grip, leak-proof cups so going from breastfeeding to a cup is an easy switch. The handles are removable so your little one can learn to hold the cup without them and this 2-pack sippy cup comes in a variety of colors. Playtex offers a spill-proof and leak-proof guarantee.
5. Green Sprouts Glass Sip & Straw Cup
Green Sprouts Glass Sip & Straw Cup protects liquids from any contamination with a chemically stable glass cup and a silicone straw. The cup is surrounded by a plastic shell to protect from breaking. The soft, almost spout-like straw is not vented so it mimics the free flow of milk from breastfeeding and the spout and straw spout can be interchanged as the baby’s needs change. Baby can drink from the spout either straight up or tilted to accommodate their preference. This baby cup provides an easy transition from breastfeeding and grows with your baby as they become better at handling their new cup.
Learning How to Transition from Breastfeeding to a Sippy Cup
When you breastfeed your baby, 6 months of mother’s milk is generally enough to promote good health for you and your baby. Many moms will breastfeed after 6 months or stop when it seems their baby is ready for a sippy cup. These specially designed cups are a great way to begin weaning your baby off breastfeeding and you can fill them with pumped breast milk!
Some babies love the idea of something new to get their nourishment from while others may be too picky and need more time. Babies can be accustomed to the feel of breastfeeding and the closeness to their mom they enjoy during feeding. But there are many types of infant cups. These cups are good to use up until the baby is one year old and can hold onto a regular children’s cup on their own.
When to Switch from Breastfeeding to a Sippy Cup
Generally, if you want to try out a special cup when your infant is 6 months old, it’s a great time to start the process. There are many reasons why you would choose to start at 6 months including your schedule, not having enough breast milk anymore, nipple irritation, a fussy baby that never took to suckling, your baby is getting in teeth, and you just want to have a choice not to breastfeed.
*A note about baby’s teeth and dental health: Children that breastfeed or bottle feed and then go to a sippy cup, should be using a regular children’s cup by the age of 1. Oral care is essential as your little one breaks their first teeth and good dental hygiene habits need to start early. Too long on a sippy cup or bottle can cause tooth decay due to liquids, especially sugary liquids, remaining in the baby’s mouth too long.
The more important timing factor is when your baby seems ready. There’s no way to tell then to purchase a sippy cup and try to hand it to them. Babies will instinctively grab any object held out in front of them. Once they learn to grip the cup, hold it to their mouth and let some milk touch their lips. Be gentle with this process and never force your baby to take to the cup.
Features to Look for When Buying a Sippy Cup
- Handles: It’s always better to have two handles so your little one will feel comfortable grabbing the cup with either hand or both hands. It’s normally too difficult to tell if your baby is left or right-handed until the age of 3, so let them choose which hand to use to grab the cup handle first.
- Spill Proof: If you’ll only be using baby’s new cup in a highchair, then whether it leaks or not will not matter. But typically, you’ll be using the cup during cuddle time, play time, driving trips, and when you’re on the go. Spills make more work for you and interrupt the baby’s confidence in handling the new sippy cup.
- Spouted or Strawed: Most sippy cups have either a ‘nipple’ shape to suck on similar to a bottle or a mother’s breast. Others have a soft straw. Which you choose depends on your baby’s reaction to the first introduction of a cup. Soft, bottle type cups like the NUK Fashion Elephants Learner Cup are similar to a mother’s breast and good for picky babies. The straw types make it easier to transition quicker and work well with some babies. Our top pick, the ZoLi BOT 6 Ounce | Siliflex Weighted Straw Sippy Cup, BPA Free is made to help babies take to the use of a sippy cup on the first try.
*There are two other type of baby transitional cups; those with a 360 degree drinking rim and an insulated cup. Most babies at 6 months old will have a difficult time learning on a 360 degree cup and insulated is a personal choice of the mom.
- Material Made From: You will want to be sure whatever cup you buy its BPA and PVC free. While high quality plastics are common, there are still some cups made with glass for the best sterilization properties like the Green Sprouts Glass Sip & Straw Cup. Never use a training cup made from materials that contain any toxic materials. Babies will absorb the toxins and do not have the ability for their little bodies to fight contamination.
Introducing Baby to the Sippy Cup
It’s best to start with room temperature water when you first introduce the new baby cup so there won’t be any breast milk wasted and your baby isn’t shocked by any unfamiliar flavors in juice or other liquids. Stay with the familiar like breast milk before adding other drinks to the cup.
Introduce the new cup when your baby is hungry but not in a fussy mood. It’s also better if they aren’t too hungry so that they get frustrated with the learning process. You want the timing to be when baby is happy and willing to take the cup and hold it to drink.
Let the spout or straw get wet from the water or pumped breast milk to entice your infant to try it.
Be patient! Some babies will catch on sooner than others. It’s not about capabilities, but about preferences and temperament!
Sippy Cup Cautions
Keep out of your purse or around electronics. Even spill-proof cups may leak.
Do not let your baby or toddler roam around with the sippy cup. If they fall, the cup rim can jolt their mouth and injure their gums or emerging teeth. It can also sour them on the use of the cup if they get hurt.
Never let your baby fall asleep while drinking from their sippy cup. This can cause choking and if done regularly, can buildup sugars from the beverage in their mouth leading to early tooth decay.
Always wash any cup and its parts you use for your baby thoroughly. If in doubt, immerse the cup and parts in water that has been boiled but is no longer on the stove, to kill germs.
CONCLUSION
A new baby is a new life added to your family and as a mom you only want the best for your little one. When it’s time to go from breastfeeding to an age appropriate cup, it’s a decision you want to be confident of. Our reviews of the best sippy cup for a 6 month old breastfed baby are provided to help you buy the best product for your precious little one.
