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Most babies will learn to use a cup at some point during their first few years. The timetable on when to introduce a cup varies depending on the parent's culture and on the baby's readiness. In general, most babies are ready for a cup when they are somewhere between five and seven months of age. I chose to introduce a cup when my daughter was six months old, a few weeks after we started solid foods.
Whenever you decide to introduce a cup, there are a few general guidelines to follow in determining your child's readiness. Your child needs to be able to sit independently. It is easier if she has the ability to grasp the cup herself so that she can learn to hold it. Also, look for signs of your baby's interest in taking a cup. If she is reaching for your drink or gazing longingly as her sister chugs juice, it may be time to let her have a cup of her own.
The best place to first give your child a cup is in the highchair. She needs to be sitting up so that she doesn't choke on the liquid. Also, a highchair will help to contain the mess of learning to drink. Placing the highchair on the kitchen floor instead of carpet will ensure that any liquid lost will be easy to mop up.
The first time you give a cup to your child, try to pick a time when she is not overly hungry. As a general rule, a good idea is to give your child a cup after you feed her. That way, she won't fill up on liquids instead of food. It will also help keep her from being fussy from hunger and, therefore, refusing the cup entirely. As a bonus for busy moms, her preoccupation with the cup may just give you enough time to get the dishes done!
The question of what to put in the cup depends in part on when you introduce it. If your baby is at least six months old, you can begin to include four ounces of juice a day. Too much juice will cause stomach problems, so be careful not to exceed those four ounces. The standby beverages for infants are breast milk or formula, and these are fine in a cup. However, I started my daughter with water instead. I want her to understand that breast milk comes from nursing, and cups provide other liquids. I also like the no-stickiness factor of water. The first time I gave her a cup, more of the water ended up on the chair than in her mouth, and I appreciated being able to wipe it up easily. However, the main reason I wanted to start her voyage into drinking from a cup with water was so that she will grow up used to drinking it. I have a three-year-old that refuses to drink plain water, and I am hoping that my six-month-old will not follow in her juice-dripping footsteps!
Introducing a cup is another stepping stone in the journey from infant to toddler. I have found that this particular step is bittersweet for me. Something about drinking from a cup feels very grown-up, and I recognize that this is the first step in weaning my baby from the breast. I personally want to hold onto a bit of babyhood yet, so I am slowly introducing a cup to her. Each family is different, and as you approach this milestone, remember to enjoy every minute of it. And, of course, don't cry over spilt milk (because there will be plenty of it)!
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