Sippy Cups

We had our first scare of constipation this month. Its common for babies to go through a little constipation after starting solids. Bradley's first food was some organic avacados-which we both enjoyed eating. We then moved on to sweet potatoes and then pumpkin. Everything was going smoothy (no pun here!) until I started noticing he hadn't soiled a diaper in about a week! But this wasn't too uncommon since some breastfeed babies don't need to eliminate every day. You see, breast-milk is so efficient that the body absorbs all of it and doesn't have any left over waste. Baby may strain a little or cry but poop should be soft. Normally this is the case. However, this time he was pooping little rabbit pellets. Hope this isn't too graphic! ;) He would strain and cry and only pass about a centimeter's worth of waste. So, per the doctor, it was suggested to start him on 4 oz of juice per day. I said "Great! We can practice using our cup!"

Montessori philosophy does not condone the use of 'sippy cups'-these are cups that have a lid on them to prevent spills. By pouring a very small amount of liquid in a cup without a lid you are teaching the child hand and eye coordination and cause and effect. However, for this particular instance a bottle filled with 4 oz of juice did the trick. We still practice with our little cup by putting a bit of water in it. And in the bath he is always experimenting with cups.

I am still on a quest for a weighted glass cup (might just have to order one out of a Montessori catalogue). We have also experimented in just removing the lid on a sippy cup that has 2 handles. Ironically, he seems to like the one handle plastic tea cup better.

So are sippy cups bad? No. For me, I don't mind cleaning up a few dribbles of liquid here and there-or especially since were just practicing with water now, spilling isn't really an issue. It's important for him to see and do practical life just like mommy and daddy. He longs to pick up his cup just as he do and take it to his mouth to chew on. I feel that sippy cups also encourage an "on-the-go" lifestyle-which we are not. I don't like to see kids drinking out of sippy cups and eating fast food in the back seat.