Top 5 favorite sippy cups for transitioning off of the bottle
When it’s time to wean off of the bottle and introduce water, milk/milk alternative, there are so many sippies out there that it’s hard to know which one to choose. We’ve done the “leg work” for you!
1. Transitioning learner cups
Transitioning to a sippy cup can be an emotional transition for baby and parents. Some babies aren’t ready to go straight to a straw cup, so these transition learner cups are helpful during this time.
Favorite transition learner cups:
- Nuk Learner Cup – we love this cup for babies who aren’t quite ready for a sippy cup, but are needing a larger “learner” cup to make the transition as smooth as possible. The handles are helpful as they learn to hold and feed themselves and it comes in a smaller size (5 oz) and larger size (10 oz) which is helpful depending on the stage and size of your baby!
- ThinkBaby Sippy Cup – this sippy cup is also a great first step from coming off of the breast or bottle and the handles help them develop fine motor skills!
- OXO tot transitions sippy cup – has a soft silicone straw valve for beginners
**Keep in mind that according to most SLP’s (thanks Tiny Talkers!), the best cups to use for promoting speech development are ones with a straw or an open cup. We know that some baby’s need a transition cup and these are our recommendations, but the goal in the end is for your baby to take a straw or open cup!
2. Straw cups for beginners
Straw cups are important for speech development in your baby, so the sooner you introduce these the better!
Favorite straw cups:
- Honey bear straw cup – I love this for beginners because you can squeeze the bottom chamber when your baby is trying to use the straw! This brings the liquid up to the tip of the straw so it teaches them how to suck out of a straw.
- Thinkbaby straw cup – we love the handles on this cup and it doesn’t spill!
- ZoLi Bot – this is Kateâs favorite weighted straw cup because it lets your baby drink from all angles! It also doesnât leak like other cups do!
- b.box weighted straw cup – this one is a great alternative to the ZoLi bot above (since it’s out of stock right now) and doesn’t leak!
- Lollaland weight straw cup – this one functions very similarly to the ZLli bot listed above too!
OXO tot transitions straw cup – Kate used this one with her third baby, Roey!
3. In between straw + sippy cup
Some babies reject the straw cups and the nipple transition learner cup, so this miracle 360 trainer cup is the perfect solution. It automatically seals when your baby is done sipping!
4. Water bottle with straw
“Big kid” water bottles can be exciting for your little one once they master a straw cup.
Favorite water bottles for kids:
- Contigo kids water bottle with autospout straw – THIS is the best kids water bottle because the straw is attached so you don’t lose it!
- Camelback kids BPA free water bottle – also a popular choice and has a kid-safe bite valve. Also comes in stainless steel too!
5. Training open cup
The end goal of the sippy cup is to end up using a regular open cup like adults do! Below are our favorites for getting to this point.
Favorite training open cups:
- ezpz tiny silicone cup – this cup is designed to fit baby’s mouth and hands, protect developing teeth and doesn’t slip in baby’s hands!
- green sprouts learning cup with handles – this one also helps your toddler learn to independently drink and the handles make it a little bit easier to learn!
Not sure how to make the switch? Check out our Transitioning to Milk/milk alternative E-Guide Calendar! It includes a step by step, day by day process to get your baby off the bottle and drinking milk/milk alternative.
Need more help? Schedule a text or video chat consult with Kate, Lauren or Natalie (NICU RNs) and they can help answer any questions that you have in getting your baby to take a sippy cup! We also offer sippy cup consultations for babies over 5 months (virtual support where we focus on sippy cup skills and other ways to get baby to take in calories besides formula or breastmilk).
Other helpful blog posts:
- How to supplement with formula
- Transitioning from formula to milk
- Diaper bag essentials
- How to travel with kids
**This post is educational and not meant to take the place of your provider. Bumblebaby makes a small commission on some of the items listed above
