If you and your baby are getting frustrated, or your little one still won’t use their cup after a while of trying, we have some suggestions to consider:

If your baby is between 6 and 8 months of age, interested in food, simply keep offering a cup at each meal and model how to take a sip. Be patient: your baby likely just needs time to try drinking from the cup on their own.

If your baby is older than 8 months of age and/or starting to refuse or get frustrated by the cup, take a deep breath and pause to ask yourself, “Why?” Does your baby want to try to drink independently while you’re trying to help? Is baby completely baffled about what to do with the cup or straw? Is baby feeling too much pressure and/or frustrated while learning multiple new skills all at once?

Hunger can be motivating. Make sure your baby has at least a bit of hunger motivation at the meal by separating out breast or bottle-feeds from solid food meals by at least 60 minutes. If baby is 9 months of age or older, you can try spacing out the time between breast or bottle feeds and solid food meals by even more time, such as 2 to 3 hours, to see if this helps. You can also try offering water in a cup at some meals and breast milk or formula in a cup at other meals to see if one may be more motivating. Also try offering drinks at different temperatures, from warm to ice cold, they may have a preference.

If your baby is struggling, stick with one style of cup for several days or weeks at a time, rather than switching back and forth between straw cups and open cups. However, if you find baby crying at the sight of the cup or immediately arching and pushing the cup away, take a break for a few days, then try again with a different cup.

If your baby is actively refusing to try drinking with a straw cup or open cup, make a change. For example, try moving away from the table with an open cup or straw cup. Pick up your baby, capture their attention, and interact for a moment, then casually walk over to the cup, pick it up, and start drinking from the cup yourself. Continue taking sips and modeling how it’s done for a minute or so. Your baby will likely try to reach out and grab the cup after watching you. Help them take a drink or hand them the cup and let them try it. Often, babies are much more open to trying a cup outside of the normal mealtime environment.

Lastly, try sitting on a blanket outside or somewhere you won’t mind spills. Bring a few cups and a small pitcher of water or water bottle to the blanket and set them in front of your baby. If they don’t naturally engage, pick up the pitcher or water bottle and show baby how to pour the water into a cup and take a drink. Then, sit back and let baby try. Low-pressure play can encourage the most resistant babies to engage, and once they are happily playing, they are more likely to imitate you and try drinking from the cup.

As with any new skill you teach your baby, do your best to stay calm, have patience, and try to have fun with the process. Your baby will get there in time, we promise!