Sippy Cups: practical but can be dangerous!
- Children are born with a breath/suckle/swallow pattern. Sippy cups should be introduced no earlier than 6-8 months to avoid disruption of the development of a mature swallowing pattern. A sippy cup should be considered a tool to support the transition from breast to cup.
- Hard-lidded sippy cups can develop and maintain tongue protrusion patterns (a tongue thrust).
- The WOW Cup is a sippy cup new on the market. Mom’s love it because it doesn’t spill. Orofacial Myologists love it as it doesn’t have a ‘straw’ or ‘spout’ to drink from. It requires sucking to extract the liquid which is great for orofacial muscle development.
- Prolonged use of sippy cups can change the facial growth of toddlers as it keeps the tongue low onto the floor of the mouth. This may increase the need for orthodontia down the road. In addition, sippy cups promote tooth decay and cavities. Long term use of sippy cups has been also associated with developing atypical speech patterns. Lastly, increased chances for child and adult obesity has been demonstrated.
- It is best to stop using sippy cups by 2 years of age.
- Limit the use of sippy cups to car/subway rides.
- Encourage open cup drinking as soon as possible. Provide a cup with a small rim and wide base to prevent tipping. Limit the liquid to 1-2 inches in the bottom of the cup and refill as necessary. Hold the cup for them to help them guide the cup towards the mouth.
- Sippy Cups, digit sucking, bottle feeding and pacifier use; their negative impact on good dentofacial development is based on FREQUENCY, DURATION and INTENSITY.
Three tips from the American Pediatric Dental Association (2007):
1. The sippy cup is a training tool to help children transition from bottle to a cup.
2. Use at mealtimes only for a short period of time (water only).
3. Not to be used at bedtime while the child falls asleep.