Why Sippy Cups are the Nemesis for Speech Pathologists

The only thing worse than prolonged bottle drinking and excessive pacifier use beyond a year old is using the Sippy cup with your child.  One of the first things I advise when working with young toddlers is the total disposal of Sippy cups in the home.  Granted, this does not win me much favor with caregivers because we all know how portable and spill proof those Sippy cups are for families.  I will also be the first to admit that they are tempting because they make life easier for travel too, but there are other options that are just as spill proof and also help support adequate oral motor development for feeding and speech.  

A Sippy cup (like the one pictured above) is a bottle in a cup form.  It promotes the same suckle pattern that infants use to strip liquid from a bottle.  The suckle is the forward movement of the tongue to obtain liquid, which flows easily into the mouth.  So, if you are looking to advance your child from a bottle, you won't be making any gains if you use a Sippy cup.  As toddlers grow, we want to support transitioning them from this suckle pattern to a more mature movement.   Many toddlers, especially those with speech delays, will hold their tongues just passed their lips both when they speak and eat.  This tongue position mirrors the placement for suckle drinking.  Incidentally, the only sound that we make with the tip of the tongue just outside of the mouth is the /th/ sound and developmentally, toddlers are not expected to produce this target.  

Now that you are aware of the pitfalls of using a Sippy cup, let me offer two other options that not only secure liquids in a cup but also promote good oral motor development: a Nubby cup and built-in straw cup.  First, the Nubby cup looks like a Sippy, but has a flexible top that encourages sucking rather than suckling to drink.  The flow of liquid cannot drip out as easy as the Sippy cup; rather it requires some effort, or sucking on the child's part.  Similar to straw drinking, this sucking pattern pulls the tongue back into the mouth thereby supporting good oral motor development.  A built-in straw cup is another great option but can be a little challenging for beginners.  The major difference between the two is the straw requires sustained sucking while the Nubby can be tipped a bit to help move the fluid into the child's mouth.  For more information on straw drinking, head over to my post from 2012: The Powerful Straw.

One final point here that I once heard in a training supported by the TalkTools company, which by the way is a fabulous resource for oral motor supplies and trainings, is children do not need a Sippy cup or any cup for that matter in their hands during all wakeful hours.  Many children are filling up on these liquids and having trouble eating because their bellies are loaded with juices and the like.  Plus, it is far more challenging for children to drink while walking around, than it is when they are seated.  Moving toddlers need to focus on navigating environments and successfully getting the cup to their mouths while doing so is quite a mission.  As a result, a toddler may lose some focus stabilizing his or her jaw to drink adequately and could end up spilling liquid and/ or choking on it.  Seated postures for drinking are just more optional all around. That’s not to say that your children can't have drinks of water during the day, but let's get them safely seated first!

To purchase one of the preferred cups that I referenced in this post, you may visit my associate links below.