Most babies are ready to start straw drinking around nine months of age, although some babies may show signs of readiness a bit sooner. To know if your baby is ready to start this new skill, here are four prerequisites for straw drinking. Show #1. Able to Sit Independently with Good Stability: It’s important for your baby to have good sitting stability in order for them to learn how to drink from a straw cup safely. To ensure this stability, make sure your baby can sit in a highchair comfortably and be able to reach the footrest (their feet should be flat on the surface). Their ability to sit independently will regulate their interest in straw drinking and decrease the choking risk commonly associated with walking around while drinking.
#2. Able to Drink from an Open Cup: Developmentally, at 6 months of age an infant should start to learn to drink from an open cup (held by an adult). Drinking from an open cup allows a baby's mouth to develop in more mature ways by coordinating and moving the muscles of the lip, tongue, jaw, cheeks and soft palate for safe swallowing. Specifically, lip closure (lips closing on the rim of an open cup) is the first developmental lip movement a baby should master before learning lip rounding (lips protruding and rounding around a straw).
#3. Able to Suck Food Off a Spoon: Developmentally, a 6-month-old infant should be able to bring their hands to their mouth while holding a spoon of food pre-loaded by their caregiver. Next, we're looking for the baby to be able to suck food off the spoon using adequate lip closure (lips closing on an open cup or spoon) and swallow it. This fundamental sucking movement will eventually expand into a more complex maneuver of sucking from a straw.
#4. Able to Suck Food Off of a Finger + End of a Straw: Having your baby suck a puree off of your finger (or their finger) can help your little one learn the sucking motion needed for straw drinking. After you practice this a few times, you can then start to place the end of the ezpz Mini Training Straw (sensory bump side first) into the puree while blocking the other end of the straw with your finger. Have your baby suck the tiny amount of puree from the straw. Practice this movement a few times every day until you feel your baby is getting stronger sucking directly from the straw.
Straw drinking is an important developmental milestone for your little one to master. It’s a great way for your baby to explore mealtime independence, too. How will your family incorporate the Mini Cup + Straw Training System with your little one? Let us know and send us your straw drinking pics using the hashtag #ezpzfun. Happy Feeding! Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist & Feeding Specialist for ezpz Dawn Winkelmann (M.S, CCC-SLP) is ezpz’s Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Feeding Specialist. She has 26 years of experience teaching parents and medical professionals how to start babies on solids safely and encourage toddlers to overcome picky eating. In addition, “Ms. Dawn” is the designer of our award-winning Tiny Cup & Tiny Spoon (for infants) and the Mini Cup + Straw Training System & Mini Utensils (for toddlers). Can a 6 month old drink from a straw?A general rule is to introduce straws between 6 and 12 months. This is the perfect age for your baby to learn new skills as they move away from formula and bottle feeding. You can pair straw cups and open cups with the introduction of solid foods.
Is it good for babies to drink with straw?Straws Strengthen Oral Muscles
Instead of using a “suckling” method of drinking (like with traditional sippy cups), little ones are able to practice using the mature pattern of swallowing that will allow him or her to safely drink and eat. More good news about using straws?
What should my 6 month old be drinking out of?Beakers and cups for babies
Introduce your baby to drinking from a cup or beaker from around 6 months and offer sips of water with meals. Using an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve will help your baby learn to sip and is better for your baby's teeth.
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