As well as what children eat and drink, how they eat and drink is important too.

Why choose an open cup from 6 months?

Dental health and orthodontic development:

• It encourages proper sipping. This will promote muscle use that stimulates correct jaw and facial growth and help avoid crooked teeth and orthodontic problems.

• Reduces dental decay by avoiding comfort sucking: using a teat or spout creates a ‘drip feed’ effect meaning teeth are continually exposed to acid attack if child is drinking milk or juices.

• Develop fine motor skills and a sense of achievement.

What else can you do?

Reduce use of sucking food from food pouches as these can delay a child’s chewing action which can lead to narrow dental arches, crowded or crooked teeth and malocclusion.

Why don’t parents use open cups earlier? 

Normal cups are simply too wide: imagine us as adults trying to drink from something far too big like a jug or a bucket! 

Spillage/ mess:

Given the chance to try, our little ones are often brilliant at picking up new skills - use the right sized cup from the start. They’ve already learnt the skill and what’s more, they’ve begun a healthy lifestyle habit from the very start.

Happy sipping!

Further reading:
http://darwinian-medicine.com/how-the-western-diet-has-changed-the-human-face