My son has started to use a beaker cup when he went on solid foods like most of the children.
In general, the beaker cup is the transition from the bottle. But, in fact, Joshua barely used the bottle.
He might have drunken from it probably 3 times. He didn’t like to drink any other milk but only mine.
Anyway, he’s currently using two beaker cups at the same time. One for downstairs and another upstairs in his bedroom.
So, why 2?
I keep one in his bedroom so that if he wakes up during the night for whatever reason he can drink some water instead of breastfeed him.
As he used to wake at night several time for the breast, I thought to keep a beaker cup of water handy to drink instead. At the beginning (around 16 months) there was a lot of resistance and tantrums but I stayed strong and explained to him that if he wakes up during the night, he will get only water.
Obviously he was not hungry but he wanted to latch on just for comfort.
Now, he sleeps through the night. Well, not all the time but most of it, and he knows that he will get water if he wakes up.
However, it doesn’t mean he won’t try his luck.
Even after so many months, he will try from time to time to pull my t-shirt to get my breast in order to latch on.
But, even if I can be tired I am not giving up because I have already came that far not to go back to square one.
Anyway, back to the beaker cup, since his 6th month of age, I have changed twice his beaker cup for hygienic reason.
Beaker or just a cup?
The beaker I keep in his bedroom has handle but not the other one.
Apparently, not all beakers are good.
According to the National Health Service in the UK, it is better to use a free flow lid than a beaker with a teat.
The problem of using a beaker with a teat is that your child will spend more time with the teat in their mouth.
So, if you have been putting juice or milk in that kind of beaker,
this could lead to a tooth decay on a long run.
For replying to the initial question, when does a baby should stop using a beaker?
The NHS said that as soon as your child is ready. They added that we should persuade them to move from a beaker to an open cup.
Actually, I always give water to my son from his lidded beaker. And, when I give him juice from time to time is from an open plastic cup.
But, it can happen that I do give him water too from an open cup.
I guess that I am on my way to move on using only a cup with no lid.
Finally, every step is important in the development of my child. He used to drink from an handle beaker with a non-spill valve to a beaker with free-flow.
And now, he is almost ready to stop using beaker with a lid to just an open cup.
What do you think about the process of using a beaker? Feel free to share your thoughts here.
