The disadvantages of using bottle straws for a long time after the baby is one year old

Nowadays, many parents frequently use pacifiers and straws when giving their babies water for the sake of convenience. This can be used for infants and young children, but babies over one year old who frequently use pacifiers and straws will become dependent, and they will not be able to drink water from a cup, and even have difficulty going to kindergarten. Therefore, parents must pay attention to correcting such bad habits.

Why should babies learn to use a cup ?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies should gradually stop using bottles by the time they are 1 year old and be weaned from bottles by 15 months. There are many hidden dangers if babies use bottles for a long time.

1. Caries risk

Many babies like to drink bedtime milk from a bottle, or even sleep with a pacifier in their mouth. Their deciduous teeth are always soaked in milk, which greatly increases the risk of tooth decay.

2. Risk of obesity

If the baby keeps holding the bottle, he or she may drink more milk without realizing it, which may cause obesity.

3. Influence on language development

Holding a bottle in the mouth for a long time will prevent the baby's oral muscles from being exercised, which is not conducive to learning to speak and hinders the baby's language development.

Teaching your child to use a cup can help them get rid of bottles early, and it can also help train their hand-eye coordination, improve their fine motor skills and promote brain development.

At what age can babies start using cups?

When your baby is 6 months old, you can start trying a cup.

Your baby's fine motor skills, muscle strength, and hand-eye coordination aren't fully developed yet, so learning to use a cup can be a long process. Mothers should be patient enough and give them enough transition time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies should be proficient in drinking from a cup by the age of 2 at the latest.