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Weaning

Beaker.....nothing happening

27 replies

DetentionGrrrl · 26/01/2007 09:02

I've been trying to get DS (7mths) to take a beaker instead of a bottle by putting some water or milk in it and giving it to him. I even drink from it in front of him and do the old 'mmm, yum yum' but no joy. He licks the wrong end of it then rolls it round for a bit. At the same time, he wants to hold his bottle himself but can't (just sucks air)

Any tips? Shall i just keep trying this way?

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Furball · 26/01/2007 09:08

is it a non spill beaker as ds never got the hang of them you need more suction than a hoover to get the drink out. In the end he just had a tommy tippee beaker that the mouth bit folded down for travelling but when up the drink came out free flow.

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fluffyanimal · 26/01/2007 09:13

Any particular reason why you want him to have a beaker instead of a bottle? i don't think there's any rush at 7 months. Try again in a couple of months when he has better coordination.

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beckybrastraps · 26/01/2007 09:31

My ds never took to a lidded beaker. Bizarrely though, he could manage a straw (from about 9 months I think).

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DetentionGrrrl · 26/01/2007 09:55

fluffanimal: he is trying to walk and BLWd so good coordination. also got two teeth, so it's recommended they move onto beaker.

furball: i had to suck pretty hard to get water out..perhaps that doesn't help?

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DizzyBint · 26/01/2007 09:57

dd used an open cup, a doidy (no lid, no spout) first. then backwardly (!) started to be able to take a lidded spouted beaker (avent magic cup) which is far easier and less messy for when we're out and about or when she's at nursery. have you treid a doidy cup?

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DetentionGrrrl · 26/01/2007 09:59

no, not heard of one before

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pelvicflawed · 26/01/2007 11:07

We bought DS - 8mths- a doidy cup last weekend and for the first time we've managed to get him to drink from a cup (well a bit). The disadvantage is no lid so we have to hold it but we couldn't get him to dink from an ordinary beaker with or without a spout - even with mum and dad doing very theatrical demos. We bought ours (around £3.50) from a local shop but I think you can buy them online just google doidy.

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DetentionGrrrl · 26/01/2007 11:18

thanks

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AitchTwoOh · 26/01/2007 11:59

i used either a tommee tippee basic lidded cup if we were out, or a small open cup if we were in and she was about to go for her bath

she's one now and really good at drinking from a normal beaker, so long as i don't over fill it. never got on with the doidy cup, she just stuck her paw straight into it, but i think i possibly introduced it too late at 8 months.

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NAB3 · 26/01/2007 12:15

It is best to get babies off bottles as soon as you can as it is less traumatic for them. Which cup are you trying? The Anyway up cup is notoriously hard to do.

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Mumpbump · 26/01/2007 12:19

I found the doidy cup really good when I introduced it at 4 months although I still don't let ds hold it as he has a tendancy to pour his drink down his front!!

I also bought a Tommee Tippee cup which he has (eventually) got the hang of - you have to bite down on the nozzle to get the fluid to flow, so I think this is quite tricky for them... He's been using it okay since about 10mo...

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DizzyBint · 26/01/2007 12:39

i keep my hand on the bottom of the doidy, dd holds it by the handles and lifts it to her mouth, i tip it a bit more for her. and yes, only put a teeny tiny amount in at a time, or you'll both be soaked.

i left dd with MIL a while ago, before she'd take a lidded beaker, and explained she drinks from the doidy. so MIL thought i meant on her own with no help, merrily filled the cup and let her at it..ooooops! i should have explained shouldn't i?! she was maybe 6 months old at the time.

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Haily111 · 26/01/2007 13:40

Hello, i went to my drop in centre this morning and spoke to them about beakers. I was told that dentist say the beakers with the valve are actually really bad for the gums and teeth. My dd didnt have a clue what to do with it either (she's 8 months) so i tried her on the tommee tippee beaker where it just free flows out and she is actually really enjoying it. She can kinda get it to her mouth and i have to say it does get messy at times

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DizzyBint · 26/01/2007 16:00

the avent magic cup and the tommee tippee ones are dental foundation approved. i imagine different dentists view them differently. why would the valve make a difference?

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NAB3 · 27/01/2007 16:20

The Tommee Tippee easiflow cups were the first ones to be genuinely approved by the dental association. Now you can pay to have the approval. To use, just prime the spout by squeezing it between your finger and thumb and then the child doesn't need to bite down on it. HTH.

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Haily111 · 28/01/2007 17:24

I think they say with the valve that it is unnatural for them to have to put so muuch pressure on the gums to get water/milk out. When i did try dd on these (tommee tippee as well) she couldnt get any out, i also had a go and it is pretty hard. I also checked on the box and it does say it is approved. so as you said DizzyBint it probably depends on the dentist

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DizzyBint · 28/01/2007 17:38

oh i see. so it's basically if they're biting down on the spout too hard over and over then that could damage their gums which could then mean teeth come through wonky.

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Haily111 · 28/01/2007 17:40

I think so

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NAB3 · 29/01/2007 13:07

The child should not need to bite down on the spout. YOU are meant to prime the spout and then the drink will come out as they suck.

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DizzyBint · 29/01/2007 13:33

i don;t think dd does bit on the spout. she just sucks as far as i can tell, and it moves in and out of her mouth, it's quite loose IYSWIM. it's a hard spout, not a shuishy one.

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NAB3 · 30/01/2007 10:41

What colour is the spout and how old is your daughter?

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DizzyBint · 30/01/2007 10:45

green avent magic spout. she's 8 months.

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NAB3 · 30/01/2007 10:48

May be go back to the purple ones, they are softer, and see how she gets on with those?

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DizzyBint · 30/01/2007 10:53

she's never really had anything other than the green ones. she went from bf straight to the green ones at 6 months. we really struggled to get her to take any kind of bottle and the green spouts have done the trick. i did try the 3 month white squishy ones and she just chewed them, same as she did with normal teats. the green spouts work for us, she also drinks happily out of a doidy. the spouts are mainly for out and about and at nursery. i don't have a problem with them, i just wondered how the valve would make the gum damage issue worse IYSWIM.

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NAB3 · 30/01/2007 11:15

The spouts don't damage the gums.

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