21 Oct How To Teach Baby To Drink From Straw? Right Age, Methods, & Precautions

Having a baby and adding daily value to their life is another level of achievement for a parent. Similarly, teaching a baby to sip from a straw is one of the biggest and most exciting development milestones. Therefore, the approach involves everything from how to teach baby to drink from straw to using entertaining tactics for the same. When your child learns this new method of hydration, they become more independent and confident with time and practice.

What Is The Right Age For Babies To Use A Straw?

Before learning how to teach baby to drink from straw, let’s first learn about its roots or basic information. Some babies start learning to use a straw at nine months, while most begin between six to twelve months. This period for using a straw aligns with when the baby starts eating solids and stops using a bottle. 

Since every infant is different, it’s important to keep an eye on their growth journey. Using a straw cup can help them become more independent drinkers and improve their oral motor abilities, which is very useful as they become older. Thicker liquids like purees can help children learn to suck with a straw before moving on to thinner liquids like water.

Why Is Drinking From a Straw Recommended?

Therefore, it is highly advised to make your baby drink using the straw at an early age. It provides numerous benefits, enhancing both convenience and oral health.Hence, to know about them in detail, read the below-shared points: 

• Cavity prevention: Straws can reduce the amount of time in which sugary drinks can be exposed or contact the teeth of a baby. Thus, it leads to a lower risk of cavities and enamel erosion. 

• Decreased staining: Moreover, using straw for babies also helps to prevent discoloration of teeth that happens over time in those tiny milk teeth.

• Better hygiene: Furthermore, using a straw might help the babies stay more orally hygienic because it keeps them away from potentially contaminated containers.

• Convenience: In addition to these, straw feeding is a quick help in rushed situations. Thus, it makes the task to feed them easily and quickly without much spills. 

• Controlled intake: Last but not least, using a straw also controls the amount of liquid consumed by the baby. Thus, it lowers the chance of choking and makes it safer to drink hot liquids.

How To Teach Baby To Drink From Straw?

Now it’s high time to learn the multiple ways on how to teach baby to drink from straw. Therefore, read the below shared techniques and explore the best technique to make your toddler become independent.

Puree Technique

This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to teach your baby to sip. To do this, you first need to dip a soft silicone straw into a thick puree of any fruit or vegetable. Once done, give it to the baby like a spoon so they can suck on the puree according to their handling power. Hence, continue to add puree to the silicon straw until the baby is able to handle several sips.

Water method

As the name says, in this answer of how to teach baby to drink from straw, water is the main ingredient. Thus, you need to put a standard-sized straw into a cup of water, put your finger over the top, and then draw it out. You can further encourage your infant to suck the same by holding it over their mouth and letting out tiny amounts of water come in their mouth. 

Siphon technique

This method is very similar to the water approach. Therefore, you just have to keep your finger over the other end of the straw and make the baby suck it to acquire fluids when they close their mouth over it.

Training Straws

This is one of the creative and sensory techniques that will introduce your toddler to the concept of straw sipping. Therefore, in this, you need to buy a silicon straw with sensory bumps or resistance over them and let them play with it by sucking and chewing. As a result, they will learn lip closure and sucking habits very easily. 

Encouragement and patience method

This might sound useless, but it is truly effective. Therefore, all you have to do is be patient and encourage the power of exploration. Thus, if the baby rejects the straw, you should not give up and try again multiple times with small breaks. Hence, repetition will allow them to learn via play and curiosity.

Some Precautions With Straw Drinking 

When learning how to teach baby to drink from straw, you should also consider its cautious points so that teaching this ability becomes safer and more effective. Therefore, below are some tips explaining different cautions and how you can deal with them. 

• Choking Hazard: If babies suck too quickly, they may cough or choke. To reduce dangers, keep an eye on their drinking habits and make sure they are sitting. 

• Liquid thickness: Start with thicker liquids, such as milkshakes or purees, to help them swallow more easily. Initially, avoid thin drinks, as they can be more difficult to regulate.

• Supervision: When teaching your baby to use a straw, keep an eye on them at all times, especially if they are sipping on their own.

• Regular Practice: Furthermore, stop using straws if you cough a lot and try again later. Respiratory problems like pneumonia may result from persistent coughing. 

Buying Guide For Straw Cups For Babies 

Now that we know everything about how to teach baby to drink from straw, let’s first see its other aspects. Buying and using the best straw or straw cups is a must. Therefore, some of the buying tips and tricks that you should follow are as follows: 

• Appropriateness of Age: To be sure they satisfy developmental needs, you always need to look for cups that are made for infants, those who are six months old, and older.

• Straw Design: Select cups with sturdy, short straws so that your toddler may utilize them easily. Using a weighted straw is beneficial as it removes the need to tip the cup when drinking from various angles.

• Absent Valves: Moreover, to encourage natural sucking patterns that aid in the development of oral motor skills, you are supposed to choose designs without valves. 

• Safety of Materials: For ease of cleaning, make sure the cup is dishwasher-friendly and composed of materials that are free of BPA. 

Conclusion

In this complete article, we answered “how to teach baby to drink from straw” in detail. Therefore, with so many developmental advantages, teaching a newborn to use a straw is a rewarding process. Straw drinking fosters independence by allowing babies to feed themselves and boosting their confidence with liquids. Additionally, straws offer improved control over liquid flow, which can help with hydration when switching from bottles to sippy cups. Utilizing straws can encourage better tongue alignment, which may lessen dental problems linked to extended use of sippy cups. I hope the page answered all your queries and gave you a clear vision about the topic. 

FAQs

What type of straw should be used to teach the baby to sip from it?

A silicon made straw which is thin in texture and lightweight is the most preferred straw for toddlers to teach them sipping. Moreover, also make sure that the straw has a short height.

Which is the best way to teach my baby to suck from a straw?

Techniques like the Pipette, Puree, and Water methods are great for teaching babies to suck from a straw.  

Are there any special cups advised for straw training?

Look for straw cups that are BPA-free, have a valves-free design, and short straws made with silicon.