Hey Neighbor! I can hear Edwina talking about toddlers and coffee mugs. The mugs are heavy, so they have to use 2 hands which helps with coordination. They're sturdy, so they won't easily break, fall over or spill. Easier to control, keep in one room or on a low table, so they're not dragging them around, drinking all over the house. Used to be, the sippy cups just had a cover (like the Tupperware cups). However, many of the speech deficits we're hearing in schools today can be directly related to the sucking on the new sippy cups. The ones with the valves need to be sucked in a way that can change the structure of the mouth or the use of the tongue. While they're a boon for a busy mom, they're terrible for oral development. The Founding Mothers had an amazing amount of wisdom. Best wishes, Sam Doak LPN IBCLC LLLL in neighboring Marietta! We're going to Candy Mountain, Charlie! < Dear Friends, I agree that a bottle is not a necessary transitional item, but nor is a sippy cup. What we teach at our WIC office is to avoid sippy cups as well as bottles. They are essentially the same thing. I am referring to the sippee cup that has a valve to make it no spill. Babies as young as 5 to 6 months old or younger can learn to drink from a regular cup with assistance of course. An older baby or a toddler toting around a sippy cup is just as damaging as if it were a bottle. Julie Gladney BS, IBCLC, LLLL Athens, Ohio *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome