Teaching Your Kids: Bottle to Sippy Cup

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Most kids, by the time they are about 9 months old, have the motor skills needed to drink from a cup. If you think your baby’s ready to make the move from bottle to sippy cup, try filling a sippy cup with water and let your child try to drink from it. Don’t expect perfection with the first tries. He’ll probably drool, spit and cough, which will probably delight him! But within a few weeks and lots of practice, he’ll be willing to take all his drinks from the sippy cup. He’ll most likely be a sippy cup pro by the time he’s about 14 months old.

If you start the transition from bottle to cup early, you’ll save yourself frustration – the longer a baby stays on the bottle, the tougher it is to get him to kick it. If the bottle is a security object for your kids, choose one with a special favorite animal or character to help increase his willingness to try to use it.

“Milk bottle mouth” is common concern for parents of children who drink from bottles. A kids teeth are susceptible to decay if he’s always drinking a sugared drink from it — formula, milk, or juice. Natural bacteria in his mouth feed on these sugars and attack the teeth for 20 minutes every time he takes a drink. What that boils down to is this: if he’s taking sips from a bottle every few minutes for an hour, his teeth are exposed to the sugars for at least 80 minutes. Over time, that causes tooth decay, or ‘bottle rot.’ If he falls asleep, tooth-decay causing sugars can pool in his mouth for hours. Kids are less likely to nurse drinks for long periods of time if they’re offered in sippy cups.

The best way to avoid bottle rot is to give your kids his drink and have him finish it within about 20 minutes. Then use a toothbrush or wash cloth to wipe his teeth clean. Never put a baby in his crib with a bottle or sippy cup.

Finally, consistently emphasize what a ‘big boy’ he is by drinking from the sippy cup instead of his bottle, and he’ll reach for his sippy cup more and more each day. Kids love to feel grown up so offer as much praise as you can to encourage and easy transition from the bottle to a sippy cup.

Mrs. Fields

Board Games Family Bonding the Old-Fashioned Way

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Children entertain themselves with electronic games, leaving the them with lack of family contact. Kids and families have left board games behind and replaced it with games requiring little social interaction. Many children suffer from lack of physical activity, social skills and end up obese and unable to interact with adults. Board games entertain most families for decades helping children develop social skills, increased attention spans and a sense of fair play.

Kids are not to be blamed completely for this lack of family play. Many adults are preoccupied with electronic themselves. They leave the family behind to engage in social websites, texting and other electronic pass-times. Most of us are used to sitting in front of our cell phones and laptop computers, waiting for the next interaction to happen. These electronic innovations have their place, but should not replace the needed interaction between our children.

Parents and children alike have gotten used to spending time alone. The family avoid arguments as well as important discussions. It time to put technology back in its place and make a conscious effort to bond with our families. Leave the video games behind and interact with your children. Board game have a place in the modern family, we must make an effort to find the time for this important social family entertainment.


Board games come in a variety of entertaining formats. The old standards such as Monopoly, Clue, Checkers, Chess and other family favorites, help children develop skills they need to be successful in life. Board games like Monopoly provide social interactions, skills with finances, math, and help in rounding our child development. It doesn’t matter how young or old your children are, they will benefit from spending time and communicating with you.

Some other suggestions of games include Dominoes, Life, Pictionary, and any other games that are educational and promote social interactions in the family. If you don’t have any board games, garage sales, the Goodwill or discount stores are good places to find them. Kids enjoy spending time with their parents and part of the fun is to be able to find a game that everyone will enjoy.

Make some popcorn or order a pizza and enjoy some wholesome entertainment with your family. Put the cell phone and video games away. Start new family traditions, like an electronic free day. You and your family will enjoy the time you spend together free from unnecessary interruptions

When Your Baby is Ready to Start On Solid Food

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Most pediatricians recommend solid food for your baby between 6-10 months of age. There are many different foods to choose from and you may be overwhelmed by the choices at the grocery store. There is a recommended sequence which should be followed based on the age of you baby.

The typical first choice of course is baby cereal. There are a variety of choices, but the easiest to tolerate is rice cereal. By starting you infant on rice cereal you will avoid stomach upsets, and allergies. The first time you feed your baby the cereal should be mixed very thin. Usually a tablespoon of cereal mixed with breast milk or formula will be the best. Do not over-feed your child, it will make them fussy and uncomfortable. You may also find that he will sleep a bit longer between feedings.

The next choice of food should be vegetables. Yellow vegetables are easy to tolerate and do not make your baby have gas. They are easy to digest and have a mild flavor. Yellow vegetables are squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, avoid corn as it is not easily digested and will cause stomach distress.

Plain yogurt, that is unsweetened is another starter food for baby. It is a very healthy food and can easily be found in the grocery store. Avoid yogurt with fruit on the bottom or mixed with fruit, also keep away from sugar added varieties. Most grocery store brands are lower in sugar than national brands.

The next group of food to introduce are the fruits, mild choices are applesauce, banana, peaches, pears, and apricots. Babies love fruits, so be careful not to give him too much as they do cause loose stools and can upset the stomach when eaten in excess.

It is best to discuss the types of food your baby should be given with your pediatrician. Many suggest waiting to give sweet foods until later, as well as foods that can cause digestive upsets. Bean, green beans, yellow beans, broccoli, peas and spinach are some of the gas-producing ones you should avoid until your baby is older and able to tolerate them. Meat is another one to wait on until your can digest them.

It is best to limit the your child diet to a few different foods per week. This way it is easier to determine, which ones if any your baby is allergic. Don’t expect feeding solid foods to be an easy task. You will need a lot of bibs, a baby sized spoon and a lot of patience. Expect the process to be a messy job. If it is warm you may want to feed your baby in easy to remove clothing or a diaper with a towel wrapped around him for easy clean-up. Good luck and take your time.