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When to start cup feeding baby


Cup Feeding - La Leche League International

Categories: News From LLLI


We are delighted to co-publish this new poster about cup feeding.
The poster is intended to help healthcare professionals and organizations working in emergencies and families themselves.
It is also intended to be a useful resource for anyone who needs to feed their own expressed milk or a supplement to a baby.

The poster can be downloaded and printed for use in your communities, or shared on social media.

We are in the process of translating the poster into multiple languages.

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COLOR POSTERS TO DOWNLOAD
BLACK AND WHITE POSTERS TO DOWNLOAD
COLOR POSTERS FOR USE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
BLACK AND WHITE POSTERS FOR USE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

 A BABY NOT FED AT THE BREAST CAN BE FED WITHOUT A BOTTLE

Cup feeding can be used from birth. It is suitable for both expressed breastmilk and infant formula. You can use any clean, open cup with a smooth surface.

Cup feeding has no notable difference to bottles for average time per feed.

Cups are safer than bottles. Bottle teats and screw tops trap germs that can get into the milk and make babies ill. Cups are easily cleaned with washing in hot soapy water, and do not need sterilizing like bottles.

In emergencies, use disposable cups.

Feeding time is bonding time – lots of cuddles, eye-contact, talking, smiling, humming and singing.

CUP FEEDING IS AS EASY AS 1-2-3!

color posters to download

English pdf
Spanish pdf
German pdf
Greek pdf
Lithuanian pdf
Turkish pdf
French pdf
Russian pdf
Swahili pdf
Traditional Chinese pdf
Simplified Chinese pdf
Arabic pdf
Vietnamese pdf
Romanian pdf 
Polish pdf
Ukranian pdf

Black and White posters to download

English pdf
Spanish pdf 
German pdf
Greek pdf
Lithuanian pdf
Turkish pdf
French pdf
Russian pdf
Swahili pdf
Simplified Chinese pdf
Traditional Chinese pdf
Arabic pdf
Vietnamese pdf
Polish pdf
Ukranian pdf

COLOR POSTERS FOR USE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Right click on a desktop, or hold and tap on a mobile device to bring up your options to copy or save the image.

English

Spanish

German

Greek

Lithuanian

Turkish

French

Swahili

Russian

Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese

Arabic

Vietnamese
Romanian

Polish

Ukrainian

BLACK AND WHITE POSTERS FOR USE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Right click on a desktop, or hold and tap on a mobile device to bring up your options to copy or save the image.

English

Spanish

German

Greek

Lithuanian

Turkish

French

Swahili

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Traditional Chinese

Arabic

Vietnamese

Polish

Ukrainian

Adapted from The World Health Organization – Infant Feeding in Emergencies: A Guide for Mothers and UNICEF/WHO 20-hour Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Course by Magdalena Whoolery (PhD Health Studies, BSc Nursing, Dip HE Nursing) and Julie Fogarty (BFA, GradDipTchg), January 2020 (updated April 2020).

Poster endorsed by the following: International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN, defending breastfeeding), Safely Fed Canada, Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia, La Leche League International (LLLI).

 

Weaning Your Baby: Cup Feeding

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Weaning is when your baby learns to drink from a cup instead of a breast or bottle. They should be drinking liquids from a cup by age 1. The longer you wait, the harder it can be for your child to give up the bottle. Drinking from a bottle for a long time after teeth have come in, can lead to tooth decay (cavities). If a baby drinks from a bottle while lying down for a long time, it can cause ear infections.

If you wean your baby from breastfeeding before 1 year of age, give them formula. They do not need other drinks for a healthy diet. You can offer a little water with food starting at 6 months to 1 year of age but give no more than ½ to 1 cup (4 to 8 ounces) a day. They should not drink cow’s milk or juice before age 1 (Picture 1). Breastfeeding can continue past that age.

When to Start
  • The age of weaning is different for each baby.
  • Most babies are ready to start learning to use a cup at 6 to 9 months of age. This is the same time they start to eat solid food.
  • They need to be able to sit up without support in order to drink from a cup.
  • Other signs of when your baby may be ready are when they:
    • Shorten their breastfeeding time
    • Are easily distracted while being held for a feeding
    • Want to hold the bottle on their own

How to Begin
  • At about 6 months of age, give your baby an empty, open sippy or 360° cup with handles to hold (Picture 2). Have them practice holding the cup when sitting at a table for a meal. Choose the same meal every day. It does not matter which one.
  • Show your baby how you drink from your own cup. Ask them to copy you using theirs. Do not share your cup with them to prevent passing on your germs.
  • Wean gradually. By 9 months, start to put a little bit of breastmilk or formula in their cup. You might need to help them hold the cup. They may resist drinking from the cup the first few times. It will take time for your baby to learn. They might make a mess.
  • Do not offer them the bottle during or right after the meal when using the cup. When your child can drink from the cup, replace a second breastfeeding or bottle feeding with a cup feeding. This may take a few days or weeks for some children.
  • Keep replacing breastfeeding or bottle feedings until your baby is no longer feeding from the bottle or breast.
  • Let your child use a sippy cup only while sitting. A sippy cup should not be carried around by your child in their mouth. This can cause injury to the mouth if they fall.
  • Switch to a cup with a lid, but no spout, as soon as possible. This will prevent possible problems in how their teeth grow. Aim for 18 months of age.
  • Shift to a cup without any lid between age 2 and 3. By age 3 your child should be weaned from a sippy cup. While sippy cups help to avoid messy spills, drinking from them for too long can become a hard habit to give up.

Other Tips
  • Avoid giving your baby a bottle or use breastfeeding to comfort them when crying or to help them fall asleep. This will make it harder for them to switch to only using a cup. Also, drinking just before sleeping can cause tooth decay.
  • Offer only water between meals.

Weaning in One Step

The longer a child uses a bottle, the harder it may be for them to give it up. If your child can already drink from a cup but refuses to do so or refuses to give up the bottle, you might have to take away all bottles completely at one time. This method applies to children 15 to 18 months and older who use the bottle for comfort or habit and not for food. 

To use this method:

  • Remove all bottles from the home.
  • Be firm and consistent about giving milk from a cup, not a bottle.

If you have any questions, be sure to ask your child’s dentist or health care provider.

Weaning Your Baby: Cup Feeding (PDF), Arabic (PDF), Nepali (PDF), Somali (PDF), Spanish (PDF)

HH-IV-19 6/87, Revised 2/22 Copyright 1987- 2022, Nationwide Children's Hospital

CUP FEEDING - La Leche Liga Russia

Diseases and special conditions of the baby, Breastfeeding doctors and specialists, breastfeeding, Books and articles, Childbirth. Starting breastfeeding., Lifestyle and breastfeeding, Pumping, The amazing benefits of breast milk, What to do if ...

01/16/2021

A baby who does not breastfeed can be fed from a cup

Cup feeding can be used from birth. This method is suitable for both breast milk and formula. You can use any clean cup with a smooth surface. nine0003

Cup feeding does not have a noticeable difference with bottles in average feeding time.

Cups are safer than bottles. Bottle nipples and screw caps keep germs out that can get into milk and cause illness in babies. The cups are easy to clean with soapy water and do not need to be sterilized like bottles.

Use disposable cups in case of emergency.

Feeding time is a time of togetherness: lots of hugs, eye contact, talking, smiling, humming and singing. nine0003

1-2-3 Cup Feeding

  1. Place your baby on your knees and support their back and neck. With young children, loose swaddling can help to keep their hands from rattling on the cup.
  2. Take a small cup of milk and press the rim lightly against the child's lower lip. Then tilt the cup so that the milk stays on the edge of the cup, but so that it reaches the baby's lips. The baby must be awake in order to be able to open its mouth on its own. nine0020
  3. Continue slowly. DO NOT pour milk into baby's mouth. Always let your baby lead the pace of sips and pauses. Continue to keep milk only on the edge of the cup. When the baby is full, he will close his mouth and will no longer continue feeding

Babies will suck or drink milk, or may use their tongue to lap it, as in the picture.

Cup feeding gives babies the freedom to move their tongue in a way that is closer to the “sucking” reflex used in breastfeeding. nine0003

Did you know that you can restore breastfeeding through a process called relactation?
Breastfeeding saves lives, especially in emergencies.
Contact a La Leche League Volunteer Consultant for more information. 

 Adapted from the World Health Organization - Infant Feeding in Emergencies: A Guide for Mothers and a 20 Hour Hospital Course for the UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative by Magdalena Woolery (PhD Health Studies, BSc Nursing, Dip HE Nursing) and Julie Fogarty (BFA, GradDipTchg), January 2020 (updated April 2020). The poster is endorsed by the following organizations: International Infant Food Surveillance Network (IBFAN, breastfeeding advocacy), Safe Feeding Canada, Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia, La Leche League International (LLLI). nine0035 
 Poster also available in PDF format: 
 
 Cup feeding 
 
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 Cup feeding. Your baby from birth to two years old 
 Cup feeding. Your baby from birth to two years 
 WikiReading 
 
 Your baby from birth to two years old 
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 Contents 
 
 Cup feeding 
 
 Cup feeding is an easy and safe way to supplement breastfeeding without using nipples. Cup feeding has been used for newborns and even premature babies. nine0003 
 If medical conditions temporarily delay breastfeeding, or if the baby needs to be supplemented in the early days of his life when he is learning to suckle effectively, cup feeding is a good alternative to bottle feeding. This method can be used for older children who refuse to take a bottle. 
 
 Take a small cup that only holds 30-60 g of milk or formula. (Special flexible plastic cups are available from lactation consultants and La Leche League.) Fill the cup at least halfway. Put a bib or tuck a towel under your chin to prevent leakage. Hold the child upright on your lap. Swaddle him if his arms interfere with the process. Bring the cup to your lips and tilt it so that the liquid touches the child's lips. The baby will lap and swallow milk. Do not pour milk into the baby's mouth. Let him set the pace. Refill the cup or have 2-3 filled beforehand ready. nine0003 
 This text is an introductory fragment. 
 
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