Your Baby Week 19
Your baby is growing stronger and sleeps less this week! In fact, by 19 weeks, your baby may be taking shorter and fewer naps during the day. It’s important to note that at this age, it’s not important when they get their sleep (though you may like it to be mostly at night!), but that they are averaging about 11 to 14 hours of sleep each day.
Is it time to introduce a sippy cup?
Sippy cups, or training cups with screw or snap on lids, are a great way for your baby to transition from nursing or a bottle to drinking from a cup. Though your 19 week old may have the motor skills to handle a sippy cup, drinking from a regular cup would be a different, messier story. Below you will find some tips to help your infant learn the skills needed to use sippy cups.
- Your baby’s first sippy cup should have a soft, rubber spout. This will feel more like the nipple or bottle they are used to using.
- Dip the spout of the cup into breast milk or formula.
- Raise the cup to your baby’s mouth and lips to drink or try touching the tip of the spout to the roof of your baby’s mouth to stimulate their sucking reflex.
- Be patient. It’s okay if your baby doesn’t take to the cup immediately. The first couple of attempts may look more like playing than drinking. Give your infant time. Eventually, they’ll get the hang of it!
Be Careful...
Once your baby is successfully drinking from a sippy cup, there are a few things you will want to avoid.
- Never let your infant take their sippy cup with them to bed or nurse it for hours when it is filled with sugary juice or milk. This constant pool of sugar in their mouth can result in tooth decay and cavities.
- Mold can grow in the smaller areas of the sippy cup, like the spout or valve on the inside. If possible, rinse the cup as soon as your child is done with it.
- Try to avoid filling your child’s cup with juice and milk all day every day. And remember, no cow’s milk or citrus juice before your baby is a year old. Once your child does begin drinking cow’s milk, they should have no more than 24 ounces of milk each day.
