Did you know that having your baby practice drinking from an open cup helps build the muscles in their mouths that are used to form sounds? 🤔 This is why speech pathologists prefer that babies use open cups, rather than sippy cups, whenever possible! Dentists share this preference, because when using an open cup, a child’s tongue stays behind their front teeth as they swallow, which promotes proper oral development. Here are a few things to remember as your baby learns to drink from an open cup: 💧 Once they’re eating finger foods, introduce the cup with just a sip of water in it during seated mealtimes. Model how to drink from an open cup for them. 💧 A little water gives them an opportunity to learn to enjoy the taste and may help when they’re constipated. But, breast milk or formula should be your baby’s primary source of hydration. So, limit their water intake to one or two ounces per day. 💧 Be prepared for a mess. At first, your baby may just pour the water out, bang the cup on the table, or drop the cup on the floor. Over the next few months, they’ll begin to understand how to tilt the cup so the water ends up in their mouth. Check out the link in our bio to find the Lovevery stainless steel Drinking Cup, a great option for your baby to practice with! #Lovevery #BabyDevelopment #DevelopmentTips