November 2008

Speech Tip

Sippy Cups & Speech Development

Sippy cups have their place in child development.  They help transition infants from the bottle, provide convenience and mess-free beverage consumption in an “on-the-go” world.  However, their over-use can delay speech and hinder musculature development necessary for speech.

There are a few things to consider:

• Pacifier usage should be stopped between the ages of 6 months – 1 year
• Bottle usage should stop at one year
• Sippy and Straw cups can start at or before one year
• If your child has a sippy cup (or pacifier) in his mouth most of the time, they can’t practice speech
• Sippy cups and pacifiers don’t allow for oral movements to mature age-appropriately
• Prolonged sippy cup and pacifier usage can affect dentition by causing an open-bite or teeth-spacing
• Some cups are better than others.  I personally recommend straw cups and inclined cups like these:

• Open-cup (regular cup) drinking could begin with assistance at 18 months