The Best Way To Teach Bub To Drink From A Cup: The Ultimate Guide For Parents

Watching your baby learn new skills is one of the joys of early parenthood and learning to drink from a cup is a big milestone. While it can feel a little messy (and sometimes slow), supporting bub to drink from a cup helps build important lifelong skills and sets them up for healthy development.

Why Is It Important For Bub To Learn To Drink From A Cup?

Introducing a cup isn’t just about moving away from bottles, it’s part of learning to feed themselves and plays a key role in their development. 

Drinking from a cup:

• strengthens bub’s finger and hand muscles used for holding things, using spoons and forks, and drawing

• strengthens muscles in bub’s mouth, tongue and jaw, which are important for drinking and learning to eat and speak

• encourages coordination as bub learns to sip, tilt and swallow

• helps bub develop independence

• helps bub learn about mealtime behaviour

• prepares bub for weaning off the bottle, if your bub bottle-feeds

When Can Bub Start Learning To Drink From A Cup?

As soon as bub is ready to start solids (around 6 months), they can begin practising with a cup alongside breast or bottle feeds*. 

Early exposure allows bub to explore at their own pace and helps make the transition away from bottles feel more natural later on.

And while spills are part of the process, each attempt builds confidence and independence.

*Important Note:

• Bubs aged 6-12 months should only drink small sips of cooled, boiled water. Breastmilk or formula still remains their primary hydration and nutrition source. Check out our blogs on when and how to introduce water to bub as well as the best ways to keep bub hydrated.

• At 12 months, you can offer fresh tap water without boiling it.

What Are The Best Cups For Bub To Learn Cup Drinking?

While there are a variety of cups, it's recommended for bub to use two styles: 

• an open cup

• a straw cup

Both of these cups teach different skills so it's recommended to introduce both. You can begin with either an open cup or a straw cup. You also don’t need to wait until bub has mastered one cup style before starting with the other cup, you can offer different cups at different mealtimes e.g. an open cup at breakfast and a straw cup at lunch. This way bub gets plenty of opportunities to practise the different skills that both cups offer.

Tip: When choosing an open or straw cup ensure they are:

• non-breakable
• easy for bub to hold

• small in size

• cost-effective

• easy to clean (dishwasher-safe)

Why Should Bub Use An Open Cup?

Open cups allows bub to learn how to control the flow of liquid, develop proper sipping skills and learn the skill of tilting to drink. Look for open cups with a weighted base to help reduce spills.

Why Should Bub Use A Straw Cup?

Straw cups teach bub the skill of sucking while sealing the lips. Drinking through a straw also supports lip rounding and oral muscle strength. Ensure to choose straw cups equipped with a standard size, flexible and unvalved straw.

If you prefer a valved straw because they are spill-proof, it is recommended to switch between valved and unvalved straws. This is because valved straws, unlike unvalved straws, encourage bub to bite and suck hard to drink. 

Note: Keeping the straw clean is very important. Use a brush and running water to thoroughly clean straws in between uses.

What About Sippy Cups Or 360-Style Cups?

Sippy cups or 360-style cups are not recommended as these cups encourage babies to build skills that are discarded after a few months which adds an unnecessary step (and expense). Learning to drink from an open or straw cup on the other hand, builds lifelong skills. 

With that said, sippy cups may be helpful as a stepping stone, but it’s best not to rely on them long-term as they don’t always encourage natural sipping patterns. If choosing a sippy cup, avoid hard spout sippy cups where possible, as they can encourage a sucking motion similar to bottles. Also look for a sippy cup with a slower flow rate for bubs starting out.

What About Cups With Handles Or A Cut-Out Or Angled Rim?

This is completely optional. With that in mind, we recommend that bubs get plenty of exposure to a variety of cups and are not just sticking with one type of cup that has special features that are uncommon in normal adult cups. 

How To Teach Bub To Drink From An Open Cup?

Step 1: Pour a small amount of breast milk, formula, or water (30 to 60 ml at most) in a cup at mealtime.

Step 2: Catch bub’s attention, bring the cup to your own mouth, and take a small sip. 

Step 3: After you’ve taken a sip, hold the cup in front of bub and let them try to grab it. Give them a bit of time to touch and practise holding the cup.

Step 4: Gently assist bub to move the cup towards their mouth. Help stabilise it on their lower lip. Tilt it just enough to bring the liquid to their mouth. You might see bub lick, spill, or even cough and sputter a bit, all of which is normal.

Helpful tips:

• Let bub play with the cup first so that they get used to the way it feels.

• Let bub set the pace even a few drops count as progress.

• As bub grows, encourage them to hold the cup themselves. Expect lots of spills, wet clothes and the occasional surprised face as bub may tilt the cup back too far and pour water all over themselves. 

• Stay patient, learning to drink from a cup takes time and practice.

• Keep cup practice to mealtimes to help bub associate it with food and routine.

Most importantly, stay patient. Some days bub may show lots of interest, other days none at all. That’s completely normal.

How To Teach Bub To Drink From A Straw Cup?

There are two ways to teach bub to drink from a straw cup, the pipette method and the straw trainer method. It’s recommended to start with the pipette method.

Pipette Method

The pipette method teaches bub how a straw works e.g. they contain liquid and you need to close your lips around it to drink.

Step 1: Dip a straw in breast milk, formula, or water and use your finger to trap a tiny amount of liquid.

Step 2: Hold the straw near bub’s face and wait for them to open their mouth.

Step 3: When bub accepts the straw in their mouth, lift your finger from the top to allow the liquid to pour into their mouth. 

Straw Trainer Method

For little ones struggling with the pipette method, you can use squeezable straw cups.

Step 1: Offer the straw cup with water, breast milk, or formula to bub by holding it in front of their mouth. 

Step 2: Wait for bub to open their mouth and accept the straw, then lightly squeeze the cup, which will express a small amount of the liquid into their mouth. Bub will instinctively seal their lips to swallow, which helps them learn to close their lips around the straw.

Step 3: After some practice, try again but do not squeeze. Bub will slowly start trying to get the liquid out of the straw by sucking. 

A Gentle Reminder

Every bub develops at their own pace. There’s no rush and no “perfect” timeline. Offering regular opportunities, choosing developmentally supportive cups and keeping the experience positive is what matters most.

Let us make this milestone a little easier! Check out our Children’s Silicone Feeding Set featuring everything you need to get bub started including a silicon cup with straw and handles as well as a flexible silicone bib for those fun messy spills. Easy to clean, unbreakable and non-toxic, perfect for little ones starting their solids journey!

To keep bub nice and dry, check out our Messy Mealtimes Starter Smock. With an all-round cover and waterproof non-toxic fabric, bub can develop those self-feeding skills without endless outfit changes and with happy smiles.

Lastly, our playful Wavy Silicone Placemats helps keep bub’s cup securely in place in between sips plus protect your table from spills. Safe, soft, durable and non-toxic, these wavy mats make the perfect starting solids companion!

Above all, remember that little sips today lead to big skills tomorrow!

FAQS

Q1. When should babies drink from a cup?
Most babies can start cup drinking when they begin solids (around 6 months), starting with small sips for cup practice at mealtimes.

Q2. How do I teach my baby to drink from a cup without choking?
To teach babies to drink from a cup, use an open cup with a tiny amount of liquid, support the cup on bub’s lower lip, and tilt slowly so they control the flow.

Q3. What are the best cups for babies who are learning to drink from a cup?
The best cups for babies are open cups and straw cups. Offering both cup styles builds different cup drinking skills for babies.

Q4. Open cup vs straw cup: which should I introduce first?
You can start with either, but many parents find starting with an open cup at meals helps bub learn sipping and flow control early.

Q5. How do I teach bub to use a straw cup?
To teach bub to use a straw cup, try the pipette method first (trap a small amount of breast milk, formula, or water in the straw, then release into bub’s mouth), then move to a straw trainer cup method if needed.

Q6. Are sippy cups recommended to develop cup drinking skills for babies?
Sippy cups are not usually recommended long-term because they can add an unnecessary extra step. To develop strong cup drinking skills for babies, focus on teaching bub to drink from a cup using an open cup and straw cup instead.

References

• Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited (2025) Suitable for 6 months- 2 years: Learning to drink from a cup: babies and toddlers. Available at: https://raisingchildren.net.au/babies/breastfeeding-bottle-feeding-solids/solids-drinks/learning-to-drink-from-a-cup (Accessed: 21 January 2026).
• Solids Starts Inc (2026) How to teach baby to drink from a cup. Available at: https://solidstarts.com/cup-drinking/?hcUrl=%2Fen-US (Accessed: 21 January 2026).
• Solids Starts Inc (2026) What’s the best cup for babies? Available at: https://solidstarts.com/whats-the-best-cup-for-babies/?hcUrl=%2Fen-US (Accessed: 21 January 2026).

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