Tucker can't drink from a straw. No luck. This is most likely related to his speech delay and the use of his muscles in his mouth, but no matter the reason, he can't do it.
It seems extreme to take away all the "sippy cups" at our house, so he'll be forced to drink from a straw. Colorado has such a dry climate, and I don't want him to get dehydrated, all in the name of a new skill. But I'm at a loss.
Any tips from you parents out there? Anybody have to work hard to help your child learn to drink from a straw?
2 comments:
Actually, yes. I do happen to have a bit of advice. When my boys were small, I would try to get them to drink from a straw, and the only one they could do was the flat, hard, plastic straw that was on my Rubbermaid waterbottle (which was really too big for a baby/toddler to be using). I thought that was weird, but the next time I was at the store, I realized that they make little Rubbermaid, "juice boxes" that are just the right size. The idea is to re-fill with juice rather than fill the landfills with the paper juiceboxes. My kids never even had sippy cups. They each just used those until they were bigger and then I got them the insulated straw cups made by Platex I think. They each still have their own "style" so that we always know which cup belongs to which kiddo. Although Andrew turned nine on Saturday, he still uses his straw cup because he won't drink a whole cup of milk in one sitting, so he just puts it back in the refrigerator and gets it back out at the next mealtime. I hope this helps!!!
Truth be told, Ethan never learned to use a straw until one day he just finally did it! We tried everything, and nothing worked. So, we chose to pick another battle and let that one go. I wish I had a better idea for you. Bottom line: he learned to use one - just much later than most other little thirsty boys!
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