15 June 2026 · Little Rei
Sippy Cup vs Straw Cup: When to Use Each
Somewhere around six months the question surfaces in every mothers' group chat: sippy cup or straw cup. Both carry a baby onward from bottle or breast, but they teach the mouth quite different things, and the difference is worth understanding before a cupboard fills with either.
What is the difference between a sippy cup and a straw cup?
A sippy cup has a spout, hard or soft, that baby tips up and sucks — much as they would a bottle. It is spill-proof and familiar, which is exactly why babies take to it so readily.
A straw cup asks for more: liquid drawn upward, lips sealed, cheeks and tongue working in a more grown-up pattern. A slightly harder skill to learn, and a more useful one.
There is a third worth naming — the simple open cup. No valves, no spout, nothing to unlearn later, which is why feeding therapists hold it in such regard. The mess is part of the lesson.
Why do dentists prefer straw and open cups?
A spout keeps the tongue low and forward, the same motion as bottle feeding. Speech and dental professionals generally advise moving past that pattern by around twelve months, since long-term spout use is linked with tongue-thrust habits.
- Straw drinking teaches the tongue to lift and retract, the foundation of mature swallowing and speech.
- Open-cup drinking builds lip control and jaw stability from as early as six months, with your hands steadying the cup.
- A spouted sippy cup is a serviceable short bridge — and the first thing to outgrow.
So when should you use each cup?
From six months, offer small sips of water from an open cup at meals, your hands guiding it. From around eight or nine months, most babies can begin learning a straw. By twelve months, let straw and open cups carry the day, with any spouted cup retired not long after.
A word of honesty here: we do not make a traditional spouted sippy cup, and the omission is deliberate. The Silicone Multi Use Cup is a soft open cup sized for small hands, and it happily takes a straw — one quiet piece covering both of the skills that actually matter.
How do you teach baby to drink from an open cup or straw?
For the open cup: half fill it with water, bring it to the bottom lip and tilt slowly, letting the sipping be theirs. The first weeks will run down the chin; a silicone bib with a catch pocket spares the outfit underneath.
For the straw: dip it in water, cap the top with a finger, release a few drops onto the tongue so straw and liquid become one idea. Most babies find the suck within a week or two of short, playful practice.
In our Singapore heat, small frequent sips of water from six months onwards is a habit worth building early.
The soft, squeezable silicone of a weaning cup is forgiving on gums and new teeth, and it does not crack when it leaves the high chair at speed — which it will. With a suction bowl alongside, the whole meal stays roughly where you set it.
If every cup is still a struggle past the first birthday, or there is frequent gagging and spluttering, mention it to your paediatrician. Almost always, though, the answer is practice, patience and a great deal of mopping.
Keep the cup on the tray at every meal, a splash in the bottom, and drink from your own where your baby can see. Cups are learned the way everything is learned — by watching the person they love most.
Questions parents ask
When can babies start drinking from a cup?
From about six months, alongside solids. Start with small sips of water from an open cup you hold, then introduce a straw around eight to nine months.
Is a straw cup better than a sippy cup?
For oral development, yes. Straw drinking builds mature tongue and lip patterns, while spouted sippy cups prolong a bottle-style suck.
When should a baby stop using a sippy cup?
Most dental professionals suggest moving to straw and open cups by around twelve months, with spouts phased out soon after.
Does Little Rei make a sippy cup?
No, and that is intentional. The Silicone Multi Use Cup works as a soft open cup and takes a straw, covering both skills dentists recommend.
How much water does a weaning baby need?
Small sips with meals from six months, a few tablespoons at a time, is plenty at first. Milk remains the main drink until twelve months.