Why is it important to introduce a cup?
Drinking from a cup helps your baby learn and grow in many ways. Here are 5 of the most important ways:
Hand-eye coordination is the ability to do an activity using both hands and eyes at the same time.
A person is able to see something and do something. Hand-eye coordination is being able to see food and pick it up to eat it. When hand-eye coordination is not developed properly it can cause other developmental delays. Some of these delays may include difficulty learning how to focus, read, and write. They can even include difficulty eating. Or holding a spoon or fork.
Introducing a cup allows a baby to explore their senses.
Holding and playing with a cup will help grow their sense of touch, taste, and smell. Even messes can be sensory learning opportunities. They can learn the difference between feeling dirty and clean.
Creating independence during meals can help to avoid mealtime power struggles.
Trust your baby to pick items up and put them down. They may make a mess, and that is okay. You can teach your baby to help clean up by giving them a towel.
Your baby learns to use different muscles when drinking through a cup or a straw.
Increasing the strength of different muscles will help with their ability to talk.
An open cup is important for dental health.
Sleeping or carrying around bottles or training cups can cause cavities. Bottles and training cups leave liquid on the teeth. This liquid build-up can cause cavities.