# How can I teach my child to drink from a cup? Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-teach-my-child-to-drink-from-a-cup Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited Teach cup drinking by starting around six months with small sips of water at mealtimes, choosing an open or straw cup, modelling sipping, letting your child grip and explore, and expecting spills with a relaxed, no-pressure approach. Seek a developmental check for persistent coughing, choking or difficulty closing the lips around a cup. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. *Learning to sip from a cup is one of your child's first big steps towards independence — and with a little patience, it becomes a happy part of everyday play.* ## In short Teaching your child to drink from a cup works best when you **start early, go slowly, and keep it relaxed**. Most babies can begin practising with an open or trainer cup from around six months, alongside breast or bottle feeds. Offer small sips of water at mealtimes, expect plenty of spills, and let your child explore and grip the cup themselves — this is how the mouth and hand skills behind drinking are built, one happy practice at a time. ## How to teach it, step by step - **Pick the right cup.** A small **open cup** (you hold and tip gently) builds the most mature sipping skill. A **soft-spout or straw cup** can be easier to start with — straws are especially good for building lip and tongue strength. - **Begin at mealtimes.** Offer a few sips of water during meals, when your child is calm and seated upright in a high chair. Keep first cups only a third full. - **Show, don't force.** Let your child watch you sip from your own cup — children learn drinking by copying. Bring the cup to their lips, tip very slightly, and pause so they can swallow at their own pace. - **Let them hold it.** Two-handled cups help small hands grip and lift. Allowing your child to bring the cup to their own mouth builds coordination, even if it gets messy. - **Expect spills, stay warm.** Dribbling and tipping are normal and part of learning. Smile, mop up, and try again — pressure or frustration makes children resist. - **Build up gradually.** Over weeks, offer the cup at more meals and slowly reduce bottle feeds, so the cup becomes the everyday way to drink. The goal isn't a perfect, spill-free sip on day one — it's a child who feels confident and curious about doing it themselves. ## When to seek a check Most children master the cup with time and practice. Seek a developmental check if your child coughs, gags or chokes consistently when drinking, has a wet or gurgly voice during or after sips, refuses all cups well past their first birthday, or shows difficulty with closing the lips around a cup or straw — these may point to oral-motor or swallowing needs that gentle support can help. ## The Pinnacle way AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. If cup drinking, chewing or swallowing feels harder than expected, our therapists assess the mouth and hand skills behind it and build a gentle, playful plan. Explore our [feeding and oral-motor therapy](/feeding-therapy), learn how a [clinician-administered AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) shapes support, or [start here](/) to find your nearest centre. ## Trusted sources American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) guidance on introducing cups and weaning from the bottle; WHO infant and young child feeding guidance; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on paediatric feeding and oral-motor development. **Next step —** Want gentle, expert help with cup drinking and feeding skills? [Book a feeding assessment with a Pinnacle clinician](/feeding-therapy). This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional. ## Sources - AAP HealthyChildren.org — cups and weaning from the bottle: https://www.healthychildren.org - WHO — infant and young child feeding: https://www.who.int - ASHA — paediatric feeding and oral-motor development: https://www.asha.org ## Connected topics and perspectives - Life Skills: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/life-skills - Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent - Self Sufficiency: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/readiness/self_sufficiency - Support: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/support - Act: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/act - Occupational Therapy: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/occupational-therapy - Self Sufficiency: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/self_sufficiency ## Related question paths ### Recognise signs & concerns - At What Age Should a Child Learn to Drink From a Cup?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-should-a-child-learn-to-drink-from-a-cup - Toddler not drinking from an open cup at 12–18 months: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-12-to-18-month-old-cannot-drink-from-an-open-cup-yet-is-that-a-concern - Toddler not drinking from an open cup yet — is it a concern?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-18-to-24-month-old-cannot-drink-from-an-open-cup-yet-is-that-a-concern - 2-Year-Old and the Open Cup: Should You Worry?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-2-year-old-cannot-drink-from-an-open-cup-yet-is-that-a-concern - My child can't drink from a cup yet — should I worry, and how do I help?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-cannot-drink-from-a-cup-yet-should-i-worry-and-how-do-i-help - Open Cup Drinking at 12–18 Months: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-a-12-to-18-month-old-be-able-to-drink-from-an-open-cup - Open Cup Drinking at 18-24 Months: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-a-18-to-24-month-old-be-able-to-drink-from-an-open-cup - Open Cup Drinking at Age 2: A Parent's Milestone Guide: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-a-2-year-old-be-able-to-drink-from-an-open-cup ### Explore therapy & support - How do I help my child learn to follow instructions?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-help-my-child-learn-to-follow-instructions ### At home & in everyday life - How can I work on Following Basic Commands with my child at home?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-following-basic-commands-with-my-child-at-home - How to Work on Following Simple One-Step Directions at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-following-simple-onestep-directions-with-my-child-at-home - How to Work on One-Step Instruction at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-onestep-instruction-with-my-child-at-home - How to Work on Following Single-Step Instructions at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-following-singlestep-with-my-child-at-home - Responding to Simple Instructions at Home: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-can-i-work-on-responding-to-simple-instructions-and-with-my-child-at-home