How to teach a child to drink from a straw: tips for parents

Parents are responsible not only for the upbringing and education of the child. First, they should teach the child simple household things - how to put on pants, go to the potty, wash hands, clean up toys. It is very important to teach a child to eat and drink from a mug on their own, to use a spoon and fork. The ability to drink liquid through a straw is also irreplaceable.

Why drink through a straw

But why teach a child to drink from a straw? From a cup - it is clear, adults drink this way. And from the tube why? The fact is that this way of consuming a liquid has a number of advantages.

1. First, it is very convenient, which makes life easier for many parents. Today, there are many special drinking bowls with tubes on sale. It is convenient to use them - poured tea or juice to the child and gave it to the crumbs. Under no circumstances will the child be able to open the container, throw it over or become dirty.The liquid comes from there only if it is sucked out. This means that the mother can pour water or kefir to the child and go about her business, and not stand near the baby, holding a glass until he gets drunk.
2. The second plus straw is its prevalence. On a trip, in the city, in a shop and in a park, it is difficult to find a glass or a mug. In addition, most children because of their age do not know how to drink from a mug. And the principle of drinking through a straw resembles a pacifier, so children quickly learn to drink in this way. Juice with a straw can be found in any stall and store, so if the kid suddenly asked to drink, there will be no problems with this.
3. As you know, natural juices are useful for the child's body, but completely undesirable for small teeth. The tubule protects the teeth from hitting them with aggressive acids and protects them from destruction.
4. Many doctors say that while drinking through a tube in a child, the same muscles of the tongue are involved that work during a conversation. Thus, frequent drinking through a straw contributes to the development of speech.

These advantages of using the tube are pushing parents to the fact that they need to master this skill.They solemnly give a glass with a tube to the baby and are confronted with incomprehension. The kid just does not know what to do with this tube. At best, he puts it in his mouth and just chews it. How to explain to your child that the juice from a straw should be sucked out?

Teach your child to drink from the tube

We have collected for you a lot of tips and recommendations from experienced mothers who still managed to teach their children to sip juice, kefir or yogurt from a straw.

Drinking from a straw begins to teach children who are more than 9 months. By the year, usually, kids have the skill to perfection.

1. Put the child at the table. You can not allow him to drink lying down or during the game - he can choke. Immediately accustom the child to order, so you do not complain about the puddles and crumbs throughout the house.
2. If the child drinks baby juice, gently push down on the soft pack to get a little juice in the baby's mouth. He will taste and will try to suck some more out of the pack. This will allow him to learn to drink with the help of a straw.
3. Some kids help example. Show how you drink tea or juice through a straw. At the same time, try to be as emotional as possible - show how your cheeks flow as you suck, how your chest inflates as you suck in liquid.This will all help your child learn the technique of the process. Most children learn to drink through a straw, imitating their older brothers and sisters.
4. If the baby sucks up the liquid with great force, he will not be able to swallow it. So he can choke. Watch your baby for the first time. If the baby choked several times - it does not matter, cough fix everything. However, if the baby chokes after each drink from the tube, you need to pour him yogurt, kefir or jelly instead of juice. Thick consistency will not allow the baby to suck up the liquid very quickly. If the baby still chokes, it may be worthwhile to postpone the training until better times.
5. If the baby can not learn to drink from the tube, you can use the following advice. Dip the straw into the glass with the juice and clamp the upper end. Lift a straw - it will remain delicious juice. Ask the child to open his mouth and put a few drops of juice there. When the baby gets used, you can not ask him to open his mouth, and stretch his lips. The child will repeat after you and you at this moment need to insert a tube into his sponge. Then the baby will taste the juice. Next time, do not release the hole on the reverse side, but make efforts to ensure that the child sucks the juice from the straw.When he is sufficiently mastered this technique, it is not difficult for him to sip the juice from the pack or glass.

The ability to drink from the tube will push the baby to a more serious step - using a bottle of drinking pots instead of a bottle.

Poilnik

Choosing a cup for crumbs, pay attention to some features. After all, this is what will allow the child, without regret, to give up the bottle and gladly drink liquid from a new dish.

The water bottle should not be very big - so that the baby does not have a hard time walking with him. It should be safe - no sharp edges. In addition, he certainly should please the future owner or owner, so choose bright copies with your favorite characters. It is best to use poilniki with silicone nozzles, of which it is so pleasant and convenient to pull the liquid. Modern models can be presented in the form of thermopilicles that hold heat for a long time. This is so important in the period of long winter walks.

Before you offer a crumbs new dishes for drinking - say that you need to give the bottle to the kids, because it is already quite large and should be drunk from adult dishes.It is very good if friends or neighbors have a newborn baby. You can tell the baby that you need to give the bottle to Katyusha, because she is completely Lerya and needs her. So you can safely switch to a new way of drinking.

The ability to draw liquid from a tube is a simple, in the opinion of adults, skill. Indeed, pulling juice through a straw is similar to feeding on breast milk. The difficulty is to explain this to a child. Be patient - if your baby does not work, go back to school in a month.

Video: how to teach a child to drink independently