Learning to drink from a straw is an important part of feeding skill development and supports tongue placement and oral patterns for speech sound development. By 9 months of age most babies are ready to be introduced to a straw cup, and many babies will be ready for straw drinking before 9 months of age. Frequently babies learn straw drinking quickly because they are used to closing their lips and sucking to drink milk from the breast or bottle; however, sometimes a bit of structured practise can be helpful. If you are looking for ways to practise straw drinking with your baby, try these tips.
The Pipette Method
Dip a straw in water, breast milk or infant formula. Cover the top of the straw with your finger to trap the fluid in the straw then offer the straw to your baby. Once they open their mouth for the straw, release your finger so the fluid flows into their mouth.
The Puree Straw Method
If your baby needs encouragement to close their lips on the straw, coat the tip of the straw in a thin layer of puree.
The Squeezie Cup Method
Some babies find it useful to start with a straw training system such as the Honey Bear. With a straw training system, the adult offers the straw, and when the baby puts the straw to their mouth, the adult squeezes the cup to force a small amount of liquid out of the straw. As time goes on, the adult stops squeezing and the baby learns that they need to suck from the straw to get the liquid. The biggest downside to a straw training system is that as soon as your baby learns to drink from a straw, they outgrow the training system and need a different straw cup.
If you would like more information about straw drinking or children’s feeding development, please get in touch. Follow us on Facebook for more speech, language, and feeding tips, and sign up for South Lakes Speech & Language Therapy’s newsletter if you would like new posts sent directly to your inbox.