Let’s talk sippy cups. There are so many to choose from so how
do you know which one is right for your child and their development? While most of the variations among sippy
cups are a personal preference, there is one variation that can affect your
child’s speech and language development.
The oral portion of the sippy cup can actually be detrimental to your
child’s oral motor development.
First, what does oral motor mean
and how does it affect your child?
Oral motor refers to the strength, range of motion and coordination of
the structures around and inside your mouth: lips, cheeks, tongue, soft and
hard palate. If these structures
develop poor posture or general weakness it can affect feeding, swallowing and speech
production (articulation).
As a licensed Speech and Language
Pathologist, I highly recommend you avoid traditional sippy cups secondary to
their negative affects to the oral structures. The traditional sippy does not promote proper lip closure and
actually encourages continued suckling-like movement of the tongue which should
no longer be the primary method for nutrition. To encourage adequate oral motor strength and posture,
parents can introduce cup drinking or straw drinking between six and 12 months
of age. If you decide to use
spill-proof straw cups, continue encouraging open cup drinking, as that is the
ultimate goal.
Another step for developing strong
oral motor skills is to stop the use of bottles by 12 months of age.
If you have any concerns regarding
your child’s speech and language development, please contact our office for a free consultation. Red flags to
watch for include slurred speech development/poor articulation, open mouth
breathing, drooling, and food frequently spilling out of the mouth.
Reimaginespeech.com - chelsea@reimaginespeech.com - (214) 994-7920
Reimaginespeech.com - chelsea@reimaginespeech.com - (214) 994-7920
Chelsea Roberts is a mother of two, ages 1 ½ and 3 years, and a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist. She loves to reach out to moms who have questions or concerns about their child’s development. Her practice, ReImagine Speech and Language Therapy, PLLC stands above other companies through unique accessing to services through in-home, on-site and telepractice delivery. Her team specializes in treating patients with a variety of speech, language, feeding, swallowing, and cognitive disorders across the age spectrum. Contact her to schedule a speech therapy evaluation. info@reimaginespeech.com
