As children grow, they leave certain vestiges of their childhood behind while discovering new ones. Take the bottle, for instance. Its substitute is a "sippy" cup, and then later, a regular cup. But how and when should your child make these transitions?

"Your baby's ability to switch from a bottle to a cup depends on the need to suck, eye-hand coordination and small motor development," writes Bridget Swinney, registered dietician, in her book Baby Bites: Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Babies and Toddlers in One Handy Book (Meadowbrook Press, 2007).

It's also important to recognize that sucking is an important part of infancy, and each infant is different, so don't be too anxious to remove the bottle too soon, cautions Donna Hallas, clinical associate professor at New York University's College of Nursing. "Infants can begin to use a sippy cup when they can sit well in the highchair and can hold the cup in both hands," she says. "Often this is around 8 months old, but some infants can do this around 6 months old."

After the infant is 12 months old, the parent, along with the health care provider, can determine the infant's readiness to give up the bottle, Hallas says. Some infants can drink well from a sippy cup at 12 months, but continue to want their bottle at times, like bedtime.

The first step is to "sit your baby upright on your lap or in a highchair – not in a reclined position like a car seat or bouncer seat – as this is safer when drinking and also helps their hand-eye and motor coordination," says Nancy Holtzman, registered nurse, international board certified lactation consultant and director of early parenting programs at Isis Maternity in the Greater Boston area.

Holtzman recommends choosing a smaller sized sippy cup – about 4 to 8 ounces – as a bigger cup will be too heavy when filled for a young baby to manage easily. If the cup has a removable non-spill valve, remove it temporarily and put it away. You'll want to use it in a month or two. "The non-spill valve creates a one-way flow, and the baby needs to suck hard to overcome the vacuum," Holtzman says. "This is a hard thing to learn at the beginning."

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