Skip the Bottle? Why 6 Months Is the Perfect Time to Introduce Open and Straw Cups
If your breastfed baby has never taken a bottle, or has decided they’re done with it, you’ve probably spent some time stressing about what comes next. Here’s something that might actually make you feel better: by 6 months, you may not need the bottle at all. Introducing open and straw cups right alongside solids is a legitimate, therapist-supported approach, and for many breastfeeding families, it’s the smoother path forward.
As both an IBCLC and SLP, I work with families on feeding every day, and cup introduction is one of my favorite topics because parents are almost always surprised by how capable their babies already are. Six months is an ideal window for this, not because your baby is failing at something, but because their development is genuinely ready for it.
Teaching Your Baby to Drink from Open and Straw Cups at 6 Months
Why You Can Skip the Bottle Altogether
If your baby is getting the majority of their nutrition directly at the breast, the bottle was never a nutritional necessity. It was a convenience tool, and if it’s not working, it doesn’t have to be the goal. By 6 months, babies are developmentally ready to start learning open and straw cup skills, and introducing them now actually sets your child up better long term.
Open cups and straw cups support a mature swallowing pattern, where the tongue tip lifts toward the roof of the mouth to move liquid back. Bottles, like the breast, use a more immature suckle pattern, which is completely appropriate for newborns but something we want babies to grow out of. The longer a child relies on that suckle pattern beyond infancy, the greater the chance of developing habits that can affect swallowing, oral structure, and even speech down the road. Hard spout sippy cups have the same problem, which is why feeding therapists consistently steer families toward open and straw cups instead.
So if the bottle isn’t happening, you’re not behind. You might actually be ahead.
How to Introduce an Open Cup
Start here before you move to a straw. The open cup teaches your baby to close their lips around the rim, tilt appropriately, and manage liquid in their mouth before swallowing. These are foundational skills.
The EZPZ Tiny Cup is the most commonly recommended starting cup among feeding therapists and SLPs. It’s silicone, weighted so it doesn’t tip easily, and perfectly sized for a 6-month-old’s hands and mouth. A small shot glass also works well for the first attempts.
A few things that make the learning process easier: bring the cup to their lips and tip it gently, they don’t need to do all the work at first. Model it yourself at meals, babies this age are watching everything you do and will try to imitate. Keep it low-pressure and expect some spills. That’s the learning process, not a failure.
How to Introduce a Straw Cup
Once your baby can take a few small sips from an open cup and swallow without much trouble, you can start introducing a straw. Some babies figure it out quickly, others need a little coaching.
The Honey Bear Straw Cup is the gold standard for early straw introduction and it’s used widely in feeding therapy. The reason it works so well is that you can gently squeeze the cup to push liquid up the straw, so your baby gets to experience what straw drinking feels like before they’ve figured out how to create suction themselves. Once they understand the concept and start actively sucking, you ease off the squeezing and let them do it on their own.
A few things worth knowing: shorter straws are easier than longer ones, so look for cups with straws that don’t extend too far into the mouth. Avoid valved straws, the kind you have to bite to get liquid, because they undermine the whole point. Offer the straw cup regularly at meal and snack times so your baby gets consistent practice.
What If Something Feels Off
Here’s the part I want to make sure you read, because this is where a lot of families get stuck. If your baby isn’t taking a bottle and also isn’t making progress with open or straw cups, that’s worth paying attention to. Difficulty with multiple cup types, gagging, coughing, or consistently refusing liquids from any vessel other than the breast can all be signs that there’s something more going on underneath the surface, whether that’s oral motor difficulty, a structural issue, or a sensory component.
Bottle refusal isn’t always a preference. Sometimes it’s the first sign that a baby’s mouth isn’t working quite the way it should, and those things are worth assessing early rather than waiting to see if they grow out of it. As someone who holds both lactation and feeding therapy credentials, I look at the full picture when families come in with feeding concerns, not just one piece of it.
If your gut is telling you something isn’t quite right, trust that. A feeding evaluation with an IBCLC or SLP who specializes in infant oral motor function can give you real answers, and often a lot of reassurance. You can book a consultation here if you’d like a closer look.
FAQ
Can my baby get enough to drink without a bottle if they’re breastfeeding?
Yes, for most breastfed babies under 12 months, breast milk is still the primary nutrition source and they’re getting it directly at the breast. The cup at this stage is for skill building and supplemental fluids like water, not replacing feeding sessions. Breast milk and/or formula should remain the main source of nutrition through the first year.
Should I introduce the open cup or straw cup first?
Most feeding therapists recommend starting with the open cup first, then introducing the straw once your baby can manage a small sip and swallow. That said, some families do both at the same time with good results. The most important thing is to avoid hard spout sippy cups, which don’t support the same oral motor development as open and straw options.
My baby keeps gagging or coughing when I offer the cup. Is that normal?
Some gagging in the early stages of learning is expected, especially with the open cup as babies figure out how to manage liquid flow. But if it’s happening consistently, if your baby seems to struggle every time, or if you notice coughing that sounds wet or liquidy after swallowing, those are signs worth having evaluated. That kind of pattern can indicate that swallowing coordination needs some support.
