Three Potential Problems If Your Child Uses a Sippy Cup

Does your child use a sippy cup? Those handy little gadgets, featuring a plastic cup with a tight lid and a spill-proof bill-shaped spout, have been around for over 50 years. They seem likely to be around for at least another 50, but there are 3 potential problems you need to be aware of if your child uses a sippy cup.

Problem #1: Is the sippy cup affecting your child's speech development?

Some speech pathologists believe that if the sippy cup is used too long, it may have a negative effect on a child's speech development. The problem is that use of the sippy cup does not contribute to the normal muscle development of a child's mouth. The child's mouth, when using a bottle or a sippy cup, engages in continual suckle-swallow activity. The tongue lies flat, and either remains under the lip of the cup, or moves in a back-and-forth motion. In contrast, when drinking out of a cup, a much more complex set of activities comes into play. The cheeks and the lips suck the liquid in and the tongue squeezes, lifts, and sends the liquid down the child's mouth. This helps to develop the mouth muscles that will be used in speech.

As a result, if a child uses a sippy cup for too long, they may lack the proper development to enunciate clearly as they learn to speak. In particular, the "th" and "st" sounds may have a tendency to be slurred.

Fans of the sippy cup claim that there is no scientific evidence to support these claims, because no studies have been done to research the problem. The "evidence" of slurred speech among sippy cup users tends to be the anecdotal observations of pre-school teachers and speech therapists.

Whatever the case, everyone seems to agree that your child is unlikely to suffer long-term damage. The condition, if it exists, is easily reversible. If your child appears to be having difficulty enunciating, and some of his speech sounds sound slurred, you might want to try weaning him to a regular cup.

Problem #2: Is your child's sippy cup promoting tooth decay?