How I Taught My Babies to Drink from a Miracle 360 Cup

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Several years ago, before the girls were born, my sister took my niece for her first dentist visit. She later told me that the dentist had told her that he could tell what kind of sippy cup my niece was using based on the way it was causing her teeth to grow in. I was shocked. I had no idea that any kind of sippy cup could have that kind of impact on a child’s teeth. That story has always stuck with me.

So when I finally had a baby of my own, I knew I wanted to be mindful about what kind of sippy cup I let her use. After some research and shopping around, I settled on the Munchkin Miracle 360 cups. These cups have a spoutless design that allows the child to “[drink] from anywhere around the rim, like a regular cup, [and]  helps support normal muscle development in a child’s mouth” while also being spill-proof.

These cups gave me peace of mind that my girls’ dental health wouldn’t be compromised while also helping them “learn” how they would drink from a regular cup later. Plus, the cup comes with just three, easily removable, parts that are all easy to clean (so no gunky straws . . . yuck!)

Now that I’d settled on what kind of cup I was going to use, I had to figure out a way to teach my baby to use it. It took a few days of trial and error before I figured out how to get Emma (then 6-months-old) to understand how to use it. Once she got it, it was smooth sailing. So when Charlie reached the same age, I used the same technique with her, and had the same success. So, today, I’m sharing with you how I taught my babies to drink from their Miracle 360 cups.

First, it’s important to note how these cups work. The cups come in three parts. The actual cup part, the rim (which has the holes for the liquid to flow through), and the rubber topper. The rubber topper is what “seals” the rim of the cup, to keep liquids from just spilling out; making it spill-proof.

The way the cup works is that once the child puts pressure on the topper with their lips, it “breaks” the seal, allowing for them to drink. Pretty genius, if you ask me, but getting your child to know to put pressure on the topper is the tricky part. Mostly (at least with mine) they lightly held it up to their mouths and were confused that nothing came out, so I knew the first thing I needed to teach them was that there was a drink for them in the cup.

I did this by removing the rubber topper. Then I filled the cup up with just a little bit of water (about an inch or so) and gave it to them like that. Yes, that meant they were dumping water all over themselves, but it was just a little bit and they were actually managing to drink some. I did this for about a week, at meal times (so they were quarantined to their chairs when this water mess was happening), so they would get used to “drinking” from the cup.

Then, the next time I gave it to them, I made sure to put a little bit of water in the top of the cup. This helped make them “suck” on the cup, which then put pressure on the topper, breaking the seal and letting the water inside come out.

I only had to do this one time, then they got it! Now Charlie’s a sippy cup drinking champ!

We love our Miracle 360 cups!

I hope this helps all you other Miracle loving moms & dads! Happy sipping!