
How I Taught My Babies to Drink from a Miracle 360 Cup
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy here
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
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!
45 Comments
Jennifer
July 4, 2018 at 10:05 AM
This is such a great post! I love your genius technique of teaching them how to use it, I’m sure it’s so much easier than the alternative!
jennycranford
July 13, 2018 at 6:51 AM
Thank you!
kumara
June 2, 2019 at 5:09 PM
Brilliant idea… great to know.. our little one is throwing it away every time we give this… will try your method… and let’s see what happens
jennycranford
June 8, 2019 at 2:35 PM
Good luck! I hope my trick works for you!
Christina
June 12, 2020 at 10:27 AM
Thanks for the post. My 11 month old drinks water out of her’s like a champ, but when it’s time for milk, she won’t accept the 360 cup in place of a bottle. Any advice?
Rachel
June 4, 2019 at 3:20 AM
This is genius! I tried with my daughter when she was a baby and gave up after a few failed attempts. Will try this with my new baby and see if it works.
jennycranford
June 8, 2019 at 2:37 PM
I know the frustration! It took me a while to figure it out how to get my oldest to take it. Hopefully this trick helps you out the second time around 🙂
Maia
June 28, 2019 at 11:45 AM
Genius! I’m a first time mom and I tried this technique with my 5 month old son and it worked!!! I’m feeling very proud to have taught my son how to drink from a “big” boy cup. Thank you!!!
jennycranford
July 12, 2019 at 1:22 PM
My pleasure! I’m so glad it worked for you 🙂
Maia
June 28, 2019 at 11:47 AM
Oh!!! I almost forgot. Seeing as your a wiz with cups do you have any advice about sleep training??? lol
jennycranford
July 12, 2019 at 1:35 PM
Ha ha! Well, I’m no sleep training expert and my babies were generally good sleepers (I’ve always said it was my reward for terrible pregnancies), but I can share what I did with my girls.
First, I established a routine. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it just needs to be the same every night, Helped them know bedtime was coming. We did bath, book, milk/bottle, song. Usually after the book, I’d turn off the lights, but leave just a nightlight on for the song & bottle, just to get them in the mood for sleeping. I’d rock them until they were sleepy, but still awake, then I laid them down, turned on a sound machine (rain or ocean sounds – mimics womb sounds), kissed them, and walked away.
If they ever cried, I usually waited about 5 minutes before going in, to see if they soothed themselves first. If they kept crying and I had to go in, I tried to soothe them in their crib – rubbing their head, gently patting their stomach, whatever. My biggest thing was to keep things dark and sleepy and to try to help them soothe themselves. Picking them up was a last resort, but if I had too, then I’d soothe them until they were sleepy again, then try to put them down again. I always tried to put them down before they were completely asleep. I read that that helps them learn to put themselves to sleep rather than relying on a caregiver to do it.
I don’t know if any of that will help, but that’s what I did. My fingers are crossed you get some relief soon, Mama!
Claire
July 7, 2019 at 12:54 PM
Hi, I googled how to get my baby to drink from munchkin 360 cup and low and behold I found this blog post. I followed your advice and it worked very well. After a week, my son (who is 6 months old today) can now drink from this cup, loves the novelty which I’m happy about as he’s enjoying drinking water! Thanks so much for your genius advice 🙂
jennycranford
July 12, 2019 at 1:24 PM
Yay! I’m so happy it helped!
AntiSleep trainer
July 19, 2019 at 3:54 AM
I hate that you posted and support leaving babies unattended.
Your blog on cups is excellent but peddling ignoring babies is disgusting. Even adults in hospitals are not ignored after calling the nurse. Sick.
Disgusted
July 20, 2019 at 7:55 AM
Are you even a parent? Who has the time or energy to be with their kids every second? And if you have two kids crying at the same time are you magically able to be there for both of them? Smh. Mom shaming is so disgusting
AK
August 5, 2020 at 5:06 AM
Thanks for sharing! I am training my little one these days with your method and its working well.
Another trip I discovered is that when they are drinking with the leak-proof lid on top for the first time, fill up the cup with water all the way as the more the water in the cup, the seal breaks faster and easily when drinking.
jennycranford
July 22, 2019 at 5:26 PM
A) She asked me my opinion and I simply stated what I did, not that it’s right or perfect, but what I found worked for me.
B) I also stated that I only waited about 5 minutes before going in to soothe them. You’re acting like I let them cry for hours, which is not at all what happened and I believe I was very clear on that.
C) What’s sick and disgusting is mom shaming. Moms have enough weighing on their minds and enough guilt on their hearts without sanctimommies like you running around calling people names and insinuating that they’re bad parents. I highly doubt you are in any way, shape, or form a perfect parent, so take that garbage somewhere else.
Disgusted
July 27, 2019 at 8:25 AM
Hey Jenny, I was defending you! I agree with you. I have two kids and they sometimes are crying at the same time, and if I could be there for both of them, I would. I choose the need that is more pressing- an injury or the one who could be in more danger if I didn’t help them. I loved your article and your advice. In fact, my 4 month old never took a bottle so I will be trying the miracle 360 cup in a few weeks and skipping the bottle altogether.
What I don’t like is someone posting unrealistic expectations and saying you’re sick for not meeting them. We all do the best we can, and if we can’t do everything then we have to choose what’s more important in the moment!
Stephanie
April 3, 2021 at 8:47 PM
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Absolutely! She or he is a troll and just here to upset you. I’m so glad you stood up for yourself! This is YOUR blog with your opinions and techniques, and you are in no way preaching.
jennycranford
July 30, 2019 at 6:51 PM
Hi “Disgusted” – I know you were defending me. My replay for for the OP, not you. I really and truly appreciate you having my back! I know mom life can be so hard, and we’re all just doing the best we can, so I don’t like to judge other moms for their choices. I don’t know their lives. That’s why the OP comment was something I couldn’t stand for. Thanks for helping me stand up for mamas everywhere and shut down the mom shaming! The world needs more mamas like you! <3
Aishwarya
September 9, 2019 at 1:23 PM
Hi Jenny!
Thank you so much for this excellent post! I have bookmarked your blog!
I am trying to teach my baby boy how to drink using a miracle cup. But I still don’t understand one thing–does it work with a small amount of liquid? I mean, the liquid is at the bottom, how does the liquid come up while sucking on the rim in an upright position? Help!
jennycranford
September 9, 2019 at 1:32 PM
Hi! So there’s no straw with the Miracle 360 cup, so you don’t suck liquid up from the bottom. You tilt the cup, just like you would a regular cup! The rubber stopper keeps the liquid from just gushing out like it would if you gave baby a regular cup. While tilting the cup, the pressure of baby’s lips on the rubber stopper break the seal and allow liquid to flow out of the cup and into their mouth. It’s like a regular adult cup with training wheels. Hope that helps!
Aishwarya
September 9, 2019 at 11:12 PM
Thank you so much, Jenny! Highly appreciate your help. I am gonna teach my baby using the techniques you have described. Will update on my progress after a while. Take care!
Sharene Moretton
September 12, 2019 at 6:34 PM
Wow this method actually works! My daughter is drinking from it now. Although…it seems like she has to make a lot of effort to drink from it. I want to start giving her formula using this cup. Have you used it with formula before? Do you need to sterilise it after each formula use?
jennycranford
September 14, 2019 at 7:55 AM
It does take a bit of effort on their part in the beginning because they do have to suck a bit to get the liquid out. It’ll be easier for her in no time! Yes, with my first I would occasionally give her formula in the cup. I washed it after use, of course, but I never felt the need sterilized it. To make sure you’re actually getting a thorough clean after the formula, try and take off the rubber ring around the white top part so you can clean off any residual formula that got behind there (it’s not hard to do, promise!)
Emily
October 18, 2019 at 10:22 AM
GENIUS! I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get my daughter (9 months) to drink from this cup. She’s never been into bottles or any sippy cups/pacifiers etc. so getting her to suck or drink from anything besides the breast has been…a challenge! I can’t wait to try this method out 🙂
Shell
December 4, 2019 at 1:31 AM
Thank you so much for the guide to use the 360 cup, I’ve been trying for months with no luck but these steps makes more sense than just giving the cup to my LO and hoping she figured it out 🤦♀️
Abby
February 27, 2020 at 9:38 AM
Omg!!! Thank u so much! She was not getting it at all! I tried your way and it only took one try!!!
Kim Picard
April 16, 2020 at 11:26 PM
I just bought this cup the other day and I thought to myself ” how the heck DOES the water come out. Then I looked closely and saw the little slits in the circles that open to let water flow out, when they pull in the rubber top. I felt kinda slow lol. Im a Grandmother aka Mimi of an awesome little 11/2 year old and starting my MOTHERHOOD all over again with my youngest who is 7 1/2 months old ( my other kids are 20,18,17,16, and 10 so needless to say I was surprised about being pregnant! ) All these new products out these days, are truly just that, NEW!! They didn’t have half of these things on the market when my other kids were small. I had to teach them to drink out of a regular sippy cup that had a piece you removed to wash the mouth piece that’s it. At anyrate, I’m greatful for blogs like yours to teach this “old dog” ( I’m not old I’m 37 lol) some new tricks when it comes to mommy stuff! My kid kind of has the hang of it, but now I’m going to try your way to make sure he gets it! So thanks for doing what ya do!
JW
April 20, 2020 at 11:46 AM
We love these cups, but everytime they are dropped on the floor from the high chair the liquid spills and splatters everywhere. Have you found anything that works to keep it from spilling? Hoping we don’t have to resort back to the regular spout sippy cups. Thanks!
NV
April 26, 2020 at 8:13 AM
This was a awesome share. I had been struggling to get my little one to use this cup. Your tip did the trick! Thank you..
Nini
April 26, 2020 at 1:14 PM
My LO is 11mo and I still can’t get him to drink from the 360! Going to try this again using your method, will update if it works for us. Fingers crossed!
Aneri
June 15, 2020 at 11:59 PM
Thank u very much for the brilliant idea .. my 13mo started using the cup with your idea.. had to remove the lid just once n he knew water is coming.. earlier when he didn’t attempt I was so sad n now complete opposite.. thank you once again ..
Carlene
August 26, 2020 at 11:36 AM
Thank you! So helpful!
sara
October 3, 2020 at 1:52 AM
Amazing- i am going to try this! Thank you x
tiera barron
October 15, 2020 at 7:35 AM
Just used this method and it worked like a charm. Thank you!
Helen
March 10, 2021 at 4:37 AM
Great info and photos, very helpful, thanks!
Sharon Morley
April 18, 2021 at 4:18 AM
Great post. I woke this morning racking my brain on how I was going to do this and this is so helpful and sounds so easy! I can’t wait to get started on this!
Brittany
April 21, 2021 at 4:37 AM
Taught my Godnephew this method in 5 minutes. Now he is drinking like a pro. Thank you so much for the tip.
Duaa Amin Godil
June 13, 2021 at 1:02 AM
That was such an informative post. Thankyou soo much
Jenn
September 14, 2021 at 3:54 PM
This helped me teach myself how to use it. I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. I bet the baby is ten times smarter…,
Jessica
January 5, 2022 at 2:19 PM
Does any one know if this cup is okay to use at night while lead down ? Or will it leak ?
Anya
January 29, 2022 at 1:19 PM
So smart! Will try your method out 🙂 Thanks for the post! <3
Lauren
March 5, 2022 at 3:00 AM
Thank you for writing this blog and sharing what worked for you, I’ve tried this and my 19 month old is now drinking from his 360 cup within a week! Thank you!
Connie
February 24, 2023 at 1:04 PM
Thank you for sharing! I’m about to introduce sippy cups to my 6 month old but I wasn’t sure how to do it with this cup 🙂