How to Help Your Child Drink Independently

Create an environment

  • As soon as your child can hold something in his two hands introduce a small glass for drinking. When we offer him a glass instead of a bottle or ‘sippy’ cup he feels he is being like a ‘grown up’. Putting this trust in your child makes him feel good about himself.
  • Also provide a small jug, which has a weight and handle in proportion to his size so that he can pour his own drink.

Show your child how to drink from a glass

  • Using slow deliberate movements demonstrate how he can grasp the glass with two hands and bring it to his lips to drink.
  • Once he can do this you can also show him how to pour his own drink from a small jug with a small amount of juice, water or milk in it.

Make time

  • At first your child will dribble the water down his chin and will spill when he pours from the jug. This is natural when he is learning a new skill. Bearing in mind that we learn more from our mistakes than our successes will help you to keep a positive approach as your child learns to drink by himself.

Demonstration of pouring a drink:

  • Place only a small amount of water in the jug.
  • Lift the jug with one hand on the handle and the other hand under the lip.
  • Centre the lip over the centre of the glass and pour slowly.
  • Put the jug down.
  • Pick up the drinking glass with two hands and take a drink.
  • When carrying the jug and glass to the table, make two trips and show how to carry each object with two hands.