need advice: open cups/discipline

[shevacc]

The open cups/sippy cups thread made my blood pressure go up since I have no solution to my issue and it drives me nuts. EVERY single meal time, G pours out her drink. Water or milk, doesn't matter. She looks directly at me and pours out her open cup or holds her sippy upside down and shakes it, or throws her lidded cup. I'm SO SICK of dealing with it. Any suggestions on getting her to stop?

I've explained to her that it's not ok, I've tried ending meal time for her, I've tried removing her from the table. I've stopped her mid-throw and told her no. I've seen her do it at daycare too, though I don't know whether she does it when I'm not there. 

I probably need to be consistent with one approach, but I don't know what I can do. She barely drinks anything as it is and I worry about dehydration with her (her pee is always very yellow). But cleaning up spills is driving me CRAZY. Any suggestions? Please help!

[dixeedeluxe]

This might not be good advice (as I never taught Edie to use an open cup), but I'd say just switch back to whatever cup is spillproof until she gets over the spilling. Kid needs to drink, right?!

[katie]

How long has she been doing this? Lillian just stopped bouncing the sippy and straw cups off the floor/table trying to get the water out so she can splash it around. She just stopped on her own all of a sudden. I am sorry, I really have no advice.

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 11:41:05 GMT -5 dixeedeluxe said:

This might not be good advice (as I never taught Edie to use an open cup), but I'd say just switch back to whatever cup is spillproof until she gets over the spilling. Kid needs to drink, right?!

We don't have any spill proof ones. I've given up on open cups for now and have been using the ones that spill less but she can bang them/shake them hard enough to get drips of liquid out. Which she does repeatedly until I take away her drink. Then we're back to my initial problem of worrying about her not drinking...

She loves puzzles and figuring out how things work/how things fit together. Any suggestions for toddler-proof sippies?

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 11:42:22 GMT -5 katie said:

How long has she been doing this? Lillian just stopped bouncing the sippy and straw cups off the floor/table trying to get the water out so she can splash it around. She just stopped on her own all of a sudden. I am sorry, I really have no advice.

Probably 6 months or more, but it's gotten much worse in the last month. For a long time I would switch from sippies to open cups and she'd be good for a bit, then start playing in her water cup. So we'd switch back and try again a month later. But in the last few months it's gone from playing in the water to looking directly at me and pouring it out.

[puppylove64]

L does this too sometimes and I know how frustrating it is. Sometimes he acts better when he gets to pick out his cup and hold it while I pour the drink, then we put a lid on together. I know this is somewhat dangerous, but if I'm likely cleaning up the floor anyway... I let him be more involved with hopes that it pleases him. He wants to be so independent that usually he spills his drink when I just hand him a cup and expect him to drink. Also if there is still an old cup in the fridge, I pick him up and let him grab it...if I grab it, tantrum follows. Good luck

[helicase]

I keep a close eye on T and if it looks like he's about to dump it, I take the cup away. No milk for you!

I also try to get him to mimic me when I drink at dinner. Sometimes I use two hands, drink slowly and ask him to drink like mommy. He follows my lead ~50% of the time.

[Deleted]

I would try going back to a spill proof sippy to see if that helps. We have these and they are the hardest to spill, and hard to get to leak by shaking, I have been able to find. They are Playtex brand.

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 11:48:17 GMT -5 @therealmc said:

I would give her a spill proof cup and be done with it for awhile. She thinks it is funny.

I think that's exactly it. She thinks it's funny and I'm having trouble not reacting bc I'm so frustrated by it happening so often.

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 11:50:46 GMT -5 @lindy said:

I would try going back to a spill proof sippy to see if that helps. We have these and they are the hardest to spill, and hard to get to leak by shaking, I have been able to find. They are Playtex brand.

I think I'll try these and see how they work out, thanks.

[TrudyCampbell]

Violet looked me right in the eye and intentionally spilled her cup on herself today. She does it to be a jerk.

[Faevantastic]

The playtex one that I posted in the other thread doesn't have a spout and I haven't had any problems with leaking.

[dixeedeluxe]

We've tried all staw cups. We have the most luck withe these. They are big. They are at target now.

[jsillyfun]

May does this too. So effing annoying. I second the rec for the playtex cups

[bigapple]

C did this for a long time. He also figured out how to get most lids off and how to pinch spill proof spouts open, just to drive Mommy crazy. He's stopped recently. I don't know if he just grew out of it, but the things that seemed to work:

* Giving him a large glass just like ours, not a plastic cup or small glass.

* Only pouring about an inch of liquid at a time. He doesn't seem to enjoy spilling if it's not an awesome tidal wave.

[bigapple]

(And I'm with you in the belief that no cup is spill proof)

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 11:55:23 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Violet looked me right in the eye and intentionally spilled her cup on herself today. She does it to be a jerk.

Yup.

[shevacc]

Jul 23, 2014 12:02:41 GMT -5 bigapple said:

C did this for a long time. He also figured out how to get most lids off and how to pinch spill proof spouts open, just to drive Mommy crazy. He's stopped recently. I don't know if he just grew out of it, but the things that seemed to work:

* Giving him a large glass just like ours, not a plastic cup or small glass.

* Only pouring about an inch of liquid at a time. He doesn't seem to enjoy spilling if it's not an awesome tidal wave.

That sounds exactly like G...she tries to figure out how to get the lid off, and if that fails she tries to bang/throw it in such a way to dislodge the lid. I'm scared to try a glass with her routinely throwing cups...maybe after we do sippies for a while again (or if those fail) I'll try switching all of us to my large plastic cups we use for picnics/outside on the deck.

[devonpow]

I'm a hard ass. I would take away the cup and not give it back until the next meal/snack time. They learn fast and won't dehydrate. I'm a tough love person.

[ktstorm]

This is the main reason why we don't use open cups all the time. B loves spilling things, so that he can wipe them up. The boy loves to clean.

Playtex also makes a spoutless sippy-cup that works pretty well if you want to stay with something more like an open cup:
www.target.com/p/playtex-play-time-spoutless-2pk-sippy-cup-assorted-colors/-/A-14956297#prodSlot=medium_3_28

[oso]

Pilar does the same thing. We try to catch her in the act and scold her. If she does it a second time we take the cup away for a few minutes. I don't know if it works or not because it gets better and than worse, then better. I sometime just have to give her sippy cups with the twist on tops.

[oso]

Jul 23, 2014 12:37:23 GMT -5 ktstorm said:

This is the main reason why we don't use open cups all the time. B loves spilling things, so that he can wipe them up. The boy loves to clean.

He'll make a good husband!

[Deleted]

I agree with bigapple here. This is exactly what we do.

[sunnysong]

W does this sometimes, and I usually take his cup and food away for a while. If he did it all the time, I might try something like a sticker chart or something similar for making it through a meal without spilling it, so she could earn something (a small toy, new cup, etc...) once she gets enough stickers. Maybe it would work?

[artgal84]

Lily does this too. The only things that have worked are to give her one of our cups and say it's a big girl cup. Or cutting up lemon slices and letting her put one in and then put the water in (one of her cups) she doesn't want to dump it because it's special and she helped make it.

[vthokie]

A uses an open cup at dinner. When she gets fidgity or starts putting her hands in it, we warn her. Then, if she does it again, I take control of the cup. She asks (politely) if she may have a drink, and then I let her have it. She HATES this arrangement, so it usually gets the point across for a few meals. I know some of the bhaviors come from day care because those kids are crazy time during meals.

[nilex0102]

We have the sMe problem that she plays with her supplies but she drinks plenty so I just take it away after a warning.

[redmonkeystomper]

You are right she is trying to get a reaction. Have you tried time out? It may take a few times but she will learn the consequence.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using proboards

[Deleted]

I'm with devonpow, I take cups away (and food too) if anyone mucks around. I don't have time for that stuff.

(and I agree that no cup is actually spill-proof!!)

[thedahliharpa]

Jul 23, 2014 11:55:23 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

Violet looked me right in the eye and intentionally spilled her cup on herself today. She does it to be a jerk.

H did this to punish us for having D. Oh look you are holding the baby..,screw you here comes a tidal wave of soy milk!