Newborns have a sucking reflex that enables them to nurse or bottle feed. This reflex involves opening their mouths and moving their tongues in and out to “milk” the nipple. When babies start solid foods around 6 months of age, they usually push food out of their mouths because that’s what their tongues are used to doing. It takes a week or more for babies to learn how to use their tongues effectively with spoon-feeding, but they continue with the milking action when taking breast milk or formula.

Sippy cups have been around for as long as I can remember. Straw cups are relatively new on the scene. When babies drink from sippy cups, some of them continue to push out their tongues, which could lead to lisps and other speech problems later on. However, with straw cups, they are more likely to keep their tongues in their mouths, which is theoretically better for speech development.

So which type of cup is better for infants and young children? Here’s what Maia Magder, a speech pathologist at NIH, has to say about the matter: “There is no hard evidence that sippy cups cause speech delays, but it’s important to provide infants with opportunities to move their mouths in more advanced patterns to foster feeding and speech advancement.”

Regular “open” cups are the best for speech development, but babies are pretty messy, so many parents aren’t ready for this step until the toddler years. Here is Maia’s take on getting rid of spouts and straws: “Offering an open cup as early as 8 or 9 months helps with jaw stabilization, which is another important factor in speech development. As for the messiness, like other aspects of parenting, think of it as balancing the new with the old. It’s always important to read a baby’s signs and signals when using cups so that your baby doesn’t choke.”