Your little one has a friend over, so as a treat, you’re all having pizza! As they gulp their food down and happily chat away to one another, you make sure to remind them to drink some water. And that’s when you notice that your toddler’s friend is able to drink from a cup without a lid or spout. While you know it isn’t necessarily helpful or healthy to compare children, it does get you wondering whether your child might be ready to retire their beaker and whether this is something you should encourage.

Before we find out how to go about making the transition, we appreciate that there are some discrepancies between countries as to what a beaker actually is. So, let’s quickly establish what we mean when we’re talking about beakers and cups.

What’s the difference between a beaker and a cup?

In this instance, a beaker is a cup that comes with a lid and a spout for sipping on. For this reason, they’re often referred to as sippy cups. A cup, on the other hand, can have 1 or 2 handles, or none at all, but it won’t have a lid or spout.

Now that we have determined the difference, you may be wondering - Why, when it keeps them from spilling their drinks, should I swap from beaker to cup?

Why should my toddler use a cup instead of a beaker and when?

Over time, beakers are not good for your toddler’s teeth. When they drink through a spout, the liquid is sucked between the front teeth, and when they’re drinking something sugary, this can promote tooth decay. By eliminating the spout, cups don’t pose the same problem.

As for when your toddler should make the switch, they should develop the motor skills to hold and drink from a cup around the age of 2 and a half to 3 years.

So, now that we have a good idea of why and when to make the transition, let’s find out how best to go about it.

How do I get my toddler to transition from beaker to cup?

Follow these tips to help the transition from beaker to cup to be as smooth as possible.

Buy a small handled cup. Try to get your hands on a 225ml cup with 2 handles and have your toddler choose it, telling them they’re “old enough now to have a big cup!”

Decorate the cup. Once you make it home, have them stick fun, colourful stickers all over it. This way it can be easily identified and encourages them to have positive associations with it.

Remove beakers from their view. Hide or throw away any beakers so your little one isn’t tempted by them at mealtimes.

Don’t fill their cup all the way to the top. Remember, your toddler is learning a new skill and a full cup is a little harder to handle.

Have them use their cup at the table. Your little one will feel better about using their cup if they can keep from spilling it. So begin by only having them drink when they’re sitting or standing still.

Don’t make a big deal out of spills. And if they do spill, which they will, don’t make a big deal out of it. A simple “Whoops” will suffice, and then clean it up without comment. We don’t want them to have negative associations with the new cup.

Offer plenty of praise. Learning any new skills and tasks takes time and lots of positive encouragement!

How and when do I get my child to use a cup instead of a beaker?