Sometimes in parenting, it’s the small victories that mean the most. Today we had one of those moments:
That’s Cordy, drinking with a straw. For the first time ever.
It was three years ago (she was 15 months) that we were struggling with weaning her off of a bottle while she stubbornly refused to try a sippy cup. I eventually convinced her that she could obtain liquid from a sippy cup, but her condition was that I had to hold it for her.
She held it on her own at 19 months.
For over a year now Operation: Remove Sippy Cup has been in effect, and until today it was an utter failure. She refused to drink anything unless it was in a sippy cup, and it had to be in only one brand of sippy cup, too. A brand which, incidentally, they changed the design for last year, making it impossible to buy any new cups. And she considers the redesign a different type of cup.
I don’t know if you are aware of the life span of a sippy cup, but it doesn’t last forever. Eventually it becomes worn and small bits of black mold try to form in the moist crevices after it’s 2-3 years old. Cordy’s small collection of sippy cups have been washed thousands of times, and bleached more than a few to remove any beginnings of mold. We’ve had to declare three of them complete losses when they were left behind a sofa or in the car for more than a few days and no amount of bleach would remove the mold that started growing. Which leaves us with only 5 sippy cups, and no hope of reinforcements.
So you can see why we’ve been urging her to leave the sippy behind and try something else. At school they’ve convinced her to drink from an open cup, but it has to be the size of a Dixie cup and it can only be at school. Straws have never been an option.
(I should mention at this point that Mira has been drinking from a straw since 9 months old. The resentment of having a younger sib show her up must take a few more years to develop.)
Cordy’s autism plays a small part in this. I know many kids are stubborn – this is a problem that any parent could have. But Cordy has a preternatural fear of change. The slightest shift to her schedule or the objects in her life can ruin any tranquility in our house. We have to gently push her towards change, ever so slightly, trying to maintain the balance between drawing her out beyond her fears and losing her for a time as she retreats inside her own mind.
So how did we manage this feat? The promise of ice cream. Bribes work on any kid. OK, well, bribes never worked for this before now. Hey, I don’t care how it worked.
Of course, tomorrow she may refuse to look at a straw. We’ll see. But for now I’m thrilled.
Maybe potty training will come next?
O. M. G. That is awesome!!! Go Cordy! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the potty training thing, too. 🙂
Yay, Cordy! You’re so right about the small victories sometimes being the best things in life. And after four poopie diapers yesterday I’m right there with you on the potty training.
Hooray Cordy!
Way to go, Cordy! Glad to hear she’s making great strides lately! Good luck with the potty training!
Ice cream is really hard to eat on the toilet — I recommend skittles.
Congratulations 🙂
Glad to hear that we are not the only ones plagued by the ugly black sippy cup mold. 😀 The bottle went to the way side rather easily for my boy. Hopefully the cup is just as easy. 😀
Yea Cordy! And yea Christina!
We got Thomas to start using a straw pretty early too … the secret? Milkshake! It’s an immediate ice cream reward, it was perfect for us. Good luck getting her to try one today!
Oh, and if you *really* end up needing more sippy cups, try ebay – a great place to find new of the stuff they just don’t make anymore.
That is so huge and wonderful! I hope she continues to use the bendy straw. Congrats!!
This is so wonderful! Mi
YES! *fist pump for you!*
It’s all in the milestones…she’s making them.
That’s great! Just have patience I’m sure things will change in time.
Awww. That’s great.
Longtime lurker, first time commenter. Cordy ROCKS! I am always amazed by the pride we mommies take in moments that might seem mundane to the rest of the world but are huge to us. She wins the award this week for Best Use of A Bendy Straw…even if she never touches it again (but I hope she does).
It’s not a bribe. It’s a payment for a service rendered. If you look at it that way, you won’t feel as though you’re doing something wrong. You wanted her to do something. She didn’t want to do it. You found her form of currency. Problem solved.
Happy for you!
Congratulations! Sometimes the little victories are the most important.
Awesome! Congrats to Cordy for another milestone!
HURRAH for Cordy! That’s so awesome!!!
Small victories are what keep me waking up each morning. And not just with the kids. Referring to myself as well. 😉