Practicing Drinking

I am working on getting Lily to drink from a "modified" sippy cup. I removed the valve that makes the cup completely spillproof and also, makes the child really suck to get a drink. There have been numerous studies performed that show harm can be done to a child's speech development, swallowing development, teeth eruption, etc. when using this kind of a sippy cup on a regular basis. I guess the point of the studies were to show that you should teach your child to drink and swallow "normally" as opposed to sucking in order to get a drink, since this is not the way they will do it once they are older. Now don't get me wrong, if a cup is to go in the car, the valve will be reinserted since I don't want whatever she is drinking to be EVERYWHERE! I just don't want her to use the valve all the time therefore, she will learn to drink and swallow and will be able to use a "regular" glass sooner too. Anyways, I have just been giving her water and she has fun - she gets a big drink and gags a little sometimes, other times, she plays with the water that has spilled. Ah, the joys of parenthood!!