Sippy Cups vs. Bottles: What’s Best for Airplane Travel?
Adequate hydration is an important concern for parents traveling with babies, especially when flying. Studies show that flight conditions including dry air and low pressure contribute to dehydration because of increased fluid loss through evaporation from the skin surface and through respiration. As babies are even more vulnerable to dehydration than adults, you need to be particularly mindful about keeping your baby hydrated when flying. If you’re breastfeeding, this will mean that you need to increase your water intake to ensure that you are well-hydrated, but if your baby has already started weaning, you’ll have to carry a bottle or sippy cup for feeding water and milk or formula. So, how do you choose what’s right for your baby?
Sippy Cups vs Bottles: Choose What’s Right for Your Baby
Deciding whether to carry a bottle or sippy cup when flying should be based on what’s appropriate at your baby’s age. Most pediatricians recommend that parents start the transition at about 6 months so that babies can break the bottle feeding habit by the time they reach 12 to 18 months.
Extended bottle feeding is regarded as problematic as it is associated with problems such as dental caries and nutritional deficiencies because of refusal to eat other foods. Switching to sippy cups and training cups helps babies learn to drink independently and allows for the use of facial muscles, the tongue, and the soft palate, reducing the risk of problems with feeding and speech development.
Just make sure to choose expert-recommended sippy cups as some cups such as those with no-spill valves can be counterproductive. At the same time, low quality cups may also contain toxic chemicals such as BPA and BPA alternatives (BPAAs) including BPS and BPF.
Sippy Cups vs Bottles: Choosing What’s Best for Airplane Travel
If your baby is over 6 months of age, sippy cups with no spill features (excluding the no-spill valve) are the ideal choice as they will ensure that your baby stays hydrated without causing a mess. These types of cups typically come with weighted bottoms or flattened straws that limit the risk of toppling or backflow. They’re also durable and portable, making them perfect for long flights.
Just make sure that you start early so that your baby is already in the habit of drinking water before your flight. While giving your baby access to the sippy cup throughout the day, keep in mind that you should only fill it with water as babies who sip on juices and sugary drinks throughout the day have a higher risk of tooth decay and excess calorie intake.
Sippy Cup Advice for Airplane Travel
If you’re carrying a sippy cup with water onto an airplane, avoid filling it up fully or don’t fill it up until you’ve boarded. Because of changes in air pressure when flying, water will shoot out of the straw as soon as you flip it open if the cup is full. You can also unscrew the lid before using it so that some of the pressure is allowed to escape.
It would also be a good idea to check TSA rules about carrying baby liquids onto a flight so that you don’t run into any problems. In most cases, airline restrictions on fluid do not apply to babies as breast milk, formula, and other baby foods are regarded as medically essential.
While incredibly convenient while flying, sippy cups are only meant to help babies transition to open cup drinking. By the age of 2 years, your baby should be able to drink independently out of an open cup and the sippy cup can be brought out only when traveling.
