Home/Work

Hmmm... I think Little Man was probably about 21 months when he learned to drink from a straw.  My mom figured it out for us.  He always thought he knew how to do it, so we'd let him put our straw in his mouth and he was satisfied.  One day my mom did that and he sucked in her iced coffee.  Then spit it all over the place.

Little Man is a shoe-wearer.  Even in the house, he must have his sneakers on.  After putting jammies on at night, or on a lazy morning, he still wants shoes.  I try to convince him that it feels good to wiggle your toes, but he likes shoes.  Can't wait until he's a teenager with huge feet.  Those will smell good.

I've heard from others that the straw drinking "milestone" (ha!) happens all over the place. We first found out Eddie could drink from a straw at 12 months, totally on a whim. Have to admit it's handy, though.

My daughter is in love with her cute little purple Crocs, to the point where sometimes they go everywhere with her - into the bathtub, into bed, etc., not necessarily on her feet but clutched to her chest like her most precious possession.  When she wore them to the beach and we took them off to play in the surf, she had to keep going to back to the towels to check on 'purple'.

She's twenty months old and has been drinking from a straw since she was closer to one, but it took her older brother a lot longer to figure it out.  It seems to depend on the kid.

The Boy, who is just about 18 months, started drinking from a straw a few months ago. Makes restaurant trips easier ...

As for shoes, The Boy LOVES his shoes and flip-flops (with straps on the back -- how cute are baby toes in flip-flops?), but also likes being barefoot. He giggles like crazy every night when we "free the toes!"

my son, almost 20 months, had a sippy cup w/ a straw attached that he figured out pretty early, but never realized that other straws worked the same way.  he actually just 'got it' last weekend- with a milkshake!  give her a delicious treat, and maybe an older sib with the same thing and she will figure it out!

My little guy can't wear crocs w/o socks because the tab rubs his little feet raw. It bums me out because crocs are so cute on little ones!

I agree that toddler Crocs are super cute, and my daughter loved hers when she was C's age. And I love wearing Crocs myself. But I've come to the conclusion that they just aren't right for kids past the toddler stage. Both of my kids have recently started refusing to wear their Crocs because they want something that holds the foot better. And I've been hearing all the horror stories about kids getting their Crocs stuck in escalators and receiving terrible injuries. So no more Crocs for us until the kids get bigger. They're still sooooo cute though!

Re straws, a good tip I heard is to use a juice box and gently squeeze it while the straw is in the child's mouth, so they get a mouthful of juice. Somehow that helps them get to the "aha moment" and figure it out. Worked for both of mine.

My 10 month old has been drinking from a straw since about 6 mos.

I taught him by putting my finger over the top of a straw in some liquid (about 1.5 inches of liquid, so as not to have a *full* straw), usually water sometimes breastmilk, and I would then put the end of the straw in his mouth and take my finger off the top.  He soon realized it came dribbling out the bottom and realized how to use it.  A rubbermaid straw box a couple of times that I squeezed to get water to come *out* Of coming up, so he could continue on his own, also helped teach him.  And he's a pro now.  Has no clue what to do with a sippy cup but we just get him a straw and a cup at restaurants.  :-)

My daughter liked taking sips from the end of a straw if we put a finger over the top (like Fiona above) but she didn't really get how to suck from one herself until she was around 2. Actually, right around the time we got rid of the bottle, oddly enough.

I love Crocs on a kid too (not on an adult, though). They're part of my son's summer uniform, although we were scolded at daycare for sending him over with them (they insisted we bring "proper shoes" instead).

And that straw pic is so funny! My son suddenly figured it out at 16 months. We had been trying for months with no success, but that day a magical breakthrough occurred. And the "bad parent" part is that we rarely drink soda, and much less give him some, but that day that's what was in the cup. Since it's something he usually can't have it was wildly appealing to him, and I guess it was a good enough incentive.

Make the straw shorter.

My niece is a speech pathologist and works with infants and young children with suck swallow issues. We have talked about straw use, first thing to do if C can't get the hang of it is to use a shorter straw.

Hi ashersmom

I used to wear crocs all the time to walk the dog, if they rub you need to buy him the size bigger.

They do make crocs with a fleece lining or for summer with soft neoprene top instead of a strap.

They are just too cute!

shop.crocs.com/pc-106-4-kids-crocling.aspx