The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends transitioning out of bottles between 12 months and 24 months of age. Although, because infants can begin drinking water as young as 6 months, they can also start using a sippy cup that young. This helps expose your baby to different drinking vessels at an early age, and can make the transition to an open cup easier in the long run for parents and caregivers. “Learning to use a straw sippy cup can help strengthen cheek, tongue, and lip muscles to help further advance speech and feeding skills,” says Dr. Shafi.