From Tammy Davenport,
Your Guide to Dental Care.
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Going from a baby bottle to a drinking cup is a huge transition for your baby. Sippy cups were designed to help make this transition easier, but sippy cups filled with anything other than water can also promote cavities. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states, “Sippy cups should only contain water unless it’s mealtime.”

Don’t get me wrong, I think sippy cups are one of the greatest things ever invented. The problem occurs when juice or other sugary drinks stay in the sippy cup, allowing your toddler to be exposed to the sugary substance for long periods of time, which increases their risk of tooth decay. The same is also true with baby bottles.

In order to reduce the risk of cavities, the AAPD offers these tips for using sippy cups:

• Never put your child to sleep at night or during naptime with a sippy cup containing anything other than water.
• Mealtimes are the only time that your child’s sippy cup should contain any liquid other than water.
• Since sippy cups were designed to help make the transition to drinking cup from a baby bottle, sippy cups shouldn’t be used for an extended period of time.

_Sources:

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Use Only Water In Sippy Cups Or Increase Cavity Risk 12 February 2008.