Hellobee Boards

How long has he been trying? DD1 mastered open cup much earlier than a straw cup. I would just keep trying with the straw cup. I think it took her about a month? We started around 7-8m when we got more into solids at meal times.

We would show her by over emphasizing the sucking motion while drinking from a straw.

I like the take and toss because it is just a straw...no valves to mess with. My DH taught LO how to do it by first teaching him to eat out of a pouch (he learned the sucking motion) and then he would put a little applesauce on the end of the straw to encourage him to suck on the straw for the cup. We tried all kinds of things, but in the end that is what worked!

@Mamaof2: oh yes! I remember now. We would pre suck the straw so there was liquid in the straw then give it to her. So she knew it wasn't just a toy.
I actually prefer silicone straw because she would chew on the straw constantly and smack the cup around. The softness was nice!

The old style playtex first lil gripper cups are just a bit squeezable so you can help LO get some liquid the first few tries. These worked well for teaching DD#1. However they've changed the style now so I'm not 100% positive the new ones squeeze like the old kind (they could be more rigid).
Old:
http://www.amazon.com/Playtex-First-Gripper-Trainer-Colors/dp/B00HUB4UE4

New:
http://www.diapers.com/p/playtex-first-lil-gripper-straw-trainer-cup-6-oz-998547

yeah we used the playtex starter one that you squeeze. it took her a few tries but she got the hang of it quickly!

Not sure how you feel about juice, but I taught my LO with juice boxes. Anything where you can get some liquid into the straw to help them. For some reason the juice box was less intimidating to him.

My LO struggled with it because most of the straw cups frustrated him. Some take a lot of work to get liquid out! bought a Zoli cup and gave him water in it and he took to it right away. It's very easy to get liquid out of it. It wasn't until closer to a year that he started to really drinking any significant amount out of any other straw cup.