7 Healthcast: Sippy Cups

This is something you probably never considered. Sippy cups are being used way past their intended function. Now there's concern the overuse of sippy cups could lead to speech problems.

Molly is just under two, an age when many kids use sippy cups. But what happens when kids are still sipping and slurping when they should be drinking from a regular cup?

Marjorie North, Northeastern University Speech Pathologist
"Is it creating a whole passel of kids with sloppy speech? I tend to think not, but certainly it needs to be documented more carefully."

Some speech pathologists and teachers say sippy cups lead to a lazy tongue or tongue thrust, which can result in a lisp. This dentist says you can see the damage.

Dr. Howard Needleman, Children's Hospital Dentist
"The sippy cup can cause an open bite. An open bite can cause a tongue thrust. The tongue thrust can affect the way you speak."

An open bite is caused by any hard object, from a pacifier to a thumb, to the constant use of a sippy cup.

Dr. Howard Needleman
"If something is interfering constantly, enough time in the day, it prevents the growth of the teeth together."

Certainly many kids are staying with their sippy cups way too long. Kids should be drinking from regular cups by the age of two. The news is creating a dilemma for parents.

Molly’s Mom
"It's kind of become an ingrained habit. It's hard to make them change their ways."

There's one more potential downside with those sippy cups. Kids tend to hang onto them and drink more slowly for longer periods of time. That leads to tooth decay.