New York wants to put warning labels on sippy cups. Seriously?

Caution: Parents, before you give your child that sippy cup, there's something New York lawmakers want you to know.

Like cigarettes and alcohol, sippy cups may soon be required to carry a warning label in New York state. The danger? Childhood tooth decay.

The New York legislature has voted in favour of tooth-decay warning labels, Time magazine reports. The measure, however, is still under review and awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo's approval.

Mark Feldman, executive director of the New York state dental association, which lobbied for the measure, emphasized the risks of the spill-safe cups.

"I can show you photos of children who go to bed with sippy cups," he told the Daily News. "All you see is little black stumps that is all that is left of the teeth."

While the risk of cavities caused by sippy cups is well-documented, do parents really need labels to remind them? If even sippy cups warrant government-mandated warnings, imagine all the other mundane, but potentially perilous, household items that would require labelling too. (Technically, the milk or juice toddlers drink from the cups are the real culprits of tooth decay, not to mention - gasp! - possible choking hazards.) So where should we draw the line?

If everything were required to carry a warning label, might we not risk getting warning fatigue?

How often do you pay attention to warning labels?