So Rissa has pretty much boycotted bottles.  Well, maybe that’s not accurate.  She wasn’t bottle fed very often to begin with, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that now she doesn’t want anything to do with drinking from a bottle.

Oh no.

She’s a big girl now!

I didn’t want to go the regular sippy cup route.  I tried to use these slow flow cups but she doesn’t have the coordination yet to drink from a cup like I do.  If I work with her, she can drink directly from a cup or a water bottle though.  She’s eaten applesauce from a pouch, and that works like a straw, so I thought she would do better with working on that!

Drinking from a straw is a skill that I take for granted.  Rissa is still learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe using a straw.  While she’s efficient at the breast, it’s not the same thing.  While she’s come a long way, she still has times of coughing and gagging because she sucked out too much water.  Other times she basically spits it all out!

I wish we had gotten The First Lil Gripper sippy cup from Playtex sooner, but it is still coming in handy for us.  It’s a training cup that can be used after 4 months of age.  You squeeze the bottom of the cup to push liquid up through the straw.  It helps baby learn there is something there and encourages them to suck on the straw to get more.  I did find that it took a fair amount of squeezing power from me, which I kept being afraid I’d squirt too much into her mouth.  However, that wasn’t a problem.  As soon as I loosen my grip, the liquid falls back down the straw.

(I apologize for how dark this is… the flash kept distracting her!)

This cup is great for helping your child transition to a cup and learn to use a straw.  The handles make it easy and natural for her to hold.  She has another sippy cup with a straw but no handles.  She struggles with holding it upright while she drinks.  The lid twists on and is supposed to be leak-proof.  The lid DOES do a good job at this.  I’ve left water in the cup, closed the straw, and tossed it in the diaper bag with no issues.  If the straw is out, Rissa does manage to get drops of water out by holding it upside down and banging it.  (It’s not a big mess though!)

The straw trainer cup is BPA-free, which is important, and I don’t have to be worried about the straw impeding mouth development.  I do have to watch her because she wants to chew on the straw.  She likes to chew on the handles too.  Baby shouldn’t chew on the straw – it’s not designed for that.  It’s also dishwasher safe.  I’ve washed it many times on the top rack and it is still working and looking fine.

Final thoughts:  We really like this cup and I recommend it to anyone who’s baby is transitioning to a cup and learning to use a straw.  Even after learning to use a straw, they can use it!  It does help you help them learn to use the straw though.  And… Rissa LOVES her cup.  She doesn’t like when I take it away – even if it’s empty!  She gets excited about using her big girl cup!

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** FTC Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative in order to conduct an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. The thoughts, experiences, and opinions included are entirely my own and may differ from that of others. I am not liable for any issues you may incur from use of said product(s). Images used are owned by me or provided with the company’s permission unless otherwise sourced. See full disclosure information. If you have any questions you can contact me or leave a comment.

About Darcy

Darcy Zalewski is a married, stay-at-home mom who is discovering her greener side, starting with advocating for cloth diapering. When she's not changing diapers or singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, she can be found at Tales From the Nursery, where she shares tales of motherhood as well as product reviews, or at ShePromotes, a resource for blogger support.

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