Transition Cups
When it comes to picking the best “transition cup,” let me attempt to save you a little bit of money, a lot of frustration and time.
I’m not joking when I say that I have probably purchased over 10 or 15 different “transition cups.” In my opinion, a “transition cup” is any mechanism that a baby can drink out of that is not his or her bottle.
These include:
· Sippy cups (a cup with a lid and a nipple type spout for the baby to drink from). This cup usually has handles and the baby still needs to tip it back to get the liquid as there is no straw.
· Weighted straw cups. This is a cup with a lid and a straw, usually silicone, that the baby drinks from. The weighted mechanism is a weighted disc located at the bottom of the straw inside the cup. These usually have handles as well but babies do not need to tilt to drink them as the straw takes that out of the equation.
· Regular straw cups (without the weight at the bottom of the straw).
· Flip spout cups. A cup with a lip and a flip top where the baby tilts the cup and drinks. These do not have straws and the baby will need to tilt it back to get liquid. Similar to the sippy cup but without the nipple type spout.
· Open cups. There are many different kinds but the ones that we love are silicone and have a weighted type bottom so they are harder to tip. Kind of like a weeble wobble if you know what those are.
Now, onto our favorites!
We skipped the sippy cups all together (the ones with the nipple like spout). We wanted to transition our little guy away from that type of sucking as it is very similar to a bottle.
Around 6 months, we started using the Munchkin any angle click lock weighted straw trainer cup. This cup comes in a few different sizes but the 7-ounce size is the one that has handles, strongly recommended at first. We put water in this cup and offered it to our son frequently so he could get used to the cup, understand what you do with it and eventually he was able to drink from it.
Pro’s:
· The handles are nice and easy to grip.
· The straw is soft and water flows fairly well when sucked on.
Cons:
· I absolutely hate cleaning this cup. I have heard similar complaints about other weighted straw cups as well.
To clean, remove all parts.
· Take the lid off of the cup.
· Remove the straw from the cup.
· Remove the weight at the bottom of the straw.
· Use the small brush that comes in the package to thoroughly clean the straw parts.
When putting it back together, make sure the straw clicks when pulling it back into place and make sure the small side piece of the straw, on the underside of the lid, is pushed into its place. It will make sense once you are actually doing this. This prevents leaks.
Also, make sure the lid clicks when turning it to fasten it to the actual cup.
Our son, who is 11 months, still drinks water from this cup, but we have introduced other types of cups along the way, and continue to do so.
My favorite, non-weighted straw cup so far. Camelbak Eddy Kids BPA-free Water Bottle with Straw.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XSQ7K9K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This water bottle is very easy to clean and consists of a lid, straw, bottle and silicone mouth piece that can all be removed and washed by hand or in the dishwasher. We are new to this bottle but I tend to like this one the best as it is simple to use and he does not need to tilt the bottle like a lot of other cups that we have purchased.
Our favorite open cup. EZPZ Tiny Cup.
https://ezpzfun.com/products/tiny-cup
These cups come in fun colors and are silicone and weighted at the base. They are so cute and such a great way for your little one to learn how to use an open cup.
I suggest starting by giving it to your baby to play with or even bringing it in the tub to show how water goes in it and how to hold it. Then, introduce it and meal or snack times with a tiny bit of water in it. You might have a little mess here and there but it’s only water and you are teaching a skill to your baby that they will use for the rest of their lives.
As they get a little older (12 months+), they do make a Mini Cup, which is the same concept but just a tiny bit bigger than the tiny cup. I highly recommend EZPZ products as a whole when it comes to your feeding and meal needs.
Currently, the cups that I despise the most are the Take and Toss Cups. These cups are cheap and simple and are literally a cup, lid and straw. The second they are flipped off of your child’s tray or dumped on the ground, game over. These might come in handy in the future but for now, these are a no go in our house.
Good luck in your transition cup purchasing journey. I hope I was able to give you some insight into the different types of cups and potentially save you the hassle of purchasing a zillion as I have done.