PRODUCT REVIEWED ON: MAY 30, 2016
PRICE WHEN REVIEWED: $13.99 AND UP
At around six months of age, when your little one starts eating solid food and can sit up unassisted, it is also a good time to teach them to drink from an open cup. Yes, an open cup not a sippy cup! Sippy cups are actually not that good for your little one's teeth because most of them have a 'no spill' valve. This allows for drinking to be less messy but since the baby has to 'suck' to get the liquid out, it actually doesn't teach them how to 'drink'. Also, constant sucking can lead to changes in how their teeth bite together and an increase in cavities (due to over exposure to sugar containing liquids) so open cups are a better choice.
When my boys were babies, I started teaching them to drink from an open cup with a small medicine cup with a little bit of water inside. I would hold it up to their lips and tip it up for them. Once they got the hang of swallowing the water, we moved to a bigger cup that they could hold onto with their own hands with just a little bit of fluid inside. This would prevent big messes because there were a lot of spills for sure!!! This will take some practice but babies can do it!
I recently learned about training cups and I was curious to try one out. One training cup that is available is the Reflo Smart Cup. It is a cup that has an insert in it that can make the transition to open cup easier for the child and less spills for parents to clean up. I was able to obtain one from www.chotobaby.com for review.
The Reflo Smart cup is a regular plastic glass with a cogwheel shaped insert to create little holes to the side of the glass. It is available in red violet (pink) blue, green, and clear and holds 6 oz. (180 ml) of pulp-free fluids. They are also made in the USA and are BPA free, phthalate free, and dishwasher safe.
HOW WE TESTED
My little friend, Olin is 8 months old and his mommy graciously volunteered him to help us in my review of the Reflo Smart Cup. Olin has quite the cup collection already and loves drinking water! He had a great first try at this cup when the cup was filled with water right up to the insert. He just had to tip the glass a little bit to get a drink.
For the next few sips, mommy had to hold the glass since he has not quite figured out how to tip his head back to drink.
Olin’s mommy says “For teaching to drink from an open cup, this one is the closest to a real cup. It is less messy than drinking from his regular cup because of the insert. Also, I think Olin likes this one the best because he actually wants to hold it himself!”
MILK AND CONFETTI MOM VERDICT
PROS:
This is a simple cup with a plastic insert that has no moving parts. This design makes the cup easy to clean and no worries about having mold growing in hidden parts.
The shape of this cup was actually preferred by my little friend when compared to his other cups, which are wider, heavier, and have handles. It seemed the narrow and tall design was easier for his little hands to grasp and the little ridges in the cup helped too.
The water flows out of this cup a lot easier than out of the 360-degree style trainer cup so it was less frustrating for him when he wanted to drink.
CONS:
The packaging states that the Reflo Smart Cup is “splash proof…making them perfect for travelling in the car, stroller or walking around”. I would have to say that this cup is definitely not as easy to take on outings with fluid inside it. There would definitely be messier as it does not have an actual lid.
This cup is also not recommended for ‘throwers’ as there is risk of cracking and breakage compared to other plastic cups. So it is best not to leave on high chair tray unattended.
Fluids can pour out of this cup when turned upside down so can lead to messes.
GIVEAWAY
www.chotobaby.com has also generously provided a Reflo Smart Cup for our first giveaway on
www.milkandconfetti.com.
