To think that 360 (Miracle) cups aren’t bad for baby?

[ToneDeath]

I have 3 kids and I think they’ve all used these cups but tbh my memory of which cups which child has liked is (understandably) fuzzy. Because they’re just f*ing cups.

Anyway, had my 1y check with my youngest yesterday and was asked all about weaning / cups / bottles etc.

Baby is 1yo in 3 weeks and is now taking zero bottles, only cups, although she still has formula twice a day.

(To avoid the drip-feed when the criticism comes rolling in… I am an advocate of breastfeeding and ebf my first 2. Sadly my third was born by crash and we were separated for a long time. I pumped and she was fed my milk by tiny cups and then bottles. I quit pumping at 6 weeks, because it was destroying me.)

Back to the present: HV at the appointment asked about the type of cup. I explained 360 but that she can also drink from open cup (a godsend because I forget her cup at least once a week when we go somewhere)
She can’t drink from a straw. God knows I’ve tried. My other kids nailed the straw pretty early so obvs. it is a bit frustrating but I’ve never met an adult that can’t use a straw, so I’m not worried.

HV then talked about cups for ages. Probably 4-5 minutes of a 20 minute appointment. It was pretty over the top, imo. 360s are bad for teeth and jaws and “children have been known to choke on them”

Um. What?

The gist was - always use an open cup. If you’re worried about spills, use a weighted straw. 360s are devil spawn.

I nodded along politely and promised I would try harder with the straw. (Actually thinking about quitting my job so that I can devote myself fully to it) and left but, basically, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to use a 360 cup. I think they’re fine. What do you think?

IABU: burn the cups
IANBU: 360 cups are fine

It's not really about survival or having a toddler with an ok jaw, is it?

I had 4, sometimes it is about survival. Maybe you had an easier time.

Just to add mine never had a 360 cup, I'd never heard of them, and two had jaw issues. Inherited from their father, he didn't have a 360 cup either, probably because they didn't exist then.

Mine has a 360 cup for her bedtime milk. It is the best thing for her teeth as we can afford private dentistry if we’re not constantly replacing stinky milk dribbled carpets and whatnot

No but lots of mums use “survival” as a way to take the easy route and not do the best by their child because of excuse X, Y and Z.

It’s not the best thing for her teeth. They force the mouth into an unnatural shape.

You don’t need to use an open cup. A straw cup with a valve is the best option for their teeth.

I work for the HV service and tbh would just be delighted that you weren’t giving your baby squash or juice in a bottle. Maybe my standards are a bit too low 😂

This is what my kids used. No long term effects

@ToneDeath

My niece ate several dog biscuits before we realised last time she came, no ill effects

Ahem. I am doing the best by my children, as I’m sure you are doing the best by yours. As I’m sure we are all just trying to do here.

I work full time, have 3 young children and run a family home without so much as outsourcing the ironing. Whilst I’m not dramatic enough to say a 360 cup is how I survive… it is one less thing to worry about, when my toddler can help themselves to a sip of water, unaided.

I am not in the habit of routinely dismissing all HV advice. I follow SIDS advice to the letter. I diligently cut grapes. I buy car seats new.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say “I try harder for my kids than I have ever tried at anything else”.

360 cups are rarely cleaned properly (so they get mouldy) and are designed for bottlefed babies because breastfeeding develops jaw muscles. Thers is no reason for a breastfed baby to use anything other than open cups. If your baby needs help get the small open cups with a longer sipping side.

Not to be funny but most working mums in the UK work extremely hard. Not sure how using a 360 cup is the thing that ‘keeps you sane’.

Eh? I've never had one go mouldy

Surely straws aren't natural? Where do you find a straw in nature?

360 drinking action is basically the same as an open cup. Which surely also isn't found in nature?

If we are supposed to only drink in natural ways then surely we ought to present our children with a fast-running stream to drink from. Like one of those cat fountains.

Bamboo
Elephants

Theres is no reason for a breastfed baby to use anything other than open cups. If your baby needs help get the small open cups with a longer sipping side.

Surely the advantage for breastfed babies is exactly the same as for bottle fed babies in that these sort of cups can be used with no supervision and can be left around for the baby to help themselves. 360 cups weren’t around when DS was a baby but I found sippy cups to be a great boon despite never having bottle fed.

I mean the reason is that I don't want water and milk tipped over everything when I take my eyes off my baby for 5 seconds. Both mine were breastfed but I'm afraid I gave 0 fucks about what cup they drank out of as long as the contents remained in the cup. On my list of 'parental things to worry about', cups are definitely not anything I spare the mental bandwidth over!

(Although DD2 does try to drink out of the dog bowl so I suppose that's an open cup!)

Show me the child that has language delay with the only causal factor being because they used a 360 cup.

You just made up a quote that I didn’t say. 😂😂 360 cups don’t keep me sane. I’m not nuts.

To anyone reading this and making assumptions… I didn’t say they keep me sane!! I’m being cast unfairly. I’m a regular person with a normal relationship with my job, my children and their beakers. 😂😂

Oh FFS, do you think children raised in other less privileged ones like these are all walking around with oral issues 🙄

Mine can’t be trusted with a normal cup at all. She can drink out of it but would prefer to pour it anywhere she possibly can but in her mouth.

Ill be keeping the 360 until this phase passes regardless!

Your kids can drink from a straw cup, unaided, without any issues to their oral development or teeth.

Knowing Y is better for your child but still continuing to do X is not doing the best by your child.

And as long as mothers are forward facing and weaning early and not practicing safe sleep then they are not doing the best by their child. Considering how prevalent all these are you cannot say we are all trying hard here.

I didn’t say they were natural. I said drinking from a 360 cup forces your mouth into an unnatural shape that you don’t use as you grow older.

Straws obviously don’t do that, as we continue to use straws throughout our lifetime.

Straws obviously don’t do that, as we continue to use straws throughout our lifetime.

Do we? I think they are more for kids myself!