Drinking cups for babies - is there *really* still not a decent one around?!

[Tinkjon]

I went through all this 5 years ago with DD and can't believe there still isn't a decent cup on the market.

I want one which is non-spill but which you don't have to suck so hard that your eardrums burst, just to get any liquid out (Anyway Up Cup - please come in, your time is up). The latest one I tried was the Tommee Tippee Easiflow non-spill one as it claimed you don't have to suck hard. True, you don't have to suck - but you do have to bite down quite hard on the spout to get any liquid out. How unnatural is that?! I found it uncomfortable so my 10 month old DS will never manage it. It must also have handles and either a lid or fold-down spout, for travel. And preferably not too fast-flowing as DS is only tiny

I'm sure that no such thing exists, but if you know of one then please save my sanity and let me know!!!

I like the Avent one; not sure of the exact model, but I think it's for 12 months plus, so maybe this is one for a few months down the line. My 15m DS gets on well with them (he has 3 of them); they are non-spill and you can have the handles on or off.

Not sure of model but Tommee Tippee does a really simple one with a flippy spout that doesn't require sucking or biting.

if you take the valve disc bit out of an Avent Magic one it flows quite well
but the lid that covers the spout (usefully) has holes in .

We use a Tommee Tippee one taht you can only get from their website (or possibly your hv a I did for a quid). It has a concave lid with a little hole in it so that when the cup is tilted a bit of liquid but not a gush iyswim comes out + the baby can sip. It took a little while to get the hang of it but she loves it now!

I like it because it is closer to proper drinking, no biting/sucking whatever. hth

We use the Tommee Tippee easiflow one, but found the only way to make it actually easiflow is to cut/teat out the bit of plastic that sticks up into the spout. As long as it's just a hole the spout goes into it works well and you don't have to bite on it.

i got a mam one from mothercare that ds2 age 5 months seems to quite like (for water though sadly not for milk). it has a weird spout that's half teat and half not... squishy rather than hard plastic. has a lid and handles and has never yet leaked in my bag.

www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B0011FCS0I/sr=1-3/qid=1216827293/ref=sr_1_3/202-6274135-5260668?ie=UTF 8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=44564031&mcb=core

I like this, for toddlers as they get used to sipping from a cup, but can't spill it.
As long as they use a sipping style suck they get the drink

Playtex make a great one which is a huge seller in the US, but hard to get hold of over here.

The UK distributor is infantcaredirect, but last time I spoke to them, they still only had stock of the old style hard spouted ones over here, and wouldn't start selling the soft ones until they had sold all of these. They did say that they distribute the soft spout ones through toysrus, but I watched it on their website for a few months and it was permanently out of stock! Been a while since I tried though (made dh buy some in Canada instead!).

we use the tommee tippee first cup, the avent magic cup and the amadeus cow patterned cup. The avent cup and cow cup can be free-flowing or non-spill. I got my cow cup in Boots but have seen them in the supermarket too.

Loads of interesting ideas there, ladies - thank you all so much! I definitely have a few to investigate now... much appreciated!

Also, Seona, I'd been looking at the cow cup and it looked ok apart from the lid. The lid isn't attached (in fact I think they call it a spout cover rather than a lid). Does the lid get knocked off in your bag?

Just had this problem with DD, have managed to get her the Tomee Tipee first cup (suitable from 4 months) its got a fold down spout so doesnt leak in your bag but is free flowing (just has 2 small holes so doesnt come out too fast)

I only really used the cow cup for milk so didn't take it out and about with me - you could put it in a freezer bag and then if it did spill it wouldnt go everywhere. With the valve in it doeant spill much anyway so I think as long as it was kept upright you would be ok. I have taken the first cup in my bag and again as long as the bag is kept upright it doesnt leak.

Can your lo use a straw? I got some cups with integrated straws from Tesco - the lid folds down over the straw for travel and they dont leak in my bag (as long as they are upright, as usual).

Oooh, Seona, we may have a winner with that straw idea! It hadn't even occurred to me that a baby might be able to manage a straw. One of his problems is that he doesn't understand that you have to tip the cup up, but you don't tip those straw ones up! Great, thanks!

These are fab, a bottle with a straw that has a very simple valve in the top so that it won't spill but it's easy to suck. DS was the same, has never got the hang of having to tip up a beaker. He's been using these since he was about 6 months.

That looks good, giddy - but I wonder why they say 18+ months...?

I think there seems to be a mentality that babies don't know how to use straws and that it takes them until 18 months to learn it. In actual fact DS had no problem with it.

giddykipper, have you tried the cup? Admittedly I was very tired at the time but it is very difficult to get any liquid out at all.

I've given up now and take the lid off when DS is ready to drink. He spills the water mainly but at least some water finds it way down his throat!

Yeah I quite frequently nick DS's cup when I'm a bit thirsty and can't be arsed to go to the kitchen.

I have found boots own brand cups 12m+ brill only £2.99 often 3 for 2 as well. Also get thumbs up from me as got measurements on so can make up ds2's milk directly refused to change to cups prior to this but was secretly glad as thought it bit much to make his formula milk (due to intolerance not me being over protective) up in another bottle to transfer into, he hated avent cup spouts

I went through loads of cups too to find one my ds could use at about the same age. My ds took ages to be able to drink from an anywayup cup, my dd went straight onto one.

With the anywayup, I fiddled around with the spout to make the seal less strong i.e. stretched the little gap in the spout (with my fingernail) and didn't push the lid down/pump it to release the extra air. Both these things seemed to make it easier for ds to drink from it.

Ds got used to the tomme tippee easiflow quite quickley.

I used the avent non-spill spout (magic cup, I think)) as interim. Probably started without the valve in to get the idea - so it was free flowing.

I also don't think it will take long for your dc to get used to drinking out of anyway or tommee tippee once he has the 'hang of it'.

dr browns cup worked really well for dd2 and she loved it as spout was soft and didnt have to work too hard to get drink

We have Dr browns bottles - didn't know they made a cup too!

avent ones were fab we started off with the white soft spout then the green harder spout then moved onto the sports spout absolutley the best around for us at the time ds could never do the anyway up cup