Sippy Cup Solution

Today, Kristin shares her favorite sippy cup solution:

“In an ideal world, sippy cups should: a) hold liquids; b) not leak; and c) keep beverages cold and bacteria-free. Unfortunately, during my first son’s early years, I struggled to find a cup that performed all of these functions well. I thus was thrilled to (re)discover Thermos (yes, the makers of my metal Peanuts lunchbox with Thermos bottle!) and their awesome sippy, straw, and grown up cups.
About a year ago I began purchasing these fantastic Thermos FUNtainer straw cups for Robert (my oldest). About 6 months later I got the Thermos Intak Steel Hydration Bottle and Thermos Steel Hydration Bottle for myself. I love, love, love these cups! They don’t leak, they’re easy to clean, and they literally keep beverages cold for about 6-12 hours depending on the type of cup. So imagine how psyched I was to discover the sippy version, perfect for my 15-month-old son Jake.

Thermos’s Foogo collection includes sippy cups, straw bottles, and food containers made from stainless steel. These cups come in pink and purple or blue and yellow combinations and complement the stainless steel bottle nicely. The actual sippy has a faster flow than most, which I feel is a great thing for a child learning to use a cup, and they then can graduate to the straw cup quickly. It also has a nice soft spout so if your child is like mine they can nibble on it from time to time. The vacuum-insulated stainless steel interior and exterior is nonreactive to all food and beverages. The soft drinking spout is made from “food contact safe” Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) and all Foogo products are BPA-free.

I love that when assembling the cup the spout remains in the center and you don’t have to line anything up. Just screw it on and it’s ready to use. I did find that cleaning the top proved a bit of a challenge because the spill proof valve is tricky to remove. The other thing I had a hard time understanding is why the sippy cup only keeps drinks cold for up to 6 hours while the straw cup keeps beverages cold for up to 12 hours. However, the pros outweigh the cons. The products are dishwasher safe, have nonslip scratch resistant bases, the exterior stays condensation-free to save your diaper bag from getting soaked, and the best part is that these bottles apparently are unbreakable. This is a good thing if your kid is like mine and has figured out that the effects of gravity are pretty rockin’! The leak-proof food jar will keep food cold for 7 hours or hot for up to 5 hours.

Now, these products don’t come cheap. The sippy cup retails for about $16 and the food container is around $20. But here’s my feeling on that. I believe you get what you pay for in life and these products deliver. I find that I take care of these items much better than my take and toss products because I invested in them. With the right care you can have these for a lifetime. Plus, you can leave your drinks, including your child’s milk, in a sauna and they apparently stay cold no matter what!”