Talktools Honey Bear Drinking Cup with 2 Flexible Straws - Includes Instructions - Spill-proof Lid by TalkTools

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Demonstrate how to use the straw by sipping some water or milk from it and offering the cup to your little one. Bottom line: if you’re just starting out, skip the sippy cups. If you’re set on using a sippy cup, we suggest a soft spout over a hard spout because they are more similar to a large straw and might not pin your baby’s tongue down quite as much as a hard spout. And if you’re already using a hard spout sippy cup and your baby loves it, don’t overthink it. Just consider practicing a straw or open cup over the next few months to begin transitioning away from the sippy. What about cups with handles, or a weighted straw, or a cut-out or angled rim, or… Once your child is comfortable using the Honey Bear Straw Cup, make it a regular part of their mealtime routine. Try using a very skinny straw to encourage baby to keep their lips sealed tight around the straw (such as a coffee stirrer).

Step 2: Sit down, smile at your baby to catch their attention, and then bring the cup to your mouth to take a small sip. (You can use the same cup if you are comfortable with that or two cups, one for you and one for baby. Just make sure you are drinking out of the same looking cup.)Make drinking easier for beginners or those with oral motor difficulties Usually we recommend going with the softest/standard level by default. Unless someone chews through or causes damage to anything else they chew on (chews through pencils, chews holes in shirts, etc.), in which case the XT level would be longer lasting.

While there is a broad range for when a child will achieve this skill, the American Academy of Pediatrics' Ages and Stages Questionnaire classifies independent cup drinking with minimal spillage as an 18-24 month skill. Expect occasional small spills even through 3 years old, which should further improve as your child's graded fine motor control and focus improve. That said, many children can independently use a spill-proof straw cup much earlier than this, closer to 12-18 months old if they started practicing at 6 months. When to seek help Tongue Tip - This tip can be used as a traditional tongue scraper to help establish good oral care. It can also be used to help establish the concept of tongue lateralization and elevation (hold the Tongue Tip vertically in front of the mouth and ask the individual to put the tip of their tongue inside the hole, then guide the tongue from side to side or up and down). You can also place the Tongue Tip flat on top of the tongue to provide input to a large surface area of the tongue (this tip has the largest "footprint" surface-area-wise).Bite Tube Tip - These tips are similar to the Bite-n-Chew Tip, but with a hollow center so that you can put puréed foods (applesauce, yogurt, etc.) inside the tip for functional biting & chewing practice. Once you bite down on the tip, you get 'rewarded' with a taste of food.

Fine Tip - This tip narrows down to a fine point, which makes it perfect for pinpointing very specific areas in the mouth. Completely optional! Some babies take really well to some of these features, but they are totally a personal preference. That said, we strongly recommend against using only one type of cup, especially one with distinct features that aren’t common in adult cups (such as two handles on the sides). Your baby will have to learn to use an open cup without handles or an angled or cut-out rim eventually. We don’t recommend parents seek out these features, but if you are using one of these and your baby likes it, there’s no harm done. Just make sure your baby also gets lots of exposure to other types of cups along the way. How to teach baby to drink from an open cup

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You can buy the honey bear cup through ARK Therapeutics, but you have to make sure you get the kit that has the tubing and not just the straw because you get a much better seal with the tubing, so it works better. Plus it is more bite proof and won’t collapse like a regular straw.

Remember to clean it thoroughly before use and encourage your little one to explore and learn at their own pace. Hunger can be motivating. Make sure your baby has at least a bit of hunger motivation at the meal by separating out breast or bottle-feeds from table feeds by at least 60 minutes. If your baby is 9+ months old, you may separate them even more (by 2-3 hours) to see if this helps.

Compatible with most standard .25" diameter straws should you need more down the road. You can also get extra tubing straws here or regular straws here.