Why Every Parent Needs a High-Quality Sippy Cup

Sippy cups are incredibly convenient and can reduce clean-ups from spills, but they’re also helpful for transitioning away from bottle-feeding. As with any transition, the use of sippy cups is going to be temporary and your baby will learn to drink from a regular cup by about 2 years-old. The quality of a sippy cup is still important because you don’t want to expose your child to unnecessary health risks that are associated with low-quality products. These can relate to the use of cheap and toxic chemicals, to simply bad product design. Here are some features that you should look for and will usually find in the best sippy cups that are rated highly by moms in active online communities.

baby drink

Here Are 5 Reasons to Buy a High-Quality Sippy Cup

  1. Do not have a spill-preventing valve
The spill-prevention feature of sippy cups is what made sippy cups so appealing to busy parents – they eliminated the need to keep cleaning up. However, the American Dental Association and other experts advise against using sippy cups or training cups with this feature. In addition to stopping spills, the spill-preventing valve also prevents your baby from sipping on any liquid. The only way to get at it is to suck, which defeats the purpose of using a sippy cup – to transition away from bottle-feeding. Fortunately, high-quality sippy cups come with designs that can still stop spills without the use of this valve. They use flattened straw shapes that limit the flow of liquid when toppled and weighted designs so that the sippy cup is bottom-heavy and can’t topple easily.

        2. Easier to clean

Hygiene is important when it comes to any device being used for food storage or feeding, especially baby bottles and sippy cups. The small crevices are inviting to bacteria and mold as the liquid can remain trapped in these areas. This makes it important to wash them thoroughly after every use, scrubbing hard-to-reach areas with a bottle brush. High-quality sippy cups are made from better materials that make them easier to clean and they also have better designs. For example, some of the best sippy cups include cleaning tools for removable parts such as straws, while the rest of the cup can be cleaned in your dishwasher.

        3. No phthalates

Phthalates are chemicals that are commonly used in plastic products to make them softer, but they are known to leach into foods and have been linked to a range of health issues. Babies and young children are particularly vulnerable as this is a critical developmental stage and many phthalates are known to alter endocrine signaling, which can have consequences for reproductive health and neurodevelopment. Evidence shows that even prenatal exposure can impair brain development, contributing to attention deficit and behavioural disorders.

        4. Free of bisphenols

Bisphenols, including BPA, were widely used in plastic products including baby bottles and sippy cups because they increased durability and heat resistance. As BPA was shown to also work as an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen, the use of the chemical was banned in baby bottles in many countries. This led to the use of BPA alternatives (BPAAs) such as Bisphenol S (BPS) and Bisphenol F (BPF). There is growing concern that these chemicals may pose similar risks, making it important to look for high-quality sippy cups that do not contain bisphenols, instead using materials such as medical grade silicone.

        5. High-grade plastic

While plastic alternatives such as glass, stainless steel, or medical-grade silicone are widely regarded as the safest choices, it isn’t always practical to use sippy cups made from these materials. If you are buying a plastic sippy cup, The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends checking the recycling code, which can be found beneath the bottle. Cups with the recycling codes 3, 6, and 7 are best avoided as they can contain chemicals that can leach, including polyurethane and polycarbonate. Plastics specifically labelled as biobased or greenware are other safe options as these are made from corn.

While high-quality sippy cups are always a safer choice and won’t expose your baby to unnecessary health risks, they are best used in moderation. Sippy cups are a great way to train babies to drink from open cups and to reduce spills, making them appropriate for babies and toddlers aged 6 months to 2 years.  















0 comments