Babes and Kids

Method is definitely becoming a very recognized brand.  It is an environmentally safe brand which more and more are turning to.

Carter's has been around since 1865.  That's a long time!  How does their onesie compare?  (Carter's refers to them as bodysuits.)

Onesies are a staple in every baby's wardrobe.  They are great for keeping baby warm, provide easy diaper changes and act great as an undershirt or a shirt by itself.

Munchkin has been around since 1991. Although they haven't been around as long as some companies, they have some great sippy cups. It seems like they have a little bit of it all. They have an insulated cup much like The First Years, a straw cup like playtex, and the silicone cups which are like the Nuby brand. I'm interested in trying the cupsicle brand and will review that later if we do get it. I'm going to turn the focus to the cups we have have in our home that our boys use/have used.

Mighty Grip 8 oz Trainer Cup

Pros: This has a silicone spout much like the Nuby cups. I do however like these better than the Nuby trainer cups. The design is much better - the cup is more slender making it easier to put the lid on and easier to hold. The handles are a little slimmer and also easier for a baby to hold on to. The silicone spout is taller and skinnier than the Nuby one making it easier for little mouths to get what they need out. I also think the silicone is a bit more durable and lasts longer than the Nuby brand. These also come in a 10 oz cup without the trainer handles in the same slim design. The lids are also interchangable. They come in bright fun colors that seem very appealing.

Cons: I don't love the plastic handles. When they get wet it can be hard to hang on to them. It seems that the trainer cups that have the rubberized grips are much easier to hold. It also seems to leak if you don't put the lid on right.

Price: $2.49

Where to buy: Target

Rating: Great


Mighty Grip 10 oz Straw Cup

Pros: This straw cup is a little different than the flip straw cups. The straw is made out of soft silicone which makes for easy drinking. One thing I like: Chandler really likes to chew on the straw. The valve is down an inch, give or take, so when he chews on the straw he doesn't ruin the valve which can happen with the trainer & regular mighty grip cup. These only have 4 pieces to them and are dishwasher safe.

Cons: The straw doesn't flip down which means the straw is exposed all of the time.

Price: $3.49

Where to buy: Target

Rating: Great


$.99 Hard Plastic Cup

There is also a $.99 hard plastic cup we picked up at Target. It looked like it would work fairly well considering it was only $.99 I couldn't find it online or on the website but like I stated above, you can find them at target.

Pros: Inexpensive Cup. It seems quite durable, only has 3 pieces to it, and the design of the spout is small an contoured for a little mouth.

Cons: The valve is stubborn and it is hard to get liquid out of the cup. After many uses it does get better but the cup starts to leak.

Price: $.99

Where to Buy: Target

Rating: Not so Great

I didn't realize that Nalgene made a sipper cup until we babysat our neigbor's little boy about a year ago and he came with one. It was an alumni sipper cup from the college we were attending and then I noticed it had nalgene's logo on it. I was curious but never got one. I got one a few weeks back for each of the boys.

I'm sure many of you have heard of, seen, or probably used cups from The First Years. They have the infamous "take and toss cups." They also have another cup that is usually seen in stores which we will be looking at.

Take and Toss

Pros: The take and toss are a plastic cup, with a plastic lid that snaps on. It's nice that there are only two pieces to this cup. They come in a variety of colors as well as many different characters. (Elmo, Disney, Thomas) The cups are a see through plastic so you always know how much liquid is in them. They are also quite inexpensive, hence the "take and toss" name. They are inexpensive enough that it doesn't hurt your budget if you lose one. They are BPA free as most sippy cups are now. It is easy to drink from and they are easy to clean. They come in a 5 oz learner size, 7 oz, and 10 oz size, as well as a straw sipper cup. They are also a great cup without the lid, easy for a toddler to drink from. I like that they are lightweight and easy for a child to carry around. We have bought these multiple times and I was pleasantly surprised with them.

Cons: Sometimes you get what you pay for. These cups are great at first but tend to crack easily, especially if your child chews on the spout. After they have cracked, you have to throw the lid away as it is totally not spill proof anymore. We also had problems with the lid coming off occasionally as it is a snap on lid versus the screw on lid that most sippy cups have. The spout also can become obstructed easily if you let anything dry in it, aka dried milk.

Price: Around $3.49 for a 4 pack

Where to Buy: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kmart, Drugstore.com (Most retailers carry these)

Rating: Great

Insulated 9 oz Cup

Pros: This is a heavy duty cup. It is insulated to keep drinks cooler/warmer longer and seems almost indestructible. Once again, it is only 2 pieces as the valve is built in. The valve is silicone. These come in tons of different character styles, thus appealing to their audience. They are dishwasher safe.

Cons: I bought these cups for Chandler in the Disney Cars design when he was way into the movie. He was really excited to have the cups and was about 18-20 months at the time. I washed the cup, put water in it and a few minutes later Chandler threw the cup across the room. I handed it back to him and watched him try to suck the water out. He got frustrated again and threw the cup. Being curious as I am, I tried to drink out of the cup. My cheeks felt like they would if I were trying to blow up a tiny water balloon. It was ridiculous how terrible the flow of the cup was. I figured it would get better over time, but it didn't. We bought the cups in a two pack and the 2nd cup was just as bad as the first. The spout is also very large for a child's mouth, it makes drinking even more awkward. Not to mention the cup feels really heavy when full of liquid. I was mad that I had even spent money on this cup and ended up throwing them away.

Price: $8.00 for a two pack

Where to Buy: Amazon, Walmart

Rating: Terrible (If you can't sip out of a sippy cup - why buy it?)

Gerber has been around a long time - since 1927 to be exact. They have a great informational website, a wide array of products, and lo and behold, sippy cups!

I am going to be looking at a few different cups - The Fun Grips Color Change & The Sip & Smile line. (There are other cups available, but these are the cups we have used)

Fun Grips Color Change

Pros: These cups are fairly easy to grip as the middle of the cup has ridges. It is shaped like an hourglass making it smaller in the middle and easy for little hands to hold. The valve actually does a pretty decent job and creates a good flow for your child. The valves are shaped in an oval and are made of a hard plastic. The actual valve is a soft silicone. It is easy to clean and easy to take out and put back in. We had a couple of these cups for about a year and I was impressed with how well the valve held up. I only had to replace them once. You can buy replacement valves at many of the same retailers that sell the cups. The cup changes color depending on if there is hot or cold liquid in it which is a fun plus. Like most cups, it is dishwasher safe on the top rack.

Cons: The shape of this cup is not ideal as it will not fit in a cup holder or the holders in a diaper bag. In this particular cup if you don't put the valve in tightly, it will fall out into the cup, thus causing the cup to leak. It's not the greatest teething cup either. If your toddler chews on it, it leaves permanent indents in the spout.

Price: Around $4.00 per cup

Where to Buy: Walmart, Diapers.com, Amazon, Target

Rating: Ok


Sip and Smile Soft Spout




I don't think this particular cup has been out very long and I was anxious to try it with Rowan.

Pros: One of my favorite features of this cup is how it angles up and forward. It almost looks like the back of the cup has melted but in essence it is to help babies so they don't have to work as hard to tip the cup, and don't have to put their head as far back. The handles on this cup are also great - they are rubberized and very easy to grip. The designs and colors for this cup are very cute and it is somewhat see through so you can see how much liquid is still left in the cup. Gerber has realized their problem with the valve in this cup and has made the valve better so it stays in place and won't come out with the cup is dropped or thrown. No matter how you put the lid on with this cup, it always lines back up to the front which is convenient with how it angles. The spout is a very soft silicone and wonderful for teething. You can see another picture of this cup (Rowan's) in this post.

Cons: For babies, it is hard to suck out of at first, but most cups with this type of valve are. I simply keep the valve out until they get the hang of it and then incorporate the valve.

Price: Around $4.00 or $7.49 for a two pack

Where to Buy: Walmart, Diapers.com, Amazon, Target

Rating: Excellent (Definitely Recommend this product)


Sip and Smile

Pros: This is a great basic cup. I love the shape of the spout, small and slender for little mouths. The valve stays in great and the lids are interchangeable with the soft spout cups. Cute designs, dependable cup. They come in a 7 or 9 oz size. The spout is hard, designed for an older baby or toddler. We've had these sip and smiles for over a year and they have held up great.

Cons: Valve may leak after a period of time

Price: $4.00 or $7.99 for a 2 pack

Where to Buy: Same as above

Rating: Excellent

I hadn't ever heard of the Nuby brand until I was wandering through Walmart looking for cups when Chandler was about 6 months old.  After the Avent cups failed, I noticed that the Nuby cups were very affordable so I decided to give them a go.  Like other cups, Nuby has a trainer cup, a larger one without handles, and a straw cup.

Nuby 12 oz Mega Sipper

When it comes to sippy cups, Playtex has a lot of options.  There is a stage one with handles, stage two without handles but still in a smaller 6 oz size, stage 3 in a larger size, stage 4 the straw cup and a tumbler as well. I'm mainly going to be focusing on the stage 3 & 4 cups as those are the cups we have had and used.

Cons:  The spout is somewhat of a square shape.  Most kids probably don't care  about that, but trying to drink out of it myself, it seems a little awkward.   I'm also not a huge fan of the valves.
 It is a two sided plastic valve which fits into the spout on one side and a random hole on the other sides.  We only used these cups for 3 months and in that time I went through 6 valves between the 2 cups.  After a few weeks of use they would start leaking.  I washed them by hand and mostly let hot water run through them so it seems a bit strange how easily they would start leaking.  And when you are buying valves at $2.50 for a two pack, you might as well just buy a whole new cup.  

With my older son Chandler we used the "trial and error" method when it came to Sippy Cups. I don't even want to calculate how much I've spent on cups for him. We used the Avent Bottles with Chandler after a recommendation from a friend and loved them. I never tried another bottle as Chandler seemed to take right to that one. Naturally, the first sippy cups I decided to buy for Chandler was the Avent Magic Cup - the kind with the handles.

Pros: It was easy to hold on to due to the handles. It also has a silicone spout which is nice for teething. It's a see through cup which makes it easy to view how much liquid is left in the cup. The handles are separate, so you can take them off as your baby gets older.

Cons: The spillproof valve is a plastic ring as shown in the picture to the right.    It is harder than most sippy cups to drink out of, requiring more suck. Yes, I tried it myself after Chandler got frustrated trying to suck out of it. The plastic valve is also hard to get out of the cup if you have wet hands making more work than what it is worth. When you have it apart there are 6 parts to clean, which I think is way too many. (The top lid, spout, valve, handles, outer lid that screws on, and the cup.)
The cup also leaks if you don't screw the top on right. Somewhat like the avent bottles, if you screw it on too tight, it leaks. If it's too loose, it leaks. If you don't get frustrated and find that balance, it doesn't leak at all. (Good luck getting there!) If you notice in the two cup picture, they come with plastic lids. I found these very awkward and hard to put directly on. It is a short wide lid which makes it easy to fumble with.

Price: These run around $7.00-$10.00 for a 2 pack.

Where to Buy: You can get these at most retailers including: ToysRUs and Target

We used the cup without the valve for a while before one melted in the dishwasher. I wasn't too sad to see it go.

RATING: Not So Great

The hospital that I used to work for and delivered my youngest at had these great pacifiers, the gumdrop.  The gumdrop is similar to the soothie but isn't round and as bulky like the soothie.  It has the same nipple design that a lot of babies prefer but is curved at the top to fit your babies' face.  We tried a few other pacifiers with Rowan (my son) and he still preferred the gumdrop.  I also believe it is breastfeeding friendly as we introduced this pacifier the day he was born and never had any nipple confusion. They also hold up extremely well.  There are a few we've had since birth and although they have dulled and worn they still work great.  I love that it is all one piece and you don't have to worry about individual parts falling off.

It is also an extremely lightweight pacifier and comes in orange, pink and blue for full term babies as well as green for premature babies.  They run around $1.75 per pacifier + shipping but I believe this is a relatively competitive price as you will pay around $4 for a 2 pack of mam or gerber pacifiers in the store.

Here is more information about the gumdrops via Hawaii Medical.

* GumDrop has a slightly bigger rim so babies can enjoy it as they grow.
* Completely encapsulated with silicone - soft against baby's face.
* Same great nipple design babies love.
* Single-body construction won’t come apart.
* Modeled after the most commonly used baby bottle nipple and pacifier shapes.
* Meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards for pacifiers.

Here is also a soothie vs. gumdrop comparison chart.


I am now a HUGE fan of this product and will never use any other pacifier with subsequent children. I'd love to know your thoughts on this pacifier or if you have any questions. Feel free to leave a comment!