Posts
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Chances are if you've walked down the baby feeding isle at the store, you've seen a box of Gerber Biter Biscuits. Designed for an older baby learning to self feed. Here are some guidelines as given on the box if your baby is ready for biter biscuits:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Learning to self feed can be a little messy. Ok - so not just a little messy....VERY MESSY. It seems like it has been my destiny to clean the kitchen floor like 10 times a day. With an almost 3 year old who doesn't always "aim" right, and an 8 month exploring self feeding, there's always all sorts of treasures on my floor. I know many moms know this all too well. How about another product to add to that?
Pros: These Lil' Dippers are designed for babies learning to self feed. They are a small chunky utensil that has a soft grip wide handle on one side. On the other side is a hard plastic that resembles a fork without space in between the prongs. It is a nice for teething if anything else. The concept is that the baby will dip the hard plastic part into food and then bring it up to his/her mouth and chew on it - thus helping the self feeding process along. Good concept. It is also great as it helps your baby not to gag themselves as the plastic part is not very long, like they would with a spoon.
Cons: Maybe this is better for older kids, but I assume my child is at the self feeding stage at 8 months as he has mastered his pincher grip. I put a small bowl of sweet potatoes in front of Rowan, a lil' dipper in each hand and observed. He immediately dropped his little utensils and stuck his hands in bowl. Then he held up his fingers and started squishing it through, smiling at the sound it made, and probably at how it felt too. I tried again with him, this time guiding his hand and the lil' dipper down to the puree and then back into his mouth. He seemed to like it, but liked chewing on the lil' dipper more. I had to guide him each time as to what he was supposed to do. The little grooves really don't hold a whole lot either.
So an overall good idea, but not really necessary. I'd rather give Rowan a soft spoon to hold while I am feeding him, and let him chew on that.
Price: $3-4 for a 2 pack
Where to Buy: Diapers.com, Target
Rating: Ok
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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
