When it comes to new learned activities it’ always hard to decide when to first start to introduce that activity. I started giving my son a traditional two handle sippy cup at around 5 months with water in it. Did he actually get water at first? Probably not, but he loved to carry it around, and I loved offering it to him. The straw cup came as a surprise at 8 months when he grabbed one from his friend and I said “don’t worry he can’t drink from a straw” only to find him sucking it down like a champ. Next comes the real big boy cup and I am terrified. Practicing that has always meant lots of spills, but not anymore. The Philips AVENT Natural Drinking Cup ($6.99)has created a more safe way to teach your child to drink from a “big boy” cup.

This revolutionary drinking cup helps your toddler transition to “grown up drinking” with out the mess. The unique spill proof valve is lip activated and allows drinking from all around the rim, just like an adult cup. The fast flow valve allows your child to drink effortlessly with out having to suck from a straw.

I was really excited to try out this cup. My son is ready to take the next step, and all the books and info I read say to start to introduce regular drinking cups into his routine. At this point I am not ready to give him free reign on the cups, but the Philips AVENT cup is a great compromise. I found the best place for this cup is in a stationary high chair. Although it is “spill proof”, my son was still able to spill while knocking the cup around the house. He can pretty much dump anything on the floor so that’s not saying too much. I also found that his clothes are more likely to get soaked even in his chair because the fast flow valve, which is like a real cup, allows him to take on more than he can actually swallow.

My little man needs to learn to drink from a big boy cup and I love the idea of the Philips AVENT Natural Drinking Cup. As with any new behavior, it takes time to learn. With some practice I am pretty sure this will be one of our favorite go to cups. This is the first step in mastering the big boy cup, and boy am I glad to have this extra step. My floors definitely thank you!