If you have read my earlier post on my twins’ turning one year old, you might have noticed a sense of relief from me when I mentioned #3 has started using the Munchkin 360º Trainer Cup.
If you didn’t, maybe I can just fill you in a little. #3 regressed to latching on and rejecting her milk bottle since she turned 3 months old. And to date, she is still waking up multiple times a night for her feeds. #4 is more receptive to her milk bottle and can do with both approaches. She only needs her comfort feed before she sleeps and perhaps once more in the middle of the night. However, I am getting sick of the constant latching. Each latching session is painful and seems to be taxing my body.
Then, came along my saviour – my sister-in-law who introduced me the Munchkin 360º Trainer Cup. I was amazed by how quickly #3 could adapt to the cup within a day, while #4 just took a couple more days.
So what is the big deal about the Munchkin 360º Trainer Cup*?
I recall taking a long time to train #1 and #2 to drink from a sippy cup. We tried a variety of sippy cups, from those with a spout to those with a straw and, eventually other variation of a spoutless cup. #1 and #2 used the straw cup for quite a while; they didn’t like the spoutless cup. Eventually, they moved on to an ‘adult’ cup just like daddy and mummy, and they were so proud of themselves.
I didn’t expect #3 and #4 to move on to a spoutless cup so soon. Maybe the Munchkin cup makes a difference, or maybe it’s just a matter of different babies with different preferences. Today, the twins are also able to drink from a straw; it’s a surprise for me again. Suddenly I have many options.
It does not mean that the twins have 100% switched to the cups. They are still latching and on the bottle, but fewer times a day.
For me as a parent, I think the Munchkin 360º Trainer Cup is my favourite. And this is why.
Spill-proof cup
The cup is spill-proof, so my babies can drink sitting up or lying down. The cup does not leak when it is turned upside down! Maybe I am a little bit “sua-gu” here. But I don’t know there are such cups around.
The Munchkin 360º Trainer Cup has only 3 parts to assemble – the cup, the cover with many little openings, and a valve on top of the lid that seals up the cup’s tiny openings. The small openings all around the lid facilitate the child to drink around the rim.
The babies both started with biting the rim. I demonstrated to them sipping from the cup, and they gradually got the hang of it, though they choked a little along the way.
However, the cup is not 100% spill-proof. Water spills out when the babies knock or throw the cup onto the floor. So if I am to leave the babies unattended for a couple of minutes, I will make sure to take away the cups filled with water or milk from them before going to another room. And I will also not keep this cup that is filled with liquid in my baby bag.
Nonetheless, this is still an improved version as compared to the sippy cups that we previously used. I don’t remember seeing any leak-proof sippy cups when I was searching for training cup for #1 and #2. I know now Avent does. I haven’t used it before. Is it also 100% leak-proof?
You may also like:
Our favourite baby toys – 0 to 9 months old
An update on the twins – they have turned one!
Activities we do with the twins at home – 12 months old to 15 months old
Washing
The cup has only 3 parts and is easy to dismantle for washing. You just have to take note of a small little hole on the valve that needs to be carefully cleaned using a small straw brush* to prevent mold from forming. Cleaning every little nooks and crannies of a straw cup is trickier.
Benefits of Spoutless Cup
It is like a regular cup and helps support healthy muscle development in a child’s mouth. Speech pathologists and paediatric dentists are concerned with how sippy cups, particularly those with spouts, may impede a child from developing a mature swallowing pattern and thus hinders the development of his oral motor skills.
For this post, I also researched and subsequently discovered other similar cups such as Sassy Grow Up Cup and Reflo Smart Cup™ that are endorsed by other parents. I have not used these before. If you have used these or any other similar cups previously, please share your experience with us in the comment box below.
Enjoyed my post? Please click Like and Share!
*Contains affiliate links
