The Mom Crowd

My son, Connor weaned from the bottle to the straw cup. I chose to transition him to the straw cup instead of the sippy cup for several reasons.

1. Straw cups were easier for him to hold because they don’t require tilting.
2. Straws are EXCELLENT for oral motor strengthening and speech development.
3. A sippy cup is just one more thing to have to wean from. He can use a straw until he’s an adult!
4. Sippy cups can contribute to speech problems and dental problems, so I wanted to avoid them if possible.

However, this isn’t my article on convincing you to use straw cups with your child. This is my article comparing the trillion different straw cups out there so you can choose the right one for your child! The one thing consistent in all straw cups on the market is leaking. I haven’t found one cup that is completely leak proof, but some are definitely better than others!

Munchkin’s 10 oz. Insulated Straw Cup – Mommy and Connor’s Pick!

Munchkin’s wins in our house as Mommy and Connor’s favorite straw cup on the market. This cup is durable and has lived through many of Connor’s throws. The straw is nice and soft and Connor really enjoys drinking from this cup. While it leaks (like every single straw cup on the shelves), I have found that it leaks the least out of all of the straw cups I’ve tried. The fact that it leaks minimally and is not too difficult to clean makes this straw cup my pick. The price is steep at $6.97 on Amazon.com, however I paid $4.99 at my local grocery store for mine. I love the Dora, Diego, and Backyardigan prints, but am not fond of the Spongebob Squarepants prints. I had to wait for a new shipment to come in to avoid buying the Spongebob print because he’s just a little too mature and obnoxious for my kids in my opinion.

Playtex Baby Einstein – Highly Recommended!

This is my second favorite of the lot. The reason I love this straw cup is cleaning time! The valve is a plug, so you can unplug the valve and clean the straw very easily. All of the other straws are attached to the valve and cleaning is a little more difficult…not impossible, but more difficult than this one! I also love the fun Baby Einstein prints that are age appropriate. This cup leaks more than the Munchkins, however if you make sure the lid’s not screwed too tight, the leaking will decrease. Overall, this is a great straw cup!

Take & Toss Straw Sippers – A Must-Try!

Obviously, the price is GREAT! For $2.99, you get five cups. That’s $0.60 per cup and you can’t beat that in the overpriced baby market we live in! There are no valves, so these cups make for easy cleaning. Even though there are no valves, the leaking is not as bad as I thought. They don’t leak any more than some of the other straw cups that have valves. The lids are very sensitive. If you press on the top of the cup, the contents will travel quickly up the straw. I’ve had a lot of counter messes when using this cup. The straws are not very soft. They are a thick plastic and Connor does not enjoy drinking from these cups. I do keep these cups in stock for extended day trips, friends who come to play, and as back-ups when I am way behind on my dishes.

Gerber Cool Twisties – Not very durable.

The price is not too steep at $3.95 per cup. The straw is nice and soft and Connor enjoyed drinking from this cup. I also like the fun space design on the cup. Cleaning this cup is not very difficult. While Connor loved this cup, and the price isn’t too bad, I can’t recommend it for a couple reasons. This cup can do some major leaking! Connor is in the stage of throwing things when he’s done (that’s another blog post!) and he has broken two of these cups. He throws all of his cups, but these have been the least durable. Overall, I’d probably not purchase this cup again due to the fact that they can be easily broken by throwing toddlers!

Luv n’ Care’s 2 Handle 8 oz. Cup – Don’t waste your money!

This cup is my least favorite. There are some good things about this cup that I’ll share with you. This is the only straw cup I’ve found that has handles and I love the short squatty shape in contrast to the long stretched shapes of the other cups. The price is GREAT at $3.99 per cup. I bought a two pack for $5.99 at Babies “R” Us. The straw is super soft and Connor really loved drinking from this cup. I also didn’t have too bad of a time with the leaking. While it has many good features, it has a couple problems that keep me from recommending this cup. The straw is three separate pieces. One of the pieces is incredibly small and it is very difficult to put together. It is also incredibly difficult to clean because there is a valve on both ends of the mouth piece. Once you take this straw cup apart, it is incredibly difficult to put back together. If the maker would correct these problems, this would be my favorite straw cup on the shelves.

Check out these links about straw cup drinking:

Mommy Speech Therapy’s take on straw cups over sippy cups

How To Teach a Child to Drink From a Straw

Sippy Cups Causing Too Many Cavities

DoesMommyLoveIt.com is hosting a group writing project asking readers to write about a family product that they cannot live with out. If you want to participate, you better hurry because the project ends on Sunday, February 24th.

My family product that I can not live without is my Brestfriend Pillow. During the first six months of my daughter’s life I used it a minimum of 6 times a day to nurse her. She eventually grew big enough that I didn’t need a pillow to hold her. I literally called my pillow “my BFF.” If I were going to a family member’s house, I would bring it with me and use it there. I tried another pillow (that shall remain nameless *cough* boppy) and it didn’t even compare. The Brestfriend pillow straps around you so it doesn’t require extra pillows to hold it up. Also, the top is flat so your baby doesn’t fall in between you and the pillow. The pillow is also sturdy enough to rest your wrists while you are nursing. The extra pocket was nice to carry my Purelan and pen and paper to write down when I nursed. Washing the pillow was easy, because the outside cover came off and could be cleaned in the washer.

Nursing was extremely difficult for my baby and I to learn. Once I started using the pillow, nursing became infinitely easier. We were both happy.

I love this product so much that I have since bought two more as gifts and loaned mine out as soon as I didn’t need it anymore. I also liked that I was able to support my local Lactation Center by making the purchase from their store. They were so kind and helpful to me, I was happy to give back to them in a small way.

I highly encourage anyone who is serious about nursing to invest in a Brestfriend Pillow.

Check out the other participants in the writing project:
Sharon M on Go-Go Kidz TravelMate

Missy on Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

Homeschool Diva on the book “Sentinel” by Landel Bilbrey

Finding foods for my kids to eat can sometimes be difficult. My son is an incredibly picky eater (the WORST!), and my daughter is not much of an explorer in the food department either. I thought it’d be fun to share with you the staples of my kids’ diets and ask you what foods your kids can’t live without.

Here are the foods that we can’t run out of:

• cheerios
• applesauce
• bananas
• eggs (scrambled)
• yogurt
• refried beans
• rice
• hot dogs
• sweet potatoes & white potatoes (mashed)
• chicken nuggets
• frozen waffles
• sandwich fixings (PB &J, or turkey & cheese)
• canned carrots
• canned chicken
• vegetable juice (Darah only…Connor will only drink milk and water)
• and of course…lots and lots of milk!

What’s in your pantry?

Over at Parent Center Kristina Sauerwein wrote an interesting blog post titled “The booby battles: Breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding.” In the blog post she shares her own story and describes the feelings of moms on both sides of the fence. She discusses some of the judgments that are passed between moms and asks the readers for their reasons behind choosing breast or bottle.

I decided to breastfeed Ace, because I thought it would be best for her and it would save us money. I went to a breastfeeding class and learned so much that I became a breastfeeding zealot. It wasn’t easy for Ace and I to learn. I wrote about my struggle and lessons learned in this article. I have been breastfeeding for almost nine months now and love it. I hate doing dishes, so it works for me.

I am a breastfeeding mom who has struggled with passing judgment and feeling superior. I have had to make a conscious effort to realize that everyone’s situation is different. The breast or bottle decision is a family choice. I know one mom that only pumps to feed her baby. For that family, it works.

If a friend asks for my encouragement in breastfeeding, I give it honestly and freely. However, I have had to learn to keep my mouth shut if my opinion or support is not requested. Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that no matter how a baby is fed they are healthy and going to grow into amazing kids.

I would love hear your story. Why did you decide to breast or bottle feed? Are you happy with your decision? Have you felt judged or supported with your choice?

Today was my first attempt to make my own baby food. I followed the instructions in the article McKenna wrote about how to make your own baby food in five easy steps. I also read parts of the book, “Super Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron.

I had the choice of starting Ace with avocado or sweet potato. She is half Hispanic and I craved refried beans when I was pregnant, so I went with the avocado. I tried using the food processor attachment on my blender to purify the avocado, but I had to keep stirring it to get it all mixed. I tried my mortar and pestle and that worked well. I may get something else in the future to make it easier. I added some water to the avocado puree to make the food pour from the spoon.

After pureeing the two avocados and adding water to the green goop, I poured the remainder into an ice cube tray. Tomorrow after the cubes are frozen, I will distribute two cubes per freezer bag and date each bag. Two avocados gave me seven servings of baby food.

I fed Ace some of the fresh baby food and she liked avocado! I could tell, because she would open her mouth for more. I followed the book’s instructions to feed my baby early in the day and right after partially breastfeeding her. I only gave her one side, then put her in the high chair. After she was all done with the avocado, I finished breastfeeding her on the other side. It worked. Although, I don’t want to have to partially breastfeed her before eating all the time, because it is an extra time-consuming step in the process.

I am surprised by how easy the whole process was. I know other vegetables may be more time consuming to cook, but it is not much more time than making a meal for myself. I really like knowing exactly what is in my baby’s food. It also makes me feel good that my daughter is eating fresh vegetables. What could be better than that?

Do you make your own baby food? Have you tried? What has been your experience with home made baby food?