Introducing the Straw? Why I don’t Like the Honey Bear Cup…

This is a question I get asked ALL THE TIME. What straw cup do you recommend? What about the honey bear straw cup?

Here’s the truth. Teaching your baby to drink from a straw is one short phase (usually) and the point of straw drinking is to help your baby be independent with drinking while they’re in their high chair and eating food. You shouldn’t have to express liquid into your baby’s mouth for long, so the cup you choose for straw drinking should function well for independent drinking as well.

The first reason I don’t like the honey bear straw cup is because it’s too tall. If you’re giving it to your baby in the high chair (where it should be offered), it’s much too tall for them to hold, tip, and use on their own.

The second reason is based on typical user error. I see so many parents that have the straw pulled out so far that the straw and liquid are both going really far into baby’s mouth. Straw drinking should involve the lips and tongue; if the straw is going to be that far in baby’s mouth, they might as well just use a bottle.

Finally, there is little functionality to the honey bear straw cup for the price it typically costs. After your baby learns to drink from a straw, you should move on to a cup they can use on their own. Most babies pick up straw drinking fairly quickly (if they’re sucking from a pouch, they are likely going to be able to use a straw quickly!), so spending $20 for such a short-lived item is not the best use of your resources.

So, if you ask me what I recommend for a first straw cup, I would tell you it’s the Olababy Straw Cup every time. What I love about this cup is that it can not only be used to teach straw drinking (see my article with video HERE), but it’s also great for babies to use independently while they’re eating in their high chair. AND, when you want to work on open cup drinking, you can simply take the straw out and use the top to minimize the flow of liquid through the hole instead of just an open cup. Finally, when your baby is old enough to use an open cup independently, this cup is STILL great for that purpose. It’s wide base is helpful at all stages AND it’s easy to clean.

If your baby learns to drink from a straw, you can certainly move on to other straw cups too. Many are made with “spill proof valves”, so always try drinking from them yourself before offering it to your baby. Some of them are REALLY hard to drink from!!! And again, make sure the straw is at the level of your baby’s mouth and not at their forehead! Size does matter!

(FYI… I’m not an affiliate for Olababy. I just really like their cup. Here’s a link to my recommended products page if you want to try it for yourself!).