At some point you will start to transition your baby onto a cup for drinking water. Plunket suggests offering water in a cup at meal times from six months old. This can be a wet, yet fun business as your baby learns about the relationship between water and gravity.

Some people are brave and opt for a simple plastic open cup. Others are more circumspect and try a plastic cup with a lid. Not surprisingly there are all sorts of options and choices if you go down this road! The idea is that your baby starts off with a non-spill cup with two handles to get the hang of getting the cup to their mouth. They can then progress onto tumblers without handles, and around one year of age onto tumblers with built in straws.

On first cups, spouts are either soft or made of silicone. Silicone is a rubbery material that is extremely temperature resistant with a neutral taste. It is gentle on gums and emerging teeth so tends to be used for teats and straws. The tumblers with straws often have flip-tops to keep the straw clean. Replacement straws are available on some types as they can get chewed to oblivion!

No-spill, leak proof and spill resistant are different terminology for a similar feature. Generally valves are used on cups and straws to keep the water in and to control the liquid’s flow. Water flow is regulated by your baby sucking on the spout. Some valves can be changed from slow to fast flow and they are either built-in or removable.  

In terms of cleaning, most cups are dishwasher safe, but only put them on the top rack to prevent damage and perishing. Some cups can be sterilised in sterilising solution. Remember to take out and wash removable valves and straws.

You may see the term “BPA free”. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to make a hard plastic called polycarbonate (PC). Polycarbonate has a combination of properties including safety, toughness, durability, lightweight, clarity and suitability to all common household methods of sterilisation. It also acts as a barrier to bacterial contamination and is shatterproof. Hence it has been used in infant feeding bottles for over 40 years.

However due to the level of public concern over various health associations with BPA, the government has asked for a voluntary phasing out of BPA bottles. . The government quotes the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) evaluation that concludes the “level of intake of BPA or plasticisers are very low and do not pose a risk to babies health”. Tommee Tippee's website has a good Q&A explanation of BPA's and their commitment to phase them out - click here for more (it's quite a long way down their page).

Baby feeding spoons also have a variety of features.

• Look for a soft tip that is gentle on young gums.
• Some spoons use a colour change to indicate if the food is too hot.
• The narrower spoons can be easier to use when you first introduce solids to your baby as they are easier to pop into small mouths.
• There are even brands available with extra long handles to reach the bottom of a jar of food!

Parents Centre run a class called ‘Moving and Munching’ which includes information on food and nutrition – ring your nearest centre or visit their website for details. You can also visit Tommee Tippee for product information, advice, competitions and useful links to other websites.

 So get the bibs ready and go for the water. You can pretty well guarantee that even when your baby masters the art of drinking, they will love dribbling it out again!

Endorsed by our New World Nutritionist  ||   Proudly Partnering with Parents Centre

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