The cup you choose for your child is a simple, affordable way to promote proper oral skills and development.
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Non-Valved Straw Cups
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Valved straws promote more of a suckling motion than sipping which is needed to help develop a mature swallow and facial development. Valves create an abnormal motor pattern. You want your child to have a rounded lip and suck with control, no force. You don’t want your child to have to bite and brace in order to drink. Many cups have their valves in the straw vs in the lid (example Zak). Cups like these you can easily trim off the valve – turning it into a regular straw.
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Thin Straws
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Thin straws are *more important when first learning to drink through a straw. They bring up a smaller portion of liquid which makes it easier/safer to swallow, thicker straws can be more difficult to drink out of when it comes to tiny baby/toddler mouths, it can also cause a child to drink too much liquid too quickly lowering their capacity for solids.
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Short Straws
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A short straw allows the tip of the straw to to just reach the tip of the child’s tongue. This allows the tongue tip to reach UP in order to develop a mature swallow pattern.
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We are in the works of getting our Amazon storefront up and running, so we can customize curated lists for you. But in the meantime, you can check these out:
