Best Cups for Oral and Speech Development - Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center

At our center, the feeding team is frequently asked what cups/straw cups are beneficial in facilitating strong oral motor, dentition, and speech development. That is why we have compiled some of our favorites with links attached. If you have someone in your family or know someone that may benefit from one or more of these cups, please pass along this blog!

Cup drinking and straw drinking is an important developmental milestone for a toddler to achieve. It strengthens tongue, cheek, and lip muscles that aid in more sophisticated eating and drinking skills. However, sometimes bringing a child’s attention and focus to the use of a cup and straw can be more of an obstacle than families initially anticipate. Luckily, there are a variety of devices, cups, and straws. All of which that can help assist in your child’s Oral and Speech Development.

TUM TUM 3 Way Trainer Cup

This Trainer Cup‘s unique design helps babies to progress from free flow straw cup to a spout-less sippy cup to an open cup. It’s an ideal baby first cup for progressing from bottle or breast feeding. Suitable for both cold and warm drinks, and designed specifically for your child by speech and feeding therapists to help your little develop quickly while limit the messes that come with learning.

Itsy Cup

This cup is from TalkTools! They are known across the globe for their tools and techniques. The Itsy Cup is developed and tested by speech and feeding professionals. It comes in an is an inclusive feeding set inspired by TalkTools® founder, Sara Rosenfeld Johnson, and designed and tested by speech-language pathologist-occupational therapist teams and their clients.

Take & Toss Straw Cup

Take & Toss Straw Cups help you reduce, reuse and recycle! These dishwasher safe cups can be used again and again, but don’t cost a lot. When it’s time to let them go, they can be easily recycled in many communities. Made without BPA, these durable cups are perfect for families whether at home or on the go. Kids love the fun colors and parents love that these spill proof cups help to keep drinks inside with snap-on lids.

Thermos Funtainer

The first thing that’s nice about this bottle is that it has vacuum insulation technology and keeps drinks cold for up to 12 hours. You can choose from a variety of fun colors or patterns! This Funtainer is lightweight and compact with a push button lid so it’s easy to carry and open. The integrated carry handle features a soft touch grip. Comes with with a hygienically covered pop-up straw that’s also removable for easy cleaning.

Lollacup

Lollaland’s straw cups for toddlers are very durable and last a long time. The sippy cup straw does need to be replaced from time to time. Which is why this set includes a straw pack replacement along with a cleaning tool. This cup is fun and functional! Lollacups are perfectly sized for all ages from infants, to babies, to toddlers. This is the best sippy cup to transition from bottle to aid in straw sucking use. It is not spill proof so it reinforces the concept that liquid spills if the straw trainer cup is turned upside down. But don’t let this deter you because it is a great training sippy cup!

Tommee Tippee Insulated Straw Cup

Learning to drink should be fun, but it doesn’t have to be messy. The straw and cap can be flipped down between sips to prevent spills and keep it clean when not in use. The super soft silicone straw makes drinking easy and is gentle on sensitive gums. Tommee Tippee Cup’s insulated base minimizes condensation and keeps water cool to encourage drinking and keep kids cool while playing. The ergonomic design aids toddlers in developing the hand-eye coordination required to hold, lift, and sip, all while sitting upright.

Honey Bear Cup

The Honey Bear Cup was originally created for children who did not have the fundamental musculature needed to suck liquid from a straw. The concept behind the cup is simple. The parent or caregiver is initiating the “work” by squeezing the soft base of the cup. Which pulls liquid into the straw. The Honey Bear Cup teaches the child that liquid can come from the straw and into their mouth. If you are attempting to start teaching your child straw drinking on a conventional straw cup, but are unsuccessful consider using the Honey Bear Cup!