Review & giveaway: Boon sippy cups

We’re two-for-two on Boon products we use and love (grass drying rack and frog pod), so when I received an offer to review Boon’s new line of sippy cups, I jumped on it. Bonus: One of YOU will win the chance to try Boon’s new cups, too.

I’m a strict parent when it comes to availability of drinks and snacks for my toddlers. Life with three rowdy 2-year-olds opens a messy door, so Toby, Eleanor and Callista only drink water when they’re off and running. All other beverages are saved for sit-down meals, and they’re always served in lidded cups.

Because toddlers are curious by nature and my trio live by the monkey-see-monkey-do rule of childhood, sippy cups save me from constant floor, furniture and clothes washing. They can drink straight from an open cup with no problem, but they have a hard time existing next to said open cup. They’re toddlers, and they get distracted by birds and bugs, let alone the two other 2-year-olds in our house. Their cups spend more time on their sides on the floor than sitting properly on a flat surface. At this stage, what more can I expect?

All three cups have an interchangeable valve system that’s entirely new to me. Liquids don’t pass through the valve, so there are no tiny crevices to cram sponges or brushes into for washing or, worse, from which to remove food/dirt/etc. (Toby likes to put a bite of food on his cup spout then eat and drink in one fell swoop. I’m often called to dig out a squashed grain of rice or piece of vegetable). The valves fill the spout, and liquid flows around, rather than through, the single piece when kids tip and sip the cup. Not only is it super easy to clean, it also does an amazing job of preventing spills – better than any I’ve seen. A few drops of liquid can pool in the spout after Kiddo pulls away post-sip, but unless they’re on a mischievous streak and are plotting vandalism, that small amount doesn’t create a significant mess.

Modster is Boon’s new intro sippy cup, meant for children ages 6 months and older. The spout is slightly pliable and probably feels good on newly-teething gums. It isn’t soft, but it isn’t hard, either. It’s hard enough to prevent a biter from closing the spout but soft enough to be gentle on sore gums if a teething baby wants to gnaw away while learning to sip.

The handles are a permanent fixture, and while I shied away from a trait so obviously meant for babies just learning to handle cups, my trio love to hold and carry their “monster” cup (they think the eyes, tooth and tail are hilarious) by its handles. Sure, handles help early learners, but they’re also useful for on-the-go toddlers.

Sip is a transitional cup, easily taking parents and babies from cups with handles to cups without. The handles secure into place under each lid by locking onto tiny tabs or are simply left off. The ounce and milliliter markings on the outside of the translucent cup make it easy to monitor fluid intake for sick kids or if you’re just into that sort of thing (I was for a long time).

With a 10-oz. capacity, it’s the perfect size being out and about or just running around the back yard. It’s enough to last a while without needing to stop for frequent refills, but it isn’t too much for toddlers to eventually empty.

Stout transitions from a lidded cup to an open one. All three of these cups could be used without lids, but Boon’s Stout cup doesn’t have a screw-on lid like Modster and Spout, meaning it doesn’t have the possibly uncomfortable or distracting threading. Instead, the lid almost seamlessly pops into place by sliding into the cup rather than over the rim, making it difficult for little hands to pop back off.

I have yet to make the open-cup transition with my trio, but they did try out that fancy, no lid feature in our back yard. The wide base makes it really easy for kids to set down without tipping.

The major pros:

I love, love, love the bright colors. They’re the colors I picked for ETC’s bedroom almost three years ago, so I clearly don’t disagree with the available palette. Also, with two girls and one boy, the colors are fair for all three to share, though we often have fights break out over the greens.

The valve system is impressive. I normally scoff at “leak proof” advertisements because I hadn’t really found a good leak-proof system until now. I suspect the difference is in the around-the-valve fluid flow instead of through-the-valve. Smart folks, those Boon designers!

The major cons:

The price may turn some shoppers away. If I were in the thick of a search for the perfect first sippy cup for my triplets, I probably would shy away from Modster’s current Target online price of $7.49 for one cup. The two pack of Sip cups are better priced at $12.99, and the Stout two pack runs at an even-better $10.99.

Storage is a bit of a pain. My kitchen space is limited, and my numbers are great, so ability to stack anything I can is a selling point. I can’t stack these cups. The only bright side is that because they prevent leaks so well, they can be used all day, every day instead of me needing to switch from meal-time milk cups to free-to-run water cups. With this practice, I’d only need three, which would be in constant use when not being washed and never truly needing to be stacked and stored.

Boon generously provided these cups for my review, and they want to give one lucky reader their own three-cup gift pack with a Modster, Sip and Spout cup to try.

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Leave a comment telling me which cup your child’s personality (or children’s personalities) best matches: Modster (outgoing, vibrant, colorful, creative), Sip (gentle, formal, proper) or Stout (grounded, calm, easygoing).

Receive an additional two entries by following @BoonInc on Twitter.

Receive an additional two entries by following @ActualJenny on Twitter.

Receive an additional three entries by tweeting this message: “I want to win a 3-pack of @BoonInc sippy cups from @ActualJenny!”

Use the Raffelcopter window below to enter. This giveaway will be open from 12 a.m. EDT April 18 through 12 a.m. April 25. The winner will be notified by e-mail.

Many apologies to my international readers, but this giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only, no PO boxes.

Each household is only eligible to win 3 TOMY products, via blog reviews and giveaways, each calendar year. Only one entrant per household per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Boon sponsored this review by sending me Modster, Sip and Stout cups to review, but the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest opinion.