ARK Bear Bottle Kit to Teach Straw Drinking, Food-Grade Honey Bear Straw Cup with One-Way Valve, Sippy Cup Alternative

The price is high, as the item is cheaply made, but it was worth every penny, as my 16 month old With Down Syndrome is now able the drink from a straw within less than a month of having this bottle. You squeeze the bottle with minimal pressure which is easier than constantly sticking a straw into a water glass and using your finger to hold the liquid in the straw to transfer to your child. We let her just chew on the straw at times, to get a feel for it. Then squeeze a little more. She started really closing her mouth around the straw after a week and is now fully capable of putting straw in her mouth and sucking water. After day one, the black nose was rubbed off, day two the lid, which can’t be shut when straw is in, broke off. But even with these issues, the bear bottle did it’s job and she is able to drink from it on her own. Beware, it’s not spill proof, but I only put water in it so that didn’t matter.

Works great for teaching my special needs baby to drink from a straw!

Great cup for my daughter who struggled with learning to drink from a straw.

We used this product to help our beautiful son, who had poor muscle tone and struggled with the ability to use a straw and form a seal with his lips on a cup. We loved the actual lip block part, and in the beginning, having the squeezable bear was very helpful from the teaching standpoint, because our son struggles in learning certain motor skills. However, the tubing and the groves on the lid are kind of a pain to clean and keep mold free. Ok, kind of is an understatement, so we took the lip block, ordered additional lip blocks, and transitioned him to a different cup system as soon as we could. He also managed to break off the cap part of the lid the very first time he threw it, so from that stand point, the pieces aren't as durable as one would hope given the price tag for this thing. I would rate it lower because of that, except it functionally was instrumental in helping our son develop the skill for using a straw. Overall, I love the lip blocks themselves, and recommend those more than this cup system, but if your child has learning challenges, I think it is worth it to get the whole kit.

I bought this after reading about it in many various mom groups. I was skeptical but it really worked! My 4 month old learned to sip out of a straw on her own after about 2 weeks of using this bear. She still loves to use it and gets excited when she sees it. Though the price is a little high for a simple plastic honey bear, it was worth it for her to independtly drink and hydrate.

I bought this Bear after someone in a mom's group recommended it for teaching babies to drink with a straw. It worked sooo quickly--our eight month old had it down pat in a day. I'm glad I bought this kit because the thicker, plastic tube straw was great for keeping Madison (our baby) from chewing the straw closed. The piece that goes at the bottom to hold the liquid in the straw was excellent for teaching, too. On one hand, it seems like a waste to buy all of this since they learn so quickly with the kit--and on the other hand Madison never would have learned this quickly if not for the kit! I know some people say you can just buy the Honey bear and use that. However, since botulism is a risk with babies I would rather have this than try and "fake" the product and have something happen. Sure, I wish that the cost were less (doesn't everyone with pretty much everything?) but it was worth the price and I'm glad to have taught Madison to use a straw so quickly.

Took about 20 cups to find one that worked for our low tone girl; she has trouble swallowing and creating suction, plus a distinct dislike for things in her mouth. This one was the first one we found that worked at all, but the size of it makes it difficult to use on a tray/table, which you have to because it’s not at all leak proof. 3 stars for working at all and being easy enough to clean. BUT, along with being difficult to maneuver, it’s difficult to get together and the pieces don’t feel very sturdy. Also, it’s crazy expensive for what you get. Aaaand definitely can’t travel with this setup; would leak everywhere and need disassembled to close. We found a cup by Dr.B that does the same things better, with handles and a softer straw mouthpiece she likes better. Leakproof when closed, easily washed and reassembled, and maneuverable. Highly recommend that one (looks like a bottle but has a straw) to anyone looking; really wish we had found that one before spending a fortune on this.

Our daughter doesn’t aspirate with this cup on thin liquids & the valve is also very helpful. After doing a swallow study this cup was the right cup for my little girl.