Scout Goes Stainless
Sunday, August 31, 2008

I've had a stainless steel water container for several months now. I prefer it over plastic for many reasons. I don't have to worry about BPA (Bisphenol-A) leaching into what I'm drinking and I also don't have the problem of my water taking on the flavor of plastic or the plastic taking on the smell of whatever I'm drinking. (I have a weird compulsive habit of smelling cups before I use them and if they have any kind of odor at all, I will not drink out of them) I feel like I can get the stainless and nice and clean and odorless. Most of the time, plastic cups smell like dish washing detergent to me and that totally skeeves me out. In case you were wondering, I own the New Wave Enviro 1-liter stainless steel bottle (word of advice - ditch the sport lid and go for the stainless loop cap) and I'm pretty happy with it. DH recently shopped around around for a stainless steel container for himself and ended up buying a 40 oz Klean Kanteen, which he seems to enjoy.

I've noticed that Scout's favorite sippy cups often take on the smell of our dish washing detergent and it makes me feel bad that she has to drink out of them when they smell like that. (even though she probably doesn't notice and I'm the only one who even cares) She loves her Nuby Mega-Sippers. I feel pretty good about them because they are BPA-free, but they are plastic, nonetheless. So, I decided that she deserves to drink from an odorless non-leaching cup just like DH and I do.

I've read lots of positive reviews about the Thermos Foogo cups and also the Klean Kanteen cup w/ the sippy spout. I decided to go with the Foogo Straw Bottle because I HATE HATE HATE the "Magic Spout" on Avent sippy cups (they leak like crazy!) and that's what the Klean Kanteen cup comes with, unfortunately. Scout loves to drink from a straw, so I figured she'd prefer the straw bottle instead of the sippy spout anyway.

I purchased Scout's Foogo Straw Bottle from a store called Lil' Tulip's because they offer free shipping to the US! (I noticed that the Foogo Straw Bottle is sold out right now, but I bet if you contact them, they might be able to let you know when it becomes available again) My experience with them was great. It was easy to order and shipping was lightning fast.

Back to the cup itself. When we got it in the mail, I couldn't wait to try it out. I washed it right away and filled it with some ice water flavored with a little bit of apple juice for Scout. She took to it right away because (like most toddlers) she is obsessed with pressing buttons. "Beep!", she said as she pressed the button that releases the flip top. She was so excited when the lid flipped open to reveal a little silicone straw, just the right size for her. She took a sip of her ice cold beverage and seemed pleased.

Pros:

- 12 oz size is perfect for my 16.5 month old toddler. The bottle is a little big, but she doesn't seem to mind toting it around. I think that the 7 oz Foogo Sippy Cup would've been way too small for her. She's a thirsty girl!

- Keeps drinks cold for up to 12 hours. It really does.

- Seems durable. We've only had ours for a couple weeks, but it has withstood several drops on the concrete during stroller rides around the neighborhood and there is not a ding or a scratch on it.

- Does not leak AT ALL when the lid is closed.

- Top-rack dishwasher safe (but instructions say for "best results" hand washing is recommended) I have been hand washing mine just because I don't want any parts to fly down off the rack and melt on the heating element in the bottom of our dishwasher. But I guess it's nice to know if I really want to stick it in the dishwasher, I can.

- Because it's stainless, it does not hold odor and does not leach chemicals. Score!

Cons:

- Does leak if turned COMPLETELY upside down with the lid open. This has not been much of a problem for us, though. If Scout forgets to close the lid and leaves it laying around, it usually just ends up on its side and I haven't noticed any leaks at all when it is flat on its side.

- At $15-$17, it is pretty pricey for a sippy cup. But since it is a straw cup that holds enough liquid for even a large toddler, I am counting on Scout being able to use it for at least a couple years. I could see even a 5-year-old using a cup like this for travel because it has the appearance of a sport bottle rather than a sippy cup.

- If you are not fond of washing cups with little parts and crevices, this is not for you. But since I am already used to washing sippy cups with straws and little silicone spouts, it doesn't bother me a bit.

- Wish it came in more colors. It would be nice to have gender neutral options like orange, yellow, or green so Scout could share her cup with any future children that may join the Unkempt family. Although, I suppose I don't really mind if we have a boy someday and he ends up using Scout's pink Foogo bottle.

I'll definitely update my review after we've used it for a while, but for now, I give the Foogo Straw Bottle an A-

Labels: baby gear, product reviews

posted by Unkempt Mommy @ 8:42 AM,

5 Comments:

At Sun Aug 31, 09:58:00 PM CDT, Andria and Co. said...: That rocks! Blake loves to drink out of a straw, I might have to try the kanteen.
At Mon Sep 01, 02:12:00 PM CDT, Dawn B said...: That's surely a cup to last a long long time. Brilliant. ;)
At Tue Sep 02, 09:07:00 AM CDT, Amy said...: How do you clean the inside of it??
At Fri Sep 05, 12:35:00 AM CDT, Unkempt Mommy said...: The pink top part unscrews and the stainless steel cup part has a fairly wide mouth, so it's easy to just stick a bottle brush down in there w/ a little drop of dish liquid.
At Tue Sep 16, 11:33:00 PM CDT, Anonymous said...: Actually my husband has and uses the pink Foogo (It was the only colour they had at the store at the time). It also comes in blue and yellow, that is the one I have.