For when your kid can drink, but needs a little jump-start getting their drink up the straw:

I don’t know how many ridiculous honey-bears I was handed before we found this (you sp needs parents know what I mean!). One super lovely Speech Therapist, Tracy, gave us this idea years ago, and my little boy has been rocking it ever since!

Keep in mind…again…I’m just an amateur parent, not any professional. Run this by your speech therapist and/or doctor if it seems appropriate for your child.

It’s the ideal squeeze bottle that helped B learn to suck from a straw.

To make it you’ll need:

• Refrigerator Tubing – buy it in the plumbing section of a hardware store. (Make sure to buy only tubing that is safe for drinking water.)

• A squeezable bottle which can be:

  • a silicone “chef” bottle like this one (my newest choice, as it’s BPA free)
  • Honey Bear
  • Hair coloring bottle – buy from a beauty supply place like Sally’s (also a great place to get Taupe Tape for Cochlear Implants and hearing aides)

• Start small. Cut off the tip of the bottle until the tubing will fit through. If you cut too big of a hole, you won’t get the pressure that you need for this system to work.

• Thread the tubing through and there you go!

You now can squeeze the juice up to the top of the straw to give your special someone the head start they need to drink and/or learn the skill!

Keeping it clean

Over time we’ve found that the tubing doesn’t wash that well. It needs to be replaced when you notice grime in it.

Best way to clean it is to flush with soapy water and then clean water.

I also keep the bottle in the fridge at all times, to decrease bacterial growth.

I put the bottles in the dishwasher and when they start to crack you lose pressure, so they have to be thrown out or duct taped to create a seal (but only for a day or 2…because you can’t really wash the duct tape.)

PS – anyone have a BPA free idea? Would really love to figure out a way to make this BPA free…but it has to be the squeezy plastic!