Sippy cups... AKA "My Nemesis"

 Moms out there... you know what I'm talking about.  You mention sippy cups and fellow mom's instantly roll their eyes or cringe.  OK, calling them my nemesis seems a bit dramatic, but seriously, there are few things that cause more aggravation than sippy cups.  Let me count the ways... 

First off, I just did a rough count and in my cabinet right now there are approx 18 cups.  Yes, I only have one kid using these cups so why in the world do we have approx 18 cups?? I call it the trap of advertisement... this cup promises not to leak and I'm so frustrated with previous cups that I'm going to just go ahead and believe them.  So, here we are, 18 cups later- most of which are different types... straws, hard spout, soft spout, disposable, real cup like spout, sport top, valves, no no valves, flip straw... etc.  All of which promise "Absolutely NO LEAKS.... well I have a few choice words about that... the first being LIARS!!!!  They all leak in some fashion.  What is it about the straw cups that if you put anything cold in it the liquid just pours out the top while it is standing up?? Seriously, it's not even laying down!! Standing up!!! Ugh!!  The best that we have found are the no insert cups, but once your little one learns that he can poke the holes or they get a little old and the holes get worn... leaksville.  That would be why we have so many... my search for one that does not leak and that is age appropriate for a 2 year old.  

     That leads me to my next frustration.  If you look at the age guideline for the cups, they usually say for 6mth+ or 18mth+... I realize that the goal is for them to be able to drink out of a normal cup like an adult.  I know that I don't want Mason to start school using a baby cup, but right now he is 2, has great coordination, but has no regard for stuff like our couch, hard wood floor, etc.  So, while he does good at drinking out of a real cup, he would not think twice about reaching in to grab the ice, or tossing the cup down wherever and then the shocked reaction "Oh no!! A mess!" Yeah, no kidding a mess, you just accidentally knocked it over on purpose!  So, we stick with the sippy cups unless at meal time, quarantined at the table.

     Who has room for 18 kid cups in their cabinet? Not me... not anyone I imagine... which means that they are crammed into that one shelf in some sort of imaginary organization that when you try to get the one you want- it is naturally the one all the way in the back- and as you try to wiggle and squeeze your hand to the back without disturbing the others, ultimately they all fall out.  This is where I would like to throw them all across the room, but then I remember that I will be the one to have to pick them up so, defeated again, I pick them up and put them all back.

     Then there is the gross factor.  I never felt like the insert valves ever got clean enough.  I have been known to stand at the sink with a soapy tooth pick trying to make sure it was clean.  And then there is that awful feeling when you find the mystery cup in the toy box from who knows when.  I have found a few of those and the glutton for punishment that I am open it up all while chanting "Please be water... Please be water!!" It never is.  The mystery cup is ALWAYS milk... or what used to be milk that is now a gross science project.

There is no real conclusion... it is just an understanding that sippy cups suck, but are a necessity until that magical age when they can successfully use a regular cup.  Until then I just have to wonder... why do I keep all of these cups that leak and cause so much frustration... the simple answers: I deliriously hope that next time I put a drink in them they are magically not going to leak... I realize that is a dumb idea, but a girl can hope right?  Then there is the answer that I spent precious dollars from our already tight budget to buy these dang things so they will stay in the cabinet.  Finally the best answer I can think of... I am a glutton for punishment. Period.