The Safe Sippy 2 by Kid Basix

I reviewed the Safe Sippy by Kid Basix, back at the beginning of March and at that time I noticed that the Kid Basix website listed the Safe Sippy 2 as a product, though I had never seen it in stores before.

It turns out the Safe Sippy 2 (SS2) is slated for release in Canada late this summer and will be available at Zellers and Toys R Us/Babies R Us.  They are also available online at a few select retailers AND the Kid Basix website.  If you're interested in getting your own Safe Sippy or SS2, Kid Basix has been kind enough to provide me with a SS2 to review and a coupon code for 25% off your online purchase (coupon code is at the end of the post).

Since I have already reviewed the Safe Sippy and all of the basic features, this review will focus on those features that are unique to the SS2.  The Safe Sippy 2 is designed to save YOU money since it works like a traditional sippy cup or it can be used with a straw and when your child is ready, the handles are removable.  The idea is that when your big kid wants a big kid cup, you already have one at your fingertips.  If you already have a Safe Sippy, you can buy the Replacement Parts Pack for $3.99, which will outfit you with all the features of the SS2 while continuing to use your original bottle.

The SS2 (and replacement parts pack) has three new features; the Dust Cap, the Travel Plug and the Straw and Straw Adapter.  To be honest, I was surprised the original Safe Sippy didn't have a dust cap; most sippy cups have some sort of cap to ensure that diaper bag "gunk" doesn't make its way onto the spout.  The SS2 dust cap is very standard, though it does have notches in the side to aid in removal from the bottle.  I did find that if the spout was leaky (usually a result of a loose gasket or traveling with the straw spout installed) then the dust cap was leaky.  It really has no capability to contain spills, its simply intended to keep the mess off the spout.

The travel plug is great; although the traditional valve barely leaks, sometimes you just want to chuck the water bottle in a bag and not have to worry about leakage at all.  In those moments, the travel plug functions perfectly.  No water spilled all over dry clothes and diapers, the water stays where it's supposed to be, in the bottle.  My qualm with the travel plug?  It's small.  I'm pretty positive that I'm going to lose it; I haven't yet, but I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'm going to leave it on a restaurant table or it will fall out of a pocket, never to be found again.  Additionally, using the travel plug means that you need to have the traditional valve (or the straw adapter) in the diaper bag, which also has the potential to be lost.

I was worried the boy might get confused by the straw and straw adapter, since he was used to using the Safe Sippy as a traditional sippy cup.  I need not have worried, he seems to have no trouble going back and forth between the two.  I haven't had any problems with the straw separating from the adapter and the boy seems to enjoy the ease of the straw option.  I will warn you however, if you are lazy like me, and you try to take your SS2 out with the straw attached, it WILL leak.  As a solution, I did find that you could leave the straw in the bottle and replace the straw adapter with the travel plug so that you don't have to tote the straw around in the diaper bag - you do of course have to bring the straw adapter with you.

I think that one of those "pacifier bags" that strap onto the diaper bag would potentially solve the problem of containing all the small pieces to ensure they don't get lost.  The boy never took to a pacifier, so I don't have one, but I suspect it would be perfect and would minimize any worries about lost parts, which is my main concern with the SS2.  If you try this out, let me know how it works.

Overall, I think the SS2 brings forth great features and functionality and if the replacement parts pack is purchased, it gives parents the option of continuing to use an item they already have (re-use is one of the three R's after all).  Despite the leaking I experienced (when I didn't use the travel plug as intended) and my concerns about lost parts, the Safe Sippy 2 is an innovative and useful product that you can feel good about using.  I rate it a 4.5/5!

 

Coupon Code:

25% off your entire order on the Kid Basix Website

Enter Code MSB10 at Checkout!
Valid Saturday May 15 - Saturday June 12, 2010

The Safe Sippy

Well, we made it through our first week. After exactly one year on maternity leave, I had to return to work this Monday, which meant my little man had to spend the entire week (at least the work hours) without his Momma. We are fortunate enough to have family caring for the boy three days a week; he is attending a daycare just blocks away from my work the other two days. I'm confident this is going to be a good balance for him, giving him lots of time to bond with his family and yet still allowing him to run and play and learn from other children.

I wish there was one amazing item I could review this week, an item that made the transition back to work effortless and seamless. If such an item exists, I didn't find it. I am however going to review an item that both my son and I are very fond of, the Safe Sippy.

The Safe Sippy by Kidbasix is made of stainless steel, which means us Momma's don't have to worry about BPA or any other plastic nasties in our babies water bottles. The bottle has a soft silicone sleeve that can be removed and cleaned, which ensures no mold or other unwanted friends are growing on the bottle; the sleeve also functions to protect the Safe Sippy from all of the drops that the poor bottle will inevitably endure.

The plastic handles are easily removable, which will be great when my little guy gets a little older and no longer wants a BABY water bottle. That being said, at this point we LOVE the handles at my house, my little man can grab and grip them easily and they don't seem to shift when he shakes the bottle. There is a valve in the Safe Sippy which is easily removable for cleaning and although it does minimize messy spills it does occasionally drip, especially during those shaking episodes my son loves.

The spout on the Safe Sippy resembles a straw, but functions like sippy cup. There is research that indicates the use of wide spout sippy cups rather than regular cups can cause physical and speech development problems, however the narrow straw shape apparently helps little developing mouths. The boy can use a straw quite effectively, so I had no concerns that this would be a problem for him, and since the cup needs to tipped like a sippy cup, I wouldn't be too concerned if your little one can't use a straw yet. In fact since he can use a straw I think there is sometimes a little confusion for him, it took him a while to realize he had to tip the bottle.

Since the Safe Sippy is made of stainless steel, it is absolutely heavier than a traditional plastic water bottle and that does pose some difficulties when my little one tries to drink out of the Safe Sippy on his own. I often hear a soft squeaking noise when he tries on his own; the valve squeaks when there is no water moving through the valve, which means I usually need to help him out a little bit, though he does make his way over to the bottle on his own. The angle of the spout adds to this problem as he often lifts the cup (like a straw) and then the bottle can't even be lifted up to get the water into his mouth without rotating the bottle all the way around. Despite these problems, Cole seems to really love his Safe Sippy. He drinks more water than he used to, and he's always on the lookout for his Safe Sippy so he knows where to go to get a drink.

While perusing the Safe Sippy Website I see that they now have a Safe Sippy 2 which includes features such as a cap, a straw and adapter and a travel plug all of which would be great accessories for our family.

The Safe Sippy costs $18.99 at my local Zellers, though apparently you can buy it from the website for $12.95 USD plus shipping. I personally got mine from Green Baby Bargains, so it cost about $13 with shipping. Although I had looked at the Safe Sippy in Zellers many time, $18.99 just seemed a little steep for something I wasn't sure my boy would like. Now that we've been using it for about a month however, I think the bottle is well constructed and worth the price.

I give the Safe Sippy 4/5 - its a great product and although I have a few complaints, they are not all within the control of the company to fix, such as the weight of the bottle (which can't be controlled since its made of stainless steel) and I imagine within another few months the weight of the bottle, the resulting squeaking valve and the straw confusion my son seems to experience will all be a thing of the past as he gets bigger, stronger and more coordinated.