Here’s to the Babies that Drink!

When it comes to feeding time, parents, babies ad toddlers want a relaxed, pleasant, delicious experience. Show your customers ways to banish tension at mealtime with products that enhance food-appeal and make feeding youngsters as carefree as possible.

To ease the transition from breast to bottle, and from bottle to cup, demonstrate to shoppers a variety of smartly thought-out and well-designed products made to help feed young children. Here are some recommendations to calm the feeding frenzies: Mixie, ReliaBrand, Piyo Piyo and Cubbie Cup from Parent Perfected.

The Mixie Bottle Formula: Fix Now, Mix Later

Meet Mixie, the unique bottle that can be filled in advance of feeding time and then quickly mixed so babies get what they want as soon as they want it. Remind shoppers that hunger hits at less-than-convenient times, like two in the morning when sleepy parents are not fully focused. Formula is supposed to be consumed within an hour of being mixed; a challenge for anyone on the go with a baby. With Mixie, the bottle can be fixed now and mixed later.

With Mixie, the formula is stored in a compartment at the bottom of the bottle and water fills the top portion. A push button releases the powder and shakes the bottle until the formula is entirely mixed and ready to feed. The lid of the formula compartment serves as a free-floating agitator to avoid any unwanted clumps. Mixie is free of PVC, BCA and phthalates and is both microwave and dishwasher safe. With this innovative product there’s no spilling or mess.

Mixie is a must-have while traveling with baby. Instead of trying to pour a powder into a bottle from a plastic bag, a Mixie-mom, dad or grandparent can simply pass unchallenged through airport security with the powder inside the bottle and get the water later on when a baby needs feeding. It’s also useful for a baby that will be left with a sitter, as parents can fill the bottle with the formula powder and water ahead of time so they can relax and be totally sure their baby’s nourishment will be prepared exactly the way they want it to be.

Mixie is available in a 4-ounce size bottle with a stage one nipple that is perfect for newborns and an 8-ounce size with a stage two nipple that offers a more steady flow for older babies. All nipples are vented, so a baby won’t suck in air, which helps avoid colic. The bottle is sage green with a marigold top, a cheery combo that is easy to spot in the depths of a diaper bag.

Think hygiene, convenience and security — that’s Mixie: www.mixiebottle.com

ReliaBrand: Bottles of Bliss

ReliaBrand makes an array of innovative baby feeding products, must-buys for any parents in need of practical approaches to providing nourishment for baby. The Adiri^® NxGen™ Nurser, designed with input from doctors, closely replicates the soft feel and function of a mother’s breast, a boon to moms who either can’t or choose not to breastfeed. The specially designed nipple comes in newborn, slow, medium and fast flow sizes so there is one for a baby at every stage of growth. All four nipples are interchangeable between the 5.5-ounce and 9.5-ounce bottle sizes.

Bottles have a one-way valve at the bottom so that air enters behind the liquid, greatly reducing the incidence of colic. Each bottle comes with a lid valve that seals it off, so when it’s popped into diaper bag or purse for a trip out there’s no chance of leakage. Bottles, available in pink, white or blue, also come with a warming disc. As a bonus, replacement parts are offered so if a part is lost or misplaced, there is no need to get rid of the entire bottle system.

This product has won sixteen international awards including a gold medal at the prestigious Medical Design Excellence Awards, The D&AD Award, and the 2010 JMPA International Award.

The Transitional Nurser in a 9-ounce size comes in pink, blue or yellow with easy-to-grip handles for tots who are approaching, but aren’t quite ready for, a sippy cup.

The pink or blue Adiri-Phant 10-ounce sippy cup for the next feeding phase is soft on gums and cute as a button, with eyes and the outline of an elephant’s trunk.

Instead of boring training cups, show off the Adiri Dog, Penguin, Magic Frog and Genie cups, all free of BPA with a patented leak-proof valve that does away with accidental spills. These come in blue, orange, green and pink, each with a whimsical outline of the respective character.

Discover all the reliable feeding essentials at www.reliabrand.com

Piyo Piyo Offers Many Stages of Bottles and Cups

As charming as a duckling, but a lot more useful, the Anti-Bacterial Water Bottle and Pop-Up Lid from Piyo Piyo gives baby-minders a way to carry a supply of fresh, clean water on outings. When it’s time for a drink, bring out the cup and pop-up the lid.

The Anti-Bacterial Thermos Bottle with Sliding Lid provides a way to keep liquids hot or cold on the go, Perfect for taking along to school or on trips, this thermos features a cross-cut silicone straw to prevent spills and an adjustable strap for easy carrying. The thermos holds 420 milliliters and is designed with a sensible sliding lid, which means it can’t get separated and lost. This useful item features either skateboarding Abby Bear or the signature Piyo Piyo, a delightful duckling that takes its name from the Chinese version of a duckling’s cheeps.

Training cups come in a number of styles: Duck Bill features the Piyo Piyo duckling on the top, with a protected nipple or with a straw. To help kids move from a sippy cup to a regular cup, offer the Broad Opening Style Training Cup with a swivel lid that prevents spills when the cup is not in use. This cup is designed with a three-mode flow controller that helps babies learn to drink without dripping. When the child has mastered the art, simply remove the flow controller so the child can drink straight out of the cup.

In a welcome nod to preparing baby food at home, and an economic approach to going green, Piyo Piyo offers a seven-piece Baby Food Processor Set that includes a mortar, pestle, grinding lid, grinding board, filter, juicer and feeding spoon. The pieces all stack together neatly to permit tidy storage and can be used to grate, grind and juice with a simple change of a lid. Thanks to the detachable suction ring at the base of the set, the bowl stays in one place while food is being prepared. Long-handled spoons topped with the duckling come in a set of two and bend for ease of use. A feeding spoon is also offered, paired with chopsticks and a cereal bowl.

Waddle you add to your store? See the flock of innovative feeding products at www.piyopiyousa.com

Ingenious Two-in-One Holds Snacks and Drinks Together

The sippy cup has been around for generations and does a great job helping toddlers move from a bottle to a way of drinking that’s more like the method used by older family members. Some kids start to embrace a sippy as young as six months, while others won’t go there until their first birthday. Regardless of when a child graduates to sippydom, the cup does a fine job for beverages, but what about the all-important, accompanying snack?

Shoppers looking for items to make snack time easier on all concerned will be fascinated by the Cubbie Cup, a combination of a sippy cup and a snack cup. The two are joined together so there’s less to shuffle and potentially drop for adult and little one alike. The Cubbie Cup has measurements on both the snack and liquid side so the amount of food and drink ingested is no longer a guessing game: the sippy cup side holds eight ounces of liquid while the snack side holds one cup of the desired snack.

The two-in-one container is made of lightweight plastic without PVC or BCB so it’s safe to use, durable for surviving the inevitable drop, and easy to clean as it can be popped right into the dishwasher. Useful both when on the go or at home, this combo offers ease and convenience to parents and babysitters while pleasing the little eater and drinker who can hold both beverage and snack in one hand while leaving the other free to hang onto a favorite small toy.

Cubbie Cup was designed for maximum functionality. To come up with the design, many children were watched for over a year as they used cups of different shapes and sizes. The final result is this product that works even for a toddler who is just beginning to use a cup.

Double the value at www.parentperfected.com