Containers

Since weaning, Jolly has been obviously drinking even more out of a cup.

We highly endorse the Tommy Tippee straw cup, since he can use it on his own (Jolly never figured out how to tilt up bottles or sippy cups to get the liquid to come out) and it never, ever spills. So it's our go-to milk transportation system, since spilled milk, proverbs notwithstanding, quickly smells rancid. Very convenient cups on the user end, though assembling them after cleaning takes a bit of practice. (And if you do it wrong, your kid won't be able to get anything out of the cup.)

We also just got the EIO kids cup for drinking water at the table, and it was a big hit during lunch today. It's a canning jar with a screw on lid that has an opening in it like every commuter mug, and a silicone sleeve to prevent breaking. It's not spillproof, so it's going to be limited to water and use at the table for the time being. But, if he upends it, a thin stream of water pours out slowly... much better than trying to give him a regular cup to drink from on his own. It was entertaining enough that it kept Jolly occupied while I tended our sauerkraut. And, if the canning jar ever breaks, there is literally nothing easier to replace in our household. He's getting the hang of holding cups up to drink.

Also, he's just now at the point where he can be left with a plate and bowl of food, and he doesn't upend all the Lima beans and corn on the floor. Awesome! There's still a lot of sorting the food onto the table and putting it back into the bowl, but eventually this will yield some easier to clean up table situations... as well as make for a more aesthetically pleasing table setting. :)

Trying cutlery will come next, I think. We have little tiny baby-sized versions of our silver, including a German utensil (Schieber) which you can use to push food onto your fork with your dominant hand, sort of as training for a knife. (I'm adamant that he's going to eventually learn the knife-in-right, fork-in-left style of cutlery usage... someday, anyway!) I figure if he's going to be eating adult foods, he can start making slow progress to eating them with adult utensils. :)