The signature “Honey Bear” feature is simple: the cup is squeezable. That matters because learning to drink from a straw requires coordination your baby may not have yet. With a squeezable cup, you can gently assist by bringing a tiny amount of liquid up the straw so your baby can connect the dots: my lips close + I try to suck → liquid shows up.

That early success is often the difference between:

• a baby who gets overwhelmed and refuses, and

• a baby who starts to understand the pattern and gains confidence.

Legendairy Milk’s cup is also intentionally built around development and safety: soft silicone (gentler on gums), easy-to-grip shape, and clear markings so you can see volume and track intake if you need to. (1)

Straw drinking isn’t just “sipping.” It’s a coordinated oral skill that typically involves:

A lip seal (closure) around the straw

That seal helps your baby control flow and create negative pressure (suction). This is one of the foundational components of mature drinking patterns.

Jaw stability

As babies mature, we want the jaw to act like a stable base while the lips and tongue do more refined work. Straw drinking often encourages that “stable base + precise movement” pattern.

Tongue coordination and swallow timing

To move liquid back and swallow safely, the tongue has to coordinate with breathing. This is why straw drinking can be a helpful functional skill in feeding development (when a baby is ready).

If your baby has a history of feeding difficulty, reflux that seems to worsen with liquids, prematurity, or suspected swallowing issues, straw training should be individualized. ASHA notes that pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders can involve airway protection and coordination and are best addressed through interprofessional evaluation when concerns exist. (2)

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages offering a cup around the time solids begin and moving away from bottles gradually over time. Their guidance also points out that “sippy cups” are best used as a short-term learning step and that children should progress toward more mature drinking skills. (3)

In real life, straw learning is not a one-week timeline. Some babies pick it up quickly; others need many low-pressure exposures. If your baby is sitting with support, bringing things to their mouth, and curious about what you’re drinking, you can experiment gently. (3)

A helpful mindset: practice, not performance. You’re not trying to “get ounces in.” You’re just teaching a skill.

Not all “sippy cups” function the same way. Some spouts encourage a more bottle-like sucking pattern, especially if used frequently for long periods. The ASHA Leader has discussed professional concerns around certain sippy cup designs and how cup type can influence oral patterns and development—one reason many clinicians lean toward straw or open cups when appropriate. (4)

This is not about fear-mongering. Plenty of families use spouts sometimes. The point is: if your goal is skill development, straw drinking is often a more direct path toward mature drinking patterns. (4)

Let’s be very clear: a straw cup is not a treatment for breastfeeding problems. If you’re dealing with nipple pain, clicking, poor milk transfer, weight gain concerns, or you suspect oral restriction, you deserve a full assessment (IBCLC and, when indicated, Speech Language Pathologist/feeding therapist and your pediatric clinician).

But it’s also reasonable to explain why families often sense a connection.

Breastfeeding mechanics rely heavily on intra-oral vacuum (negative pressure) and coordinated tongue movement. Ultrasound research has demonstrated the relationship between tongue movement and intra-oral vacuum during breastfeeding. (5) Additional work has shown breastfed infants can remove milk from an experimental teat that only released milk when vacuum was applied, supporting the idea that vacuum is a critical factor in milk removal. (6)

Straw drinking also uses negative pressure and requires lip seal, coordination, and stability. That’s the overlap. So the most accurate, evidence-aligned way to say it is:

Straw drinking can support functional oral-motor coordination (lips, tongue, jaw), and those same structures contribute to feeding comfort and efficiency across the early years—including breastfeeding—without guaranteeing a specific latch outcome. (5)(6)

In other words: it’s supportive skill-building, not a magic fix.

Jaw and facial development are multi-factorial—genetics, airway, muscle tone, oral habits, and feeding history all play roles. No single cup “shapes the jaw.”

What we can say with better confidence is that oral function and feeding patterns matter developmentally. Multiple systematic reviews have found breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of certain malocclusions, and longer breastfeeding duration may be linked with additional protective effect. (7)(8)

That doesn’t mean breastfeeding prevents every orthodontic issue. It does reinforce that how the mouth works during early feeding has developmental relevance. Straw drinking is one tool that can support the functional side of oral development—especially jaw stability and coordinated oral movement—when introduced appropriately.

Keep this short, calm, and low stakes. A minute or two is plenty.

1. Start with a small amount of water (if age-appropriate for your baby and your pediatric provider agrees), or breastmilk/formula.

2. Sit baby upright with steady trunk support.

3. Place the straw at the lips (not deep in the mouth).

4. Gently squeeze the cup so a small amount of liquid rises up the straw.

5. Pause. Let your baby initiate a swallow.

6. Repeat a few tiny “supported sips,” then gradually squeeze less as your baby starts to create suction independently.

Two tips that help this feel smoother:

• Practice when your baby is calm, not ravenous or overtired.

• Stop before frustration. End on a “good rep,” even if it’s only 2–3 sips.

Because the Legendairy Milk cup is silicone and squeezable, it’s well-suited for this gradual learning approach. (1)

Some babies need individualized guidance for safety and comfort. Consider looping in your pediatric clinician and/or a feeding specialist if you notice:

• coughing/choking with liquids

• wet/gurgly breathing or voice after drinking

• frequent respiratory illness that seems related to feeds

• feeding distress, refusal, or fatigue

• known airway/neurologic conditions or complex medical history

Feeding and swallowing issues can involve more than preference—they can involve coordination and airway protection—and that assessment is appropriate when concerns exist. (2)

If breastfeeding is painful, baby is clicking, sliding shallow, struggling to maintain latch, or weight gain is a concern, a direct IBCLC assessment should be your first stop (a straw cup shouldn’t be used to “work around” a current breastfeeding problem).

Legendairy Milk’s Honey Bear Straw Cup is popular because it makes straw learning easier, especially for babies who benefit from that gentle squeeze-assist. (1) Straw drinking can support functional oral-motor skills like lip seal, suction coordination, and jaw stability, which matter for feeding development over time. (2)(5)(6) And while we should never promise that straw drinking will change breastfeeding latch outcomes, it’s fair to say that building coordinated oral skills supports the broader feeding foundation that breastfeeding relies on—especially the role of vacuum and tongue coordination. (5)(6)

If you’re already doing a lot (because you are), this is one of those skills that can be introduced gently, in tiny moments, without pressure. Small practice adds up.

1. Legendairy Milk. Honey Bear Straw Cup | Silicone Training Cup (product details, materials, care). https://www.legendairymilk.com/products/honey-bear-straw-cup

2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing (Practice Portal). https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/pediatric-feeding-and-swallowing/

3. American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org). From Bottle to Cup: Helping Your Child Make a Healthy Transition. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Discontinuing-the-Bottle.aspx

4. LaManna S. (ASHA Leader, 2024). Skip the Sippy? Coaching Parents on Sippy Cup Use. https://leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/2024-1023-sippy-cups-slps/full/

5. Geddes DT, et al. (2008). Tongue movement and intra-oral vacuum in breastfeeding infants. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18262736/

6. Geddes DT, et al. (2012). Tongue movement and intra-oral vacuum of term infants during breastfeeding and feeding from an experimental teat that released milk under vacuum only. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22119233/

7. Peres KG, et al. (2015). Effect of breastfeeding on malocclusions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26140303/

8. Abate A, et al. (2020). Relationship between Breastfeeding and Malocclusion (systematic review). https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3688