Accidentally accessible product review: AutoSeal® Kids Tumblers - Part 2

Image found HERE, which happens to be another
review, done by a mom using the cups very
successfully with her son who is below the
recommended age range for the product.

This is a continuation of Part 1 of the same review of AutoSeal® Kids Tumblers.  Please refer back before reading this part of the feature.

So...what are the rest of the careful little details that help take this cup from amazing to oh-my-AWESOME?

• The button which opens the seal on the drinking hole does not stick out, which means it's a lot harder for the button to be pushed and spills made possible, by accident, despite the large size of the button which makes it easier for any size hands to use.  The cup can be rolled along the floor, and that button is flush enough with the rest of the surface that it does not get affected.
   
• The lid is molded with an almost perfect flattened circular rim, with only a slight raise to the part where the drinking hole is.  While fluid is still only going to come out of that one spot, the mouth is still trained, while drinking from this cup, to close around the lid with almost the exact mechanics needed to drink effectively from a standard cup.
   
• The lid is molded with a shallow dip from rim to the rest of the capping surface, and no indentation opposite the drinking hole to give extra space for a nose, which means that if the cup is held and moved in a way that would be over-tilting in a standard cup, the lid will smush into the child's upper lip and nose.  While not painful, one would imagine that this is annoying, which discourages the habit and further trains effective drinking skills.
   
• The unsealed drinking hole, which liquid then flows freely to, is just large enough that the cup can be used to drink thicker fluids, such as shakes or smoothies, which for some special needs children are the only way to sneak more food content into their diet.
   
• Because the unsealing of the drinking hole is triggered by the depressing of a button, liquid flow has a certain degree of controlled variation, unlike cups that "close" with something that simply flips or pops out of the way.  This makes it easier to learn how to drink from the cup, because confidence can be gained on a weaker flow before a stronger flow, in relation to any stage in the mechanics of drinking.  Likewise, while confidence is still being gained, it is easier for a child to adjust what they are doing when they realize something isn't quite working, by partially or completely releasing the button to cut off flow, regardless of what position they are holding.  This seems particularly useful when it comes to working out the timing of tilt adjustments and swallowing, when you're getting used to drinking a bunch at once, and not just one isolated sip at a time.

The nature of the cup's mechanics also makes it very easy for parents to guide the early learning stages of drinking from it, should their child require some hand-over-hand to initiate motor planning.  One hand on the cup, over the child's hand or hands, can assist in tilt control and help clue when to depress and when to release the button....and, over time, simply do less and less of the 'work'.  If the child needs that kind of guidance but is bothered by that kind of physical contact, the same can be accomplished by the adult putting one hand around the bottom of the cup, with one finger on the lower end of the button, while the child grasps the cup higher towards the lid, with their fingers over the rest of the button.

Please check out Part 3 for the last section of this review, and my own experiences testing the product on my son!