ARK Bear Bottle® Straw Drinking Kit

A clever assisted straw-drinking system that helps take some of the hard work out of learning to drink from a straw.

The ARK Bear Bottle® Straw Drinking Kit is a feeding therapy favourite designed to support beginners and individuals who have difficulty generating or maintaining enough suction to drink successfully from a straw.

The clever part is the one-way valve. Simply squeeze the bear’s belly until the liquid travels up the straw towards the mouth, then release. The valve prevents the liquid from flowing all the way back down into the bottle, so the next sip is right there waiting.

This reduces the amount of suction needed to bring liquid all the way from the bottle to the mouth and allows the person assisting to help get things started.

For babies who are ready, the Bear Bottle can also be used when learning to transition from bottle drinking to straw drinking, without necessarily introducing a sippy cup in between.

Why we love it

It lets us help without doing all the drinking for them.

Learning to drink from a straw can be tricky. The child has to work out what to do with their lips and tongue while generating enough suction to draw the liquid all the way up the straw.

With the Bear Bottle, we can squeeze the bottle to bring the liquid up to the child, giving them an opportunity to practise taking the drink from there.

The one-way valve is particularly clever because once the liquid has travelled up the straw, it stays there rather than dropping all the way back into the bottle between sips.

It’s a simple way to reduce one part of the challenge while the child works on the skills needed for straw drinking.

Great for

• Babies and children learning to drink from a straw
• Transitioning from bottle to straw drinking
• Children and adults who have difficulty generating or maintaining suction
• Individuals with a weak suck who may benefit from reduced suction demands
• Guided straw-drinking practice in feeding therapy
• Individuals working on lip closure and straw-drinking skills
• Children who benefit from having the liquid brought closer to the mouth before initiating a sip

What’s included?

Each Bear Bottle Kit includes:

• 1 Bear Bottle with an easy-to-squeeze body and snap-close cap
• 1 Select-Flow Valve to help keep liquid up in the straw
• 2 reusable tubing straws
• 1 yellow Lip Blok®

The included tubing straws provide a durable alternative to standard disposable straws.

The Lip Blok® sits on the straw to help discourage biting and limit how far the straw can enter the mouth, supporting a more consistent straw position.

A feeding therapist’s note

I love the Bear Bottle because it gives us a way to grade the challenge of straw drinking.

For some children, understanding how to close their lips around a straw and generate enough suction to bring liquid all the way up from the bottle is simply too much to coordinate at first.

With the Bear Bottle, I can squeeze the liquid up the straw and present it closer to the mouth. The child can then practise taking the sip without having to generate as much suction from the outset.

As their skills develop, we can gradually provide less assistance and let them do more of the work themselves.

The one-way valve is also incredibly useful for individuals who can initiate suction but have difficulty maintaining it, because the liquid doesn’t disappear all the way back down the straw between attempts.

Product details

• One-way valve helps prevent liquid flowing back down into the bottle
• Easy-to-squeeze bottle allows an adult or therapist to assist with bringing liquid up the straw
• Holds approximately 240 mL
• Includes reusable tubing straws and a yellow Lip Blok®
• Compatible with most standard straws
• Recommended by the manufacturer for thin and slightly thick liquids such as water, milk and juice without pulp
• Not recommended for carbonated drinks
• Made from non-toxic, food-grade materials
• Dishwasher safe
• Made in the USA by ARK Therapeutic

Important

Drinking needs are individual. If your child or client has dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), known or suspected aspiration, respiratory compromise or requires thickened fluids, the appropriate drinking method, liquid consistency and equipment should be determined in consultation with their treating speech pathologist or other appropriately qualified health professional.

The Bear Bottle can reduce the suction effort required to bring liquid up the straw, but it does not make swallowing safe for someone who is at risk of aspiration.

We send Australia-wide. Delivery costs and timings, and how to arrange a return, are set out on our shipping & returns page.

If something isn’t right for you, get in touch and we’ll sort it out.