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From Trash to Eco-Smart
As I started to understand why I needed to take up a green journey, my mind changed from ‘not really thinking’ about the effects of my product choices to ‘what are the best options’ for my product choices. I didn’t even make a conscious decision, I just changed as I learned and grew in understanding. It happened slowly, organically and naturally. It’s amazing how once my mind started thinking about others (my family, those impacted by environmental damage, the environment itself), something as simple as glassware or lack-of-glassware, took on a new life for me. Looking for sustainable, eco-friendly and all around green-er options has become a very normal part of my product choices. Yeah!
Recycle and Start New with Green Choices
With choices in mine, I started to green-up our kitchen. I recycled as many cups as possible and immediately set out to find better options than the plastics we were using at the time. It was really hard at first to let them some of them go; they were fun, colorful and an investment. But once I started to realize the dangers of chemicals they could be leaching into our drinks, away they went!
I replaced them with glass Mason jars, since I already had some from my canning experiments, and then slowly started to add D’Eco Tumblers, Together Bottles, and Pura Kiki stainless steel cups, as needed. The Pura Kiki bottles with silicone sippy tops have been awesome for my youngest, but now that he’s four, he is ready to move on to “big boy” cups. Did I mention that he’s crazy messy? Active and messy with open top Mason jars has not been fun. I was getting tired of saying, “keep your drinks at the table” and started looking for ‘big boy’ options that are safe-r and clean-er for his field trips to the couch.
Amazon, What Do You Have?
Being here in Ohio, we are so close to larger cities, but yet so far away. Amazon often is my ‘go to’ for finding green options. Searching ‘Mason jar lids’, I found a few options including hard plastic lids and straws, silicone sippy tops, and metal lids with straws, but I decided to try the Blossom brand’s uCap silicone lids with a straw hole.
Why I Chose to Try Blossom uCap
Of the options available, I was looking for something ‘couch safe’ or something that at least offered my furniture some protection from our very fast moving little guy. I was also hoping for something that doesn’t take up a lot of cabinet space, didn’t require a huge investment and was made in the USA. uCap doesn’t meet every item on my wishlist, but enough to give them a try.
Since uCap is made from silicone, they looked easy to use and fit over the Mason jars I already own. I appreciate that they don’t require special branded cups and I hoped they wouldn’t take up a lot of room in my already-too-full cabinets. I was also hoping that the straw holes would be tight enough to keep drinks from spilling out and at about $12 for four lids, the price was right. From the description on Amazon.com, the only thing missing my wishlist is that they are not made in the USA.
What I Like about uCap
Mason Jar Fit and Size:
They fit well on both regular mouth and 4oz jelly size mason jars. This was a happy bonus because sometimes I want to give my son a little drink and other times I don’t want to get up to refill the cup three times during a meal. I’m also happy that, like I was hoping, they don’t take up a lot of space in my cabinets. After I clean them, I store them on top of the jars already in my cabinets and they don’t take up any additional space. Yeah!
The Mess Factor:
They do exactly what I had hoped. From the Amazon reviews, some of the other lid options are very tight fitting and made fitting the lids on the jars messy. uCap is very easy to put on with no mess if you do one thing: ‘burp it.’ I found out the hard way that if you put the lid on a filled jar with the straw already in the lid and then put even a little pressure on the lid, liquid will squirt out the straw! My son thought it was hilarious, but it didn’t favor well for the ‘mess factor’! The good news is, that when I pull the side of the lid gently while pushing down on the lid, the extra air will exit the side and not top. Volia, no juice fountain! You can also put the lid on and burp it before you put the straw in and this works out well too.
Preschooler Tested:
I’m also happy with how well the lid holds up to preschooler use. Drinks don’t spill out the lid if it falls over with my silicone straw, but some liquid does come out the straw itself. As you can see from the picture though, it’s only a few drops and not the whole cup! When using my stainless steel straws, a little liquid also comes out where the lid and the straw meet, but again it avoids the big mess of a whole cup being spilled. The amount of liquid depends on your straw size. My silicone straw is bigger and creates a tighter fit, so less mess. The silicone straw I’m using currently is old, but now that I know I like the uCaps, I plan to try these straws since silicone works better for my son and I won’t have to worry him about acidentally chipping his teeth or hurting his mouth with stainless.
Affordable:
At about $3 each (when bought in a 4-pack) doesn’t exactly seem cheap, I think they are a good value, since I don’t have to buy new cups and they fit any regular or standard mouth Mason jar. If you don’t already use Mason jars, it will take your cost up a little bit, but even then, Mason jars aren’t expensive.
The Fun Factor:
They come in a nice, not-too-girly teal blue with a fun bloom design on top. My son loves them and has pretty much kicked his Pura Kiti bottles to the curb.
What I Don’t Like
They are Made in China:
I’m a big fan of Made in the USA products for a lot of reasons, but especially for product safety standards and ethically made products. Although these lids are made in China, their website notes that they “ also have a strong familial partnership with our Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, ensuring high quality products and an effective cost model. Our product quality is always a priority as is your safety and health.”
Color Options:
They only come in teal blue. With little kids, more colors would be fun and make cup identification easier, especially if more than one person is using them at a time. (If you have kids, you know what I mean.)
They Don’t Come With Straws:
If you already have stainless or silicone straws that will work, this isn’t much of a negative, but even then, it would be a great if the company included the perfect size silicone straws that work well with the lids. Not only would this be a great value when sold as a set, it would also take the guess work out of buying straws. I would gladly pay a bit more to avoid the trial and error!
Would I Buy Them Again?*
Despite the negatives, I would buy these again, but I don’t think I’ll have to. They are made well and should last a very long time. uCaps are great for my preschooler as a training lid and I expect the rest of my family will use them a lot this summer when taking drinks outside. (I hate bugs in my drinks!) I think they are perfect for anyone, who like me, needs to find a replacement for sippy cups and currently use or don’t mind buying Mason jars as drinking glasses.
Where To Buy Blossom uCap Silicone Lids
I ordered mine from Amazon.com and if you would like to try them, I would appreciate it if you would use my affiliate link when you do. But, you can also find them at the company’s website here and other online retailers, if you prefer. The price is about the same, but if you have Amazon Prime, you will save a little bit with the included free shipping.
Please Share Your Thoughts!
Have you tried these lids or do you have another brand you recommend? I would love to know your experiences with these lids and try others too.
God bless! Darlene
*Note: In case you’re wondering, I purchased this item with my own money. I didn’t receive any compensation or incentive from the company and I chose the product for my own personal use. If you choose to try this product through my affiliate link, thank you! –I will receive a small amount of compensation and your support of my blog is appreciated!
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