How do the Avent sippy tops work?

[proggoddess]

Hi, all,

DD is starting on the sippy cup. We bought a few of the green spouts for our Avent bottles. There's a silicone valve that snaps onto this clear plastic insert. But it seems like it would be impossible to suck any liquid through that valve.

Is it a stopper? How do I loosen it up for DD to drink? The instructions were practically nil. Just two pictures showing how to snap the assembly together.

Thanks for your help!

[redhookmom]

It's suckable. All three parts get inserted into the ring; sipper, the valve and insert.

[nan]

Just be sure to dissemble the whole thing to wash it out! Got a sippy mixup from daycare once and I swear, it looked like the thing had never been taken apart. Yuck, to say the least.
FYI, I really liked the sippy tops with the Avent bottles to transition from bottle to sippy. The "magic handles" (I think that's what they're called) that are kind of funky translucent plastic fit around the bottles. But, with that said, I hate the "magic cups" or whatever they're called. They may be marketed as spill proof, and I guess if you tossed them off the high chair on to the floor they wouldn't spill per se, but I had more leak issues with those things (and I own about 9 of them!)both leaking out the side when the cup was left on the floor, and leaking in general when it was being shaken by a child or jostled in a diaper bag. Once my kids were comfortable with the whole sippy thing, we switched to Playtex sippy cups. But, I have held on to the spouts, because I definitely think they make the transition super easy.

nancy

[proggoddess]

Thanks everyone!