Sometimes I feel like the pretzels and goldfish crackers I give my little ones do series of loop de loops around the family room and in the car. I find pretzel twists under the car seat and goldfish tails inside the media cabinet. Even when I give them a little snack cup with a lid that swivels just large enough for little fingers, those crackers manage to escape. Aside from duct taping your busy toddler to the barstool, a parent doesn’t have many options…until now.

I was mesmerized by the Löopa bowl the first time I laid eyes on it. The design reminded me of a past American Inventor where the winner designed a car seat that swiveled, protecting the baby in the event of a crash. I thought the design was nifty back then and when I saw it applied to a snack bowl, I thought it was ingenious. But would it work? Would snacks really stay put when my one-year-old new walker toddled around the house? And would my toddler’s booster seat remain goldfish-free? Designed by parents, I had high hopes…and I wasn’t disappointed.

Necessity is always the mother of invention when it comes to children’s products, and I am so glad the Brad and Melinda Shepherd’s little one “spilled Cheerios all over the back seat of the minivan for the umpteenth time” because it eventually led to the Löopa bowl. This spill-resistant bowl swivels and oscillates in all directions keeping snacks in the bowl and not under the couch, behind the computer desk or on the dashboard. The weighted inner bowl rotates 360 degrees so pretzels, fruit snacks and Cheerios stay inside even when held vertically, something my one-year-old loves to do. When not holding munchies it’s a great toy, even for adults. I often found myself twisting and turning the Löopa bowl, watching it swivel and spin. Yes, I’m easily amused but this thing is pretty dang cool!

The only time we had goldfish go flying was when my little ones literally swung that thing in earnest, and nothing could have held up to that test! And if your snacks are on the smaller side, like those toddler dried fruit snacks, they can get wedged between the innermost bowl and the piece next to it, locking the bowl in place. When that happens it’s pretty likely you’ll find dried fruit outside the Löopa bowl rather than in it. But overall, I’m totally sold on the design because preventing that “umpteenth time” means preventing a moment of insanity.

The Löopa bowl is available online for around $10 on Löopa’s website and both online and off from One Step Ahead and Bed Bath & Beyond.—Emily

* Promotion! Löopa is offering Daily Dish readers “Buy One, Get One Half Off” if you purchase a Löopa bowl from their website. This is a really great deal on a really awesome product! Just enter code “boutiquecafe” at checkout. The offer expires November 22, 2008, so don’t wait!

Do you ever wish your child’s sippy cup had the insulating power of your favorite thermos? Or wish your thermos had a leak-proof top complete with pop-up straw so your child’s OJ doesn’t ferment on the drive to Grandma’s? Well your wish has been granted with Thermos’ new Foogo line.

Thermos has taken its superior insulation and put it into its new Foogo line, which includes a sippy cup, straw bottle, and food jar. Besides protecting food from spoiling and possible food-borne illnesses, Foogo products use all FDA-approved materials and do not use plastics containing Bisphenol A (BPA). With all the new research and latest news about the negative side effects from BPA, Foogo offers peace of mind for parents…and fresher, safer food for kids.

We received samples of all three products, and though we haven’t used the food jar yet we have definitely broken in the sippy cup and straw bottle. In fact, both my 10-year-old and 2-year-old love the straw bottle and we’ve had to do the take-turns thing with that one. Though they have a few more parts to wash than our typical single-valve sippy cup, it’s worth it knowing at least one food-related product is BPA free. For those into the science behind Foogo, here you go:
• The vacuum-insulated stainless steel interior and exterior is non-reactive to all food and beverages
• The soft drinking spout is made from “food contact safe” Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
• The valve plate and lid are made from polypropylene (PP#5)
• All materials are FDA approved
• All plastics used for Thermos Foogo products are BPA free

I found the Comparative Study of Foogo an interesting read as well. And if preventing food-borne illness isn’t that important, at least buy them because they look cool. I’d choose Foogo over a Spongebob sippy cup any day!—Emily

One of our favorite past Boutique Cafe guests has recently launched a new blog, to help busy momma’s feed their families. Nikki (Ragazza Bella Couture) has started Gourment Momma for all of us struggling to find easy, heathly meals for our families. Nikki knows what she is talking about:

“I was formally trained at the Texas Culinary Academy, a division of Le Cordon Bleu Paris. I hold a degree in savory culinary arts, but I also love to bake and can make some mean desserts!”

Congratulations Nikki and best of luck to you in your new endeavour. Click to visit the Gourmet Momma site >