The folks at Munchie Mug have generously offered to give four Munchie Mugs away to Z Recommends readers, and we've decided to send them out as two two-packs. If you have already bought one, or two, or seven, feel free to enter anyway - the new product we recently called "the best snack holder ever" would make a great gift for other little ones in your life, and their parents will thank you!

The designer also mentioned that the tall lip around the rim of the Munchie Mug was designed to help prevent tiny kiddie hands from holding open the nylon flaps to dump snacks out. At four, Z has no problem beating the system, but we bet that feature is designed for kids in the one- to two-year age range.

To enter to win two Munchie Mugs, valued at $25 for the pair (they sell for $12.50 apiece, plus $3 shipping), comment on this post with the first thing you'll stock them with for your little munchers.

Official rules: One entry per person. Only U.S. residents who are 18 or older are eligible. No purchase necessary. Deadline for entry is 1:00 p.m. CT on Oct. 13, 2008. Winner will be selected on or around Oct. 14. Winner will be contacted via email and winner's name will be posted to PRIZEY Winners; failure to respond within five business days with a valid U.S. mailing address will result in prize being awarded to an alternate. Neither ZRecs nor our prize sponsor can be held responsible for lost or misdirected mail.

The Snack Trap, which many families swear by, never really took off in our household. You’d think the reward of a rice puff would be pretty good operant conditioning, but in Z’s case, it just never took. The problem with the Snack Trap is that it's at least as easy for snacks to get out as it is for little hands to get in. Meanwhile, companies like Munchkin and Gerber tweaked the design for their own product lines.

Allow me to say with all due gravitas: The Munchie Mug is the next stage in the evolution of the toddler snack holder.

Like its predecessor, the Munchie Mug's design is simple; but it eliminates two problems of the Snack Trap.

First, its closure is a clever layering of two pieces of nylon fabric that overlap a mere 1/4" or so. The fabric washes well and dries quickly, and hasn't lost its shape after a lot of use in our home. The advantages of this over any previous design is obvious - nothing will come out of the cup, no matter how much you shake it, yet it's easy to get into to retrieve precious snacks.





Secondly, the Munchie Mug's lid screws on, with deep threads that ensure a good fit. Combined with the 3.5" diameter of the cup, this snack cup isn't going to invite kids to figure out how to crack its code. The lid is sufficiently durable, and the cup itself is a tank, made of thick polypropylene.

The only thing I don't quite get is the depth of the lip, which rises a full inch above the nylon orifice. Sure, it has a hole for a caribiner or stroller hook, but the cup is also quite large - it holds about two cups of snacks - and that inch adds a lot. This snack cup would take up quite a bit of room in a diaper bag or purse.

Come to think of it, I think Munchie Mug could have a great market for a smaller cup sold as a "mini" unit or even sold as a separate accessory. This, plus some cost-cutting, could help Munchie Mug stay ahead of the big-dog competition that will surely be snapping at its heels in the next year or two.

Munchie Mugs cost $12.95, are made in the U.S. and are phthalate- and BPA-free. Shipping is $3. You can purchase one directly from the company on their website.