We were surprised to show up at the ABC Kids Expo booth of the container, kitchen, and housewares company OXO to find a wall of prototypes of children's feeding items they'll be launching in early 2010. OXO's line features some interesting plates and bowls, a straw cup that's hard to evaluate in the prototype stage, and a trainer cup that slows the flow of liquids while offering kids the responsiveness to tilt that "real drinking" from a cup entails. If that last part sounds a little confusing, just watch this video, which we shot to show off the full line (remember, these are prototypes, which explains the poorly-fitting straw):


OXO warned us several times that these products wouldn't be available for several months. We told them you didn't care. What we should have said was that seeing stuff in the prototype stage is, at least for some ZRecs readers, the ultimate experience we're all really after.

Props to OXO for developing a line of cups that uses entirely interchangeable parts. For startups this is a long-range design issue to plan for from the outset, and one that ensures their products have resonance for retailers looking to invest in a brand that can sell to parents at multiple developmental stages. For a company like OXO that cut its teeth on relatively unrelated product categories (we love their Candela night lights), among other things) it's a chance to come out of the gate with a product that makes sense for consumers at a time when putting their own stamp on reinterpretation might take precedence and create a lot of one-off designs. It's a sign of this company's discipline and practical design background that they chose to prioritize both.

It's unclear to us whether these products will have parts sold independently, to allow consumers to upgrade existing cup bodies with later-stage lids, but it's also unclear whether the price point will really make that necessary. The main point is, you can have a bin of cups with parts that work together so that you don't have to play a matching game to build a cup for your child's drink - if, of course, you invest heavily in OXO product. It's the same product line compatibility we've praised Playtex for in the past, and we're happy to see it gaining more traction.

Needless to say, we'll be putting most of this line through the paces when it's available in January or so.