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The best snack holder ever

By Jeremiah | September 30, 2008 | 8 comments / Join the conversation!

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.

Categories: food, reviews, snacking

8 Comments

1. Cecily T [9/30/08]

Wow. This is a timely post for me. I was just thinking of buying a Snack Trap when my friend reported that it took her kids about 5 minutes to figure out how to shake the cheerios all over the floor. I wasn’t really sure what other model to even look at. This seems functional and well-constructed, and of course, equally importantly is phlalate and BPA free. I’ll be ordering one soon.

2. Jessica S [9/30/08]

The problem with the snack trap for me was that my son figured out how to complete remove the lid days after having it. And he was an easy going baby; my daughter is much more intense, especially about her food, so I wasn’t going to be getting another snack trap. I will definitely be trying this product. Thanks!

3. PaperPusher [9/30/08]

THANK YOU FOR THIS POST! I echo Cecily T in that this is so timely. My daughter loves to dump everything out or if that doesn’t work, shake it really hard until all Cheerios, Annie’s bunnies, etc., are out of the container and all over the floor, where she prefers to eat from. I bought the Boon snack ball which completely failed in every way for us. The opening is too small even for my daughter’s teeny hands, and she quickly figured out how to take off the cover and shake everythin gout.

4. sunny [9/30/08]

Interesting! The snack trap has been a life saver for us, so it’s interesting that so many others had problems with it. My DD (almost 5) lost hers recently and has been pretty sad about it LOL! DS, 2, still uses his all the time.
I will check this out, though the size may be an issue for my diaper bag. Thanks for the review!

5. Laura [9/30/08]

Thank you, I bought two. I am excited to try it out.

6. KGS [9/30/08]

I’m a fan of the Munchkin brand snack cup, probably because my oddly mess-averse toddler normally does not want to spill (but does it by accident fairly often). If she reverts to on-purpose spilling I’ll definitely be investing in one of these Munchie Mugs, though!

7. Donna [9/30/08]

Thanks for this info. We were just starting to explore the options for our 1 year old. I ordered 2!

8. Leeanthro [10/01/08]

Another great Z Recs review!

We had a couple of Snack Traps for our first child which I swear I kept to reuse with the second. I couldn’t find them when he was ready. I looked around online for an alternative and found the Munchie Mug.

He LOVES it. He’s 16 months old now and it is so funny to watch him. He puffs up his chest and thinks he’s such a big boy when I hand him the cup with Cheerios in it.

I thought there was a bit of a learning curve with the Snack Trap, but the Munchie Mug was mastered pretty quickly.

See my full review at The Full Mommy:
http://www.thefullmommy.com/2008/09/munchie-mug.html

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