Summer Holiday SafeSip Tips August 11, 2017 21:18

I love the summer holidays spending time out and about as a family is always great but it is not always stress free. So far we have had wasp dodging picnics, delayed car journeys, raining camping trips and are preparing for a warm sunny beach holiday following a 4 hour flight with 3 children.  This blog looks at 5 ways in which SafeSips can help make these experiences and your summer slightly less stressful.

Picnics

If, like my children, your children find the prospect of sharing their picnic with wasps and bugs unappealing then this is for you.  We usually have what can be termed as the ‘bug jig’ at some point in our picnic.  This usually involves running around waving arms and whatever they are holding all over the place.  This then in turn leads to drinks being kicked over food or slopped out of the cup they are holding.  SafeSips are a brilliant solution.  Not only do they keep drinks safe inside when glasses/cups are tipped or knocked over, they also keep the drinks free from bugs.  No more soggy picnic blankets or plates of food.

Car Journeys

‘I’m bored, thirsty or hungry’ followed by ‘are we nearly there yet?’ are my typical car journey conversation starters from the children.  5 minutes or 30 minute into the journey snacks and drinks are pulled out then a few minutes later ‘I’ve spilt my drink’ as you go down a pot hole filled road.  Brilliant, now we need an extra stop to change clothes and try to dry off the car seat. SafeSips are great at preventing this.  Fitting virtually any cup, glass or can it means drinks can be give out at the start of the journey with a straw and hopefully mean unwanted stops will be avoided.  With the new SafeSip go pouches you can always keep spare SafeSips in the glove box incase of an emergency .

Planes, trains and coach journeys

There is nothing worse than arriving at your destination a little bit soggy after spilling your drink on a bumpy train journey or turbulent plane trip, worse still is spilling it over your neighbour.  SafeSips are perfect for these occasions.  Safe for use with hot and cold drinks they are ideal for the early morning meeting train journey coffee or a cool soft drink in the afternoon. Preventing spills and reducing the risk of turning up to your important meeting with a coffee stain on your shirt.

Beaches

We all love a sandy beach, relaxing in the sun, or playing in the wind and rain.  Picnics on the beach are always a bit risky, often resulting in crunchy sandwiches and bits of sand floating in your drinks.  Even if it is not windy there is always the sand that gets kicked up as people innocently walk past.  SafeSips are brilliant for keeping the sand away from your drinks, leaving you to enjoy your time on the sand – unfortunately there is no easy cure for the additional crunch to your food.

Camping and festivals.

Poor lighting and uneven ground can make keeping your drinks safe while camping can be tricky – no one likes a soggy sleeping bag, especially with the typical british summer we are experiencing at the moment. SafeSips are small enough to squeeze into your camping kit bag or your handbag, and if stored in a go pouch will be clean and ready for use whenever and wherever you are. Prevent spills makes them perfect for keeping bedtime drinks safe and beds dry.  Not only this but we have all seen or read about the risks of having drinks spiked, and whilst being careful about leaving drinks on tables and ensuring we buy our own, SafeSips are a great deterrent for spiking, covering your glass makes it very difficult for anything to be added to your drink.

We hope this has provided an insight in to how SafeSip can help you in your day to day life.  If you need more why not take a look at our customer reviews here:

Enjoy your spill free summer with SafeSip!

Making nights out a little safer February 17, 2017 13:20

We all like to go out and paint the town red. Meeting up with a few friends at a local pub, bar or restaurant, then moving on to a late night bar or club. We have all done it, had great nights to remember with laughter and joy that we didn't want to end. Sometimes it does not end so well - a drink is left on the table while you have a dance, or pop to the ladies. Someone walks past and drops something in - the night is then a blur!  You want to feel safe, you need to feel safe but what can you do to help deter this happening - SafeSip may be able to help.

What is SafeSip?

SafeSip is a flexible drinks cover. You just take it out in your bag and when you buy your drink, you can pop the SafeSip on and drink through a straw. Once you have finished your drink, just take the SafeSip off and use it on your next drink. Of course, it cannot completely prevent spiking but it is an excellent deterrent to these situations occurring. All you need is for the glass to be dry on the outside, the SafeSip just stretches over and seals the drink in, while keeping everything else out.

What size glasses can a SafeSip be used on?

SafeSip is a "one size fits all"  and has been specifically designed to fit the majority of glasses that people use. It will fit from a normal drinks can up to a old style pint glass or cocktail glass - as it is made of silicone, it has sufficient flexibility for most situations.

Is it re-useable?

Yes. you can use your SafeSip again and again. Once you are home and ready to wash your SafeSip, you can pop it in the sink or in a dishwasher. It is made of silicone so you need to make sure it is not near any knives when being washed or chipped glasses/mugs when being used, otherwise this will shorten the life of your SafeSip.

Can it be used on plastic vessels or just glass?

It can be used on any type of vessel - glass, plastic, melamine, paper or aluminium. You just need to make sure the outside of the glass and the inside of the SafeSip are dry before putting it on. This is how the seal is created.

Can I buy them in multiple packs to share with my friends?

Yes, we sell SafeSips in Single, Twin, Triple or Quad packs - you can view our full range at here.

Queen's 90th Birthday Giveaway! April 12, 2016 11:26

To celebrate her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's 90th Birthday, we have decided to join in the festivities and give away 21 triple packs of red, white and blue SafeSips to some lucky winners!

It's easy to enter, simply answer the following question for your chance to win:

If you were to host the Queen's birthday afternoon tea, what combination of tea and cake would you serve her Majesty and why?

Enter by simply commenting under the competition post on our Facebook page, then Like our page and Share this competition for your chance to win a triple pack.

The 21 winners will be announced on Thursday 21st April on our website and Facebook page.

Good luck!

Terms and Conditions of Entry

• The competition opens on 12th April 2016 and runs until midnight on the 20th April 2016.
• It is only open to UK residents.
• 21 winning entries will be selected by The SafeSip Team and notified by Facebook.
• Only your first entry in the competition will count.
• Postal addresses will be requested once the winners have been drawn.
• Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance to the Terms and Conditions
.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook or Twitter

Share Your SafeSip Moment February 17, 2016 14:29

Valentines Giveaway! February 2, 2016 17:15

Being a romantic time of year, we have decided to run a competition about your loved ones and loving your home. We are giving away two dozen Red SafeSips for Valentine's Day, so 24 SafeSips in total, 1 to each lucky winner.

We have two questions that you can choose to answer from - you are only allowed to enter the competition once, so only your first entry will be counted.

1. In appreciation of your love for your home and its contents, why do you think you need a SafeSip in your life and home?

or

2. If you love someone who struggles to drink independently why do you think they need a SafeSip and how would it help?

Enter by simply commenting under the competition post on our Facebook page, then like our page and share this competition for your chance to win one Red SafeSip.

The 24 winners will be announced on Tuesday 16th February on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Good luck!

Terms and Conditions of Entry

• The competition opens on 2^nd February 2016 and runs until midnight on the 14^th February 2016.
• It is only open to UK residents.
• 24 winning entries will be selected by The SafeSip Team and notified by email/Facebook depending on how the entry was made.
• Only your first entry in the competition will count.
• Postal addresses will be requested once the winners have been drawn.
• Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance to the Terms and Conditions
.
• This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook or Twitter

Day tripping……. January 18, 2016 08:00

We may have had an unusually warm winter but the rain certainly hasn’t enticed my family out of the house for any day trips of late.  Schools are back but half term is just around the corner and we are definitely looking forward to some day trips. In fact I can’t wait for spring to come so we can get out and about more.

Obviously there are down sides to days out – firstly if they are more than a 30 minute drive trips in the car are met with complaints of ‘are we nearly there yet?’ or ‘I’m thirsty’.  If you saw our Festive travelling blog you know all about the issues I had with children drinking in the car.  Drinking as you are going down a bumpy road to get to somewhere you know they will love, and then arriving at the destination only to find you need your first change of clothes. All this changed when I started taking a SafeSip out in the car with us.  Now we can just put the SafeSip over the can/cup and the children can drink without spilling. Perfect!

Arriving at the destination at 10.30 normally means the pleas for lunch (usually a picnic) will start around 11.00.  You can normally distract them until 11.45 and then I cave.  We sit down to tuck in to our lunch wherever we can find some grass, picnic mat out, drinks poured and within minutes someone has knocked one over!  The grass is never as flat as a good old fashioned picnic table but they are not always as easy to come by.  SafeSip to the rescue!  I have started taking a bottle of drink for us all to share, along with some cups, straws and our trusty SafeSips.  This means I can now put out the blanket, pour the drinks – covering each one with a SafeSip, then grab the lunch without any spillages when my back is turned.  The other great thing is that SafeSips protect your drinks from the pests that like to share your picnics – perfect in the summer for keeping the wasps out of your drink! This in turn, hopefully, makes for a more relaxing lunch.

It also means that if you or your children haven’t finished their drink at the end of lunch you can just stick the drinks in the bottom of the pushchair, or in a bag and carry them without them spilling all over the place, ready to be pulled out and used.

Day trips to the beach are brilliant especially on a warm day.   We all worry about how much our children drink in the heat but on the beach drinks are easily knocked over, attract unwanted flies or worse get sand flicked into them as children build sandcastles nearby. SafeSips come into their own on a beach, protecting from all the problems above – helping children and adults alike.

SafeSips are a great addition to any picnic set, whether you are heading out for a picnic in a park, a day trip to the zoo, camping or heading to the beach for the day. Why not check out our picnic packs today.

SafeSip in Healthcare January 12, 2016 09:21

My father had a heart attack and was hospitalised, one of the things he struggled with was to sit up and drink, and when he did manage it his drink had sat there gathering dust ….. does this sound familiar to anyone? 

A close relative of mine was then diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. As they declined I could see the difficulty everyday tasks were beginning to be - one of those simple tasks being drinking. From both these experiences, it became apparent that people want to be able to be as independent as possible, without a worry of causing a problem.

With a diagnosis such as muscular dystrophy, a stroke or Parkinson’s disease it can be shattering. The need to keep life as normal as possible by just having the confidence to drink unaided or without spilling the liquid on themselves or their beds can really help. 

SafeSip is perfect to aid those with healthcare issues, to drink by themselves with confidence and with dignity.  With its simple, stylish and ageless design, SafeSip moves away from the clumsy, babyish or institutional looking aids that are currently being used. With bright and fun colours, as well as a discreet Clear version, SafeSip is ideal to use in a hospital, at home or out and about – just pop it on, and once finished, wash it by hand or in the dishwasher and it is ready to use again.

As well as practical, the flexibility of SafeSip enables people to use it on their own cups and mugs already at home – just using your favourite mug again independently can really give you back some dignity and confidence, putting a smile on your face.

We have worked with various groups and our customers are individuals affected by or carers of those with illnesses such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, motor neurone disease, brain ataxia, and stroke victims. We also receive emails from people confirming how useful it has been to them from a mother following a C-section birth, who could not sit up properly, to countless people who have had operations or back issues confined to lying in awkward positions.

Safesip obviously helps those that use it, but also provided benefits to carers and their feedback is fantastic – it allows the carer more time as they can leave drinks without fear of spilling and avoids time changing bedding or clearing up. 

We have had a lot of great feedback showing that SafeSip does make their life a little bit easier for some – you can see for yourself at Facebook and Trustpilot

Unexpectedly, during a news story about dementia on BBC News, we spotted a SafeSip being used ….. it is great to see it being used by situations we had not thought about ourselves, which is very heart-warming.

Spills at home…… January 6, 2016 08:00

When we moved into our house, before we had children, the practicalities that went with choosing a carpet colour were lost on us.  Now here we are 7 years on, two children and our lovely carpet is now a dirty shade of beige rather than the cream it once was.  I would like to say it was all the children’s fault but as I am sure you are aware they are not the only people who walk mud in, drop things or knock over drinks.

I am in fact pretty sure the first thing that hit our carpet was a glass of red wine that was resting on the fireplace and someone accidently knocked it off. Red wine and cream carpet is not a brilliant combination I am sure you are all aware.  As time when on the red wine was joined by tea, water, hot chocolate, milk, squash … the list is endless.  Thankfully now we use SafeSips around the house spills are a rarity!

It is not just the human factor that you need to worry about when it comes to drink spills.  Pets have been known to create a few accidents of their own.  Adding a SafeSip to your cup, mug or glass means that you can leave the room without thinking too much about where you leave your drink and worrying if it might get knocked over.  I also understand from some of our SafeSip users it can be helpful to stop your cats trying to share your drink!

They are great for an adult to use too.  If you are feeling under the weather, snuggling up with a duvet on the sofa and watching your favourite film is a great way to cheer yourself up.  Save yourself the risk of spilling your drinks over the sofa, when you pick it up and put it down, by adding a SafeSip.  Save your favourite duvet from a stain!

It isn’t just carpets that have an attraction for spills in our house.  Our children’s beds seem to be a target for accidents at bedtime.  I am sure like many parents out there, we take our children to bed with a small drink of water and then sit on their beds to read a calming bed time story.  There is nothing more uncalming before bed than a drink accidently being knocked with a foot, a hand, a duvet or a stray teddy and the bed requiring a full change before the child has fallen asleep.  20 minutes later, clean bed and the whole routine has to start again.  By using a SafeSip we manage to save ourselves the strip and remake process plus a further 30 minutes of stories reducing what could become a very lengthy bedtime for us!

Travelling and holidaying over the festive period December 17, 2015 08:00

Only 8 more sleeps until the big day – so I was informed this morning by my children. 8 more days of them leaping around with excitement, while we adults rush around finalising presents, food shopping and most importantly travel plans for Christmas. 

I am sure like many parents car journeys with children are not what I consider fun.  We try playing I-spy, count the red cars, ply them with snacks and drinks to avoid all those “I’m hungry/thirsty/bored” comments but there is always something.  My least favourite issues surrounded drinks in the car.  The number of times I had to pull over because they couldn’t open/close the lid or I had to rescue them or their car seat from a soaking as they spilt the drink all down them.  SafeSip has provided us with a little more peace on our journeys.  It can fit over a drinks can, and using a straw is easy for everyone to use and with no more spills.  I also keep a cup and straws in the car (I have a SafeSip in my bag all the time).  Children’s drinks often come in bottles – which a SafeSip doesn’t cater for unfortunately, but I can now tip it into the cup, add the SafeSip and be on my way safe in the knowledge that we should make it to our destination with fewer stops and not soaking wet, even if they fall asleep and drop it.

SafeSips with their no more spills ability are also useful on planes and trains.  If you have a bumpy ride there is nothing to prevent your glass, or your neighbours from slipping off those trays and spilling all over you.  By using a SafeSip you can protect you (and your neighbour) from any spills from your drink.

If you are jetting off this Christmas with your family to enjoy some festive snow or to a warmer climate to escape the rain then no doubt you are rushing around making sure you have everything you could possibly need to ensure your break is as stress free as possible.  We believe that one of our SafeSips could assist in reducing that stress a little further.  Eating out on holiday should be a pleasure but I know from experience this might not always be the case with children around.  They get restless, wander around, knock the table and often spill drinks – yours and theirs.  SafeSips are small enough to put in your handbag when you go out for dinner, add it to your child’s glass, stick in a straw and hopefully a slightly more relaxing evening will follow.

They are also useful for days out for both adults and children. If you are on the beach there is nothing worse than sand getting in your food or drink when people walk past.  Using a SafeSip not only helps to keep the sand out but the drink in, unfortunately it can’t help with the food part though.

All about SafeSip December 11, 2015 14:12

The inspiration for SafeSip came during a family meal, our lovely David had done it again - whilst sitting in a high chair he threw his toddler cup over his shoulder and launched forward to grab my daughter's large glass of orange juice, knocking the whole thing into my husband’s lap. I went home that night and made a prototype out of a balloon and it worked!    

David – my inspiration behind Safesip                                                   Very first prototype

I did not really know where to go and heard Trevor Bayliss the inventor of the wind up radio being interviewed, he said “everyone has an invention in them, are you the type of person to do something with it and make it, or are you the sort to walk past it on a supermarket shelf and say I thought of that years ago and did nothing.”   Right there and then I decided to be the first type of person, I contacted him and he advised me to join an inventing scheme the Welsh Development Agency were running, which I did and they were instrumental in helping me secure the patents across Europe, USA, Australia and Malaysia.   

Then the hard work came – I knew what I wanted but not how to get there, so started on a massive learning curve seeking advice from universities, colleges and other inventors.  Over the next few years I worked on the design and came up with a final version and started working on the prototype ready for manufacture. I wanted SafeSip to be totally flexible so you can stretch it over a range of sizes, I needed it to be designed to go on and off easily and that it needed to be styled to fit both glasses, drinks cans and single and double handled mugs. It required a vent so that you can drink without creating a vacuum and to allow gases out.  

David with second phase of prototypes

I have a relative with muscular dystrophy and realised the difficulty she and others with certain illnesses such as cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone or those who have suffered a stroke or disability have when trying to drink, often spilling their drinks or being given an undignified baby type beaker to use. When looking at daily living aids I could see that there was nothing like SafeSip, and therefore it would be perfect for such people, not just children. It became my sole desire to make SafeSip simple but stylish so that it could be used by any age to drink with dignity. It was always my dream to have SafeSip made in the UK and I found a factory that could help.  

I have won some fantastic awards with SafeSip and was so proud to become British Female Inventor of the Year 2014 and at the British Inventors Show – winning Platinum Award for Best International Consumer invention, and at the World’s Largest Inventors Show coming third overall winning the Geneva Plate.

We use a UK factory to make SafeSip, which was very exciting to visit and see the fabulous array of colours coming off the production line. It is made from food grade silicone and everything else we need such as packaging and printing is sourced locally.

One of the most amazing things for me is the great feedback that customers give the product and thanks for making their life a little bit easier, something so simple as drinking from a cup for some is life changing for others. One young man who tried one of my early designs, along with my sister-in-law, was the inspiration I needed to keep going until I had perfected it – he has cerebral palsy and he had not been able to drink unaided out of a cup before. He sent a photo of himself at his 18th birthday party and said “Thank you I have drunk by myself for the first time”.  Moments like that make you realise that despite the money worries, the heartache and tiredness, it is worth persevering.

Independent blog

We are now exporting to 8 countries, sell both on-line and through healthcare, kitchen and camping outlets and are introducing 3 new products in 2016. Having walked past my product in a shop and seeing it in the packet, and on the BBC news being used by a dementia patient, is an awesome feeling and my family get so excited as they have had to live with the ups and down for years, but I am so glad that I acted on the wise words of Trevor Bayliss and had a go.

It’s Christmas…..well nearly! December 7, 2015 08:48

The festive season is just around the corner, according to my daughter it is only 24 sleeps until Christmas, and if your house is anything like mine that realisation that I need to finish my Christmas shopping has really kicked in.

Everyone is excited, children leaping everywhere, bashing into the tree and sending pine needles flying, adults tearing around buying last minute gifts, or stressing because they can’t find those last few stocking fillers.

We have a few ways in which we can help over this stressful time.  There is nothing worse than leaving your drink in the vicinity of the Christmas tree to find it full of pine needles after the person next to the tree insists on constantly knocking the baubles.  Save yourself the stress of having to pour yourself another glass by using a SafeSip to keep all those horrible bits out. 

You could put a SafeSip in everyone’s stocking to reduce the spillage clean ups throughout the day as the floor becomes harder to find under the paper, games, toys and people.

Having a large family to dinner at this time of year can also lead to panic – especially if you are expecting your grandchildren, or nieces and nephews and have just treated yourself to a brand new beige carpet or have a lovely tablecloth that only comes out for special occasions.

Perhaps you are taking your child to someone’s house over the festive period - that feeling of dread that you are just going to be telling your child off all day for being a child, just for fear that they will knock something over and break it. We have a solution, why not add a SafeSip to their stockings, along with a special straw (although as a parent I would steer clear of the annoying musical ones that go on forever!). SafeSip will help everyone relax a little by reducing the risk of spillages, unfortunately it won’t protect the special ornaments but it is one less thing to think about.

You could make the children feel special at Christmas and treat them to their own Rice cup and SafeSip as a gift at the Christmas table.

If you are a carer or have a relative that will be in hospital over the festive period and you are just looking for a small token gift, perhaps a SafeSip would be a benefit to them.  It might make it easier for them to have a drink in their favourite mug/glass.

We think that a SafeSip is a great stocking filler for anyone. 

Whatever you are doing this Christmas period we hope that you all have a very Merry spill free time!

MumsNet Competition December 1, 2015 10:02

It has been a really busy time for us at SafeSip over the last few months, improving the website and working on some new ideas which we believe will enhance our current SafeSip range.  We can’t give away too many details at this stage but needless to say we are all very excited about what’s coming up.

The festive season is upon us already and we know that everyone loves a competition at this time of year.  This year we are working with MumsNet to bring you a brilliant one running during December.

In case you are unaware, MumsNet is a fantastic network, now the UK’s biggest. It is for parents and is full of advice, product reviews, suggestions of things to do and forums where you can find someone to share your issues with or answer your questions; it is the go to place for parents with children of any age.

Lucky for us, one of the local MumsNet co-ordinators saw SafeSip on Facebook and really liked our products so got in touch with us.  Being a mum myself and with SafeSip being invented with children and a Mum’s sanity in mind (among other things) I was honoured to be approached by them. After finding out more information and some more chatting we are proud to be able to run a competition with MumsNet giving away some of our amazing SafeSip products.

The competition will be run by around 15 local MumsNet groups.  Each group will pose a different question about our website (www.safe-sip.com), for example what colour are the SafeSips shown in our Quad pack image, on their local website or Facebook page.  The entrants then email across their answer and once the competition ends one lucky winner will be drawn from each MumsNet group. 

Now for the prize - each lucky winner will receive:

4 SafeSips, 4 patterned rice cups, a straw jar, a pack of straws and a gift bag too!

We hope that the lucky winners will be pleased with their prizes and hopefully the SafeSips will be a brilliant addition to their households - saving them time cleaning up spills, saving their carpets and a little bit of their sanity!  We look forward to hearing from them with any feedback they might have.

So all you parents out there check your local MumsNet site and see if they are one of the lucky bunch to be participating in this competition and then get entering!!

Good luck from The SafeSip Team

Competition links

Merton & Wimbledon, Kent, Dorset, East Sussex