I'm always skeptical, and the price seemed a little steep, but this bottle has really lived up to its promises. Works a treat for smoothies, oatmeal, thick soups etc for my 11mo. It's not completely mess-free, because babies are geniuses when it comes to mess-making, but he can't squeeze anything out and it doesn't spill when he drops it on the floor (a tiny bit does squeeze out if it lands directly on the spout, but it would have to be truly miraculous not to). I'm wishing I had got the handle as well so he could hold it up better himself, but because of the mechanism it also doesn't actually have to be held up to function, as long as he gets his mouth on the spout it's good to go!