The sippy cup: a necessary evil. If I dare to leave the house without carting a sippy cup along with me, I will surely have a meltdown, or two, on my hands as my children declare that their thirst must be quenched immediately. There is no possible way my children can wait a second longer than their first expression of thirst without a whine or a tear springing forth. This means that I am never without a sippy cup (or two) in my possession.
My oldest child is not too many months away from his fourth birthday and as such I’ve tried a lot of sippy cups. I’ve decided to expand and update on an older Spilt Milk Mom sippy cup post to create a new Sippy Cup Guide filled with current up-to-date information. I’ve wasted my money so you don’t have to.
You’ll find them sorted alphabetically by brand:
**********************************************************************
The Avent bottles are great in a pinch.
Pros: It’s lightweight; it’s inexpensive (about $5 CAD); it’s really easy to clean
Cons: They don’t have handles (although a similar slightly more expensive version of the magic cup is available with handles); they require a separate lid to cover the spout.
This cup is unique out of all the other cups listed here in that it’s free-flowing liquid. If the cup tips over, the liquid flows out unhindered.
Pros: It’s moderately priced (approximately $10 CAD); it’s lightweight; young children will have no trouble figuring out how to get liquid from this cup
Cons: It’s free-flowing liquid so if the cup tips over you will have a mess and there’s no way I would recommend attempting to take this cup full of liquid out of the house; there are many pieces in the spout which is surprising when I don’t understand the purpose to them.
BornFree Twist’n Pop Straw Cup
This cup is the newest cup on the market in this list therefore I don’t know how it will hold up in the long-term. At this point it seems to be a good cup overall.
Pros: It’s moderately priced (approximately $9 CAD); it’s lightweight; it doesn’t leak; it’s quite large and holds a lot of liquid which is good for long trips away from home; the cover for the straw is in one-piece.
Cons: The twist cover is quite difficult for young children to open; the straw and lid has a lot of pieces and is difficult to disassemble.
This was my favourite bottle for a long time – right up to the point that all four of my Foogo Bottles fell apart in the same way.
Pros: It’s stainless steel so there’s no worry about chemical leeching; 3 out of the 4 bottles I owned didn’t leak for many months; the flip-lid is easy to open even for a very young toddler, but it doesn’t pop open in your bag; it keeps drinks cold for longer; the straw cleans easily in a dishwasher.
Cons: It’s heavy in your bag and can be heavy for a small child to lift; it’s expensive (approximately $20CAD); 1 out of the 4 bottles I owned leaked within a couple weeks of use; the plastic bottom fell off all 4 of the bottles I own and refused to be glued, siliconed, or rubber cemented back on permanently – without the plastic bottom the bottle is not stable to stand and has rough edges.
Foogo (Thermos) Soft Spout Sippy Cup
Foogo states that this cup is good for children as young as 6 months. Neither one of my children would use this sippy for more than a few minutes at any age. Because this is an expensive cup ($17 CAD) I kept trying this cup at various ages. Both of my kids were consistent in that they didn’t like this cup from ages 10 months – 3 years. I didn’t like it for a different reason – it leaked 90% of the time.
Pros: It’s stainless steel; it keeps drinks cold for longer; the parts are easy to wash.
Cons: It’s heavy; it’s expensive; my sippy cup leaked almost all of the time; neither one of my kids would drink from it happily and always wanted to switch it for a different cup.
The Spilt Milk Moms were really impressed with this little gem.
Pros: It’s stainless steel; it does not leak; it does not require a separate lid; it has handles that you can remove once your child is old enough to drink without them; it’s fairly easy to clean (only one silicone stopper in the lid); it has a fabulous rubber coating that protects it from dents.
Cons: The pretty rubber coating tends to get dirty and scuffed up; it’s pricey (about $20 CAD).
The Klean Kanteen is very similar to SIGG kids, except that it has a fabulous little option of different spout adapters. The classic sippy spout is shown above, or you can go with a sport top (similar to the SIGG).
Pros: It’s stainless steel; it’s easy to clean; it doesn’t leak (unless you are using the sport top and forget to suppress it); it’s lightweight.
Cons: It dents easily; it’s pricey (about $25 CAD, and the adaptable tops are another $8 CAD).
Pros: The spout is very soft, similar to a bottle nipple, and is generally welcome to any new drinker; it’s easy to clean; it’s very affordable (about $5 CAD).
Cons: It requires a separate lid to cover the spout; the cup will leak if the silicone part of the lid isn’t centered correctly; as your child grows older they will learn that squeezing the soft spout will make their sippy contents flow out all over the floor; after awhile some of the spout valves broke from little teeth chewing on the spout; spouts are difficult to clean and can grow mold after awhile.
Pros: Really inexpensive (under $5 CAD); easy to grip for young children; bright colours; doesn’t leak.
Cons: Impossible for toddlers (and some preschoolers) to flip open the straw as it’s so tight; there are many pieces to the straw and lid.
Pros: Really inexpensive (under $5 CAD), easy to grip for young children, bright colours; soft spout that’s easy for young children to figure out; there aren’t many pieces to the cup and they’re easy to clean.
Cons: The spout is very difficult to insert into the lid properly so leaks happen a lot.
I recommend this as a good cup for a first straw sippy. Many straw sippy cups require a lot of suction to get the liquid up the straw. This cup gives very little resistance to the drinker (this also means it tends to leak).
Pros: It’s inexpensive (approximately $5 CAD); the straw is really easy to suck from and it’s recommended for drinkers who are just learning to drink from a straw; the large size is easy to grip for young children
Cons: It tends to leak easily; the straw and lid are in many pieces and are a bit of a pain to assemble properly.
The Playtex First Sipster were a favourite on the original version of this sippy cup guide.
Pros: It’s really durable; it does not leak; it doesn’t require a separate lid; great low price (about $5 CAD).
Cons: Although the cup and handle are easy to clean, the silicone stopper that lives in the lid is so tricky it almost requires a cotton swab to clean it properly (it is possible to purchase refill packs of the silicone stoppers for when they start to look a bit yucky).
This is my top sippy cup pick. My kids love their cups because they come in lots of bold designs, and I like that after months of use, they still haven’t leaked in my purse.
Pros: These cups are inexpensive (approximately $5 CAD); there are lots of cool designs for your kids to choose from; the lid clicks into place so you know when it’s closed; the cups don’t leaks; the cups are easy to clean; they’re insulated to help keep drinks cool longer; the parts wash easily in the dishwasher; the straw tucks neatly into the lid; the lid is easy to open for even a young toddler but it doesn’t slide open in your bag.
Cons: I own four of these and the only con I can think of is that the straw is in two pieces which can leave you searching through stacks of sippy cup parts trying to find the right piece.
This is my second top sippy cup pick for the low price, the lack of leakage and the fact that both of my kids fight over who gets to drink from this cup.
Pros: These cups are inexpensive (approximately $5 CAD); the lid clicks into place so you know when it’s closed; the cups don’t leaks; the cups are easy to clean and have few parts; they’re insulated to help keep drinks cool longer; the parts wash easily in the dishwasher; this cup design is a good step to help you child transition from a sippy to a regular cup.
Cons: There isn’t much choice in design or colour of the cups.
These are just so cute and funky, a Spilt Milk Mom favourite.
Pros: It’s made of stainless steel; it’s easy to clean (only two pieces – which is rare for a sippy cup); the lid is attached; it’s easy for your little ones to handle (you can buy attachable handles if necessary).
Cons: It dents easily; it leaks (not designed for the beginner drinker); it’s pricey (about $25 CAD).
This sippy is similar to the Nuby sippy and has a really soft spout which is excellent for a beginner drinker. Also, similar to the Nuby, your baby will quickly learn that a soft spout means she has the ability to squeeze her liquid out at her discretion.
Pros: It’s versatile (it has the ability to act as a bottle or a sippy – you just swap the spout for a standard bottle nipple); it has removable handles; it is priced moderately (about $10 CAD); it’s easy to clean.
Cons: It requires a separate lid to cover the spout; the soft spout will eventually lead to leaks.
***************************
Overall we think that:
- Soft spout plastic cups (Nuby, Think Baby) are great for beginner drinkers.
- Hard spout plastic cups (Playtex, Avent) are great for the young toddler stage as they are lightweight, durable, and more robust against leaks.
- Stainless steel are great for older toddlers (18 months+) and preschoolers.
As you can see, there are a lot of choices out there. Hopefully this will help you select a sippy that will work best for you!
Thanks for this list! My favorite have always been the Playtex ones. My kids love them and there are lots of choices for colors and designs. They do not leak, generally and I love that we can interchange all playtex lids.