I would describe my feelings (although a little dramatic) towards sippy cups as love/hate. Yes, every baby or toddler needs a sippy cup for some time being, but it has taken me many, many sippy cups (and many, many dollars) to find the perfect ones. I can't be the only one who has done this! One is leaky, one is impossible to clean, one doesn't have a cover over the spout, one is impossible to put together, one doesn't fit in a cup holder, one always smells bad, etc. Besides all that, as babies get older, they transition to new types of cups—which makes me feel a little better about this extensive list below...Sooooooo here is my list of sippy cup successes and failures— a simple pros and cons list of every sippy cup (that I can remember) buying in the last year and a half. I can only hope this helps another mom or dad out!
We started Rhett on a straw sippy cup. I'm not sure why exactly, but I'm pretty sure I got the idea from my all-time favorite blog: (http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com/). I can't remember when we first gave this sippy cup to Rhett, but I remember he was pretty young. He had no trouble drinking out of a straw, but I know that every baby is different, so it may not be for everyone.
1. First up...
Lansinoh mOmma Straw Cup ($6.99 each)
Pros:
- Rhett could drink out of this no problem (he liked this cup, and at the time, that was exciting in itself)
- The handles were nice to teach him how to hold a cup
- It didn't leak (from what I can remember)
- The top swivels and hides the straw when it is not in use (great for lack of germs)
- It has so. many. parts. (too many for my liking anyways). I always had trouble finding all those parts.
- This cup (the straw portion) is nearly impossible to clean. MOLD started to grow on the inside of the straw! I boiled it multiple times, soaked it in hot, soapy water, and even tried using a toothpick to clean it out. Eventually I gave up. Yes, you can purchase replacement straws, but they were like $15.00 for 2, and that's when I really gave up on this one.
2. Munchkin Click Lock Flip Straw Cup ($6.49 for 2)
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Rhett liked drinking out of this (for the most part).
- *The picture isn't the exactly the one that I purchased, because I couldn't find it online. The one we liked did not have "air vents" on top, so it didn't leak. The one pictured above would most likely leak.
- The straw can flip and lock into the cup (like the name suggests) when you're not using it
Cons
- Can't thoroughly clean a rubber straw cup. Why hadn't I learned this by now?
- Every once in a while, the straw would be impossible to drink out of. It simply wouldn't work! I'm still not sure what was the problem...
I'm not really sure why I thought this one would be any different from the previous sippy cup...
Pros:
- Honestly... I can't think of any. It's nice to look at? It means well?
Cons:
- I usually test out all the sippy cups myself, just to make sure they work properly, and I had trouble getting water out of this one
- Leaks. Do not be fooled by the name!
- Can't thoroughly clean the straw
- The straw stays where it's at. I didn't like how you could lock it into the cup like the previous sippy cup
- The top that you screw on never seemed to line up properly = more leaks
- Rhett didn't like this one as much as the previous cup
4. Nuby No-Spill Super Spout Grip N' Sip ($7.99 for 2)
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Has handles for easy holding
- Easy to clean
Cons
- LEAKS LEAKS LEAKS!! I seriously hate this sippy cup. Milk and water everywhere!
- The spout needs to be lined up perfectly for it not to leak (I apparently struggled with this, so maybe the user was to blame?)
- Rhett didn't really care for this all that much. He would throw it and milk or water would go everywhere.
5. Munchkin Click Lock Sippy Cup ($8.49 for 2)
- Easy to clean
- Somewhat fit in a cup holder
- Rhett somewhat liked it, but usually would get frustrated with this one
Cons:
- Leaked out of the top "air vents" like no other
- Hard to drink out of (water barely comes out)
6. Sassy Spoutless Grow Up Cup with Trainer Handles ($5.99 each)
- Cute design
- Promotes drinking out of a cup
- Easy to clean
- Doesn't leak!
- Some days Rhett liked this, and some days he did not
7. Munchkin Miracle 360 Sippy Cup ($11.26 for 2)
- Very similar to the previous sippy cup. Why did I buy more? I'm not real sure Still, these promote drinking out of a cup, they are easy to clean, and they don't leak! Just like the previous cup, Rhett likes these some times, but they are just not his favorite.
Then, we moved to the plastic top sippy cups...
8. Munchkin Paw Patrol Click Lock Insulated Sippy Cup ($7.85 for 2)
- Because Rhett likes Paw Patrol, he gets excited to see this sippy cup! He smiles and says "Paw, paw!" (big pro in my book!)
- Easy to clean
- Doesn't leak!
- Inexpensive
- Insulated, so it keeps the liquid cooler, longer
- Fits in all cup holders
- It's not perfect because there is not a cover to the spout. I'm not that big of a germ freak, but I prefer something to cover the spout when we are bringing sippy cups out of the house.
- The top is plastic and very hard. Rhett chews on it sometimes.
9. The First Years Toy Story Sippy Cup ($11.00 for 2)
(As if I needed MORE sippy cups.) This was a total impulse buy at Walmart. Rhett LOVES and I mean LOVES Toy Story, so I had to. Turns out, it's a pretty good sippy cup!
- It's Toy Story = Rhett loves it
- Easy to clean
- Doesn't leak
- Insulated, so it keeps the liquid cooler, longer
- Fits in all cup holders
- It doesn't have a cover for the spout, just like the previous sippy cup.
- I bought mine at Walmart, but if you want this from Amazon, apparently 2 sippy cups cost $20.00?!
10. The First Years Take & Toss Spill-Proof Sippy Cups ($3.99 for 5)
(Yes, we needed more sippy cups to take up room in out kitchen cabinets.)
- Super cheap (hence the name take and toss...However, I haven't thrown one away yet, because that just seems wasteful)
- SOOO easy to clean (2 parts = the cup and the top)
- This doesn't have a valve, so the liquid comes out faster, which Rhett seems to appreciate (he told me that the other day) ;)
- I like using these only when Rhett is in his high chair. I also keep one of these in our car at all times, in case of an emergency (it seemed like a good idea)
- Never put one of these in your diaper bag (even in the cup/bottle holder) unless you want everything to get soaked... the travel cap that comes with somewhat helps things stay in place, but I wouldn't recommend bringing these on the go in a diaper bag by any means
- not real durable (but they're not really meant to be)
- the cap has come off and the liquid spilled all over Rhett once...or twice
11. Kid Kanteen Stainless Steel Bottle with Sippy Cap ($12.66 each)
*I've upped my budget, and it seemed to help. Yes, this is the most expensive sippy cup I've bought to date, but it is DEFINITELY one of the best!
Pros:
- Durable as can be
- DOES NOT LEAK! YAY!
- Easy to clean
- It has a CAP that covers the spout! I love that it has a cap, so it stays cleaner (at least in my mind) when we bring it on the go
- Fits in all cup holders
- Silicone spout
- Spout/valve combo. Water doesn't spill out the top, but it is easy to drink out of
- BPA free and all that jazz
- How cute is this?!
- The only con I can think of is that this sippy cup is obviously not real great for younger babies. I think it's perfect for 12+ months.
- A little expensive, but definitely worth it in my opinion
12. Nuk Blue Tutle Silicone Spout Active Cup ($5.63 each)
- Doesn't leak!
- Easy to clean
- It has a cap (that covers the entire spout area). This is such a plus.
- Fits in all cup holders
- Silicone spout
- The spout is very soft (like a bottle), so it is gentle for teething babies and makes for an easy bottle to cup transition (this is helped us stop Rhett's bottle before bed)
- The clip thing doesn't seem necessary to me (and it's just another part. You can, take it off, however)
- I wish these came in more colors/designs (but who really cares, it doesn't leak!)
There you have it. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many sippy cups I've purchased, but I think I finally found some good ones! I really hope this will help out any future parents save some time, money, and frustration! :)
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