Toddlers are wonderful, messy little creatures. Their ability to spill anything and everything is unparalleled. As you transition your child from bottle to cup, you will find that, if the liquid can be spilled, your toddler will spill it.
In order to make the transition from bottle to cup go more smoothly, you will likely want to transition to a sippy cup first. Sippy cups generally come in small, kid-friendly designs that are meant to be gripped by little hands and are brightly colored and fun to drink from. And a sippy cup with a straw can make the transition even easier on your child. The Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Weighted Straw Trainer is a great way to help your child graduate from their bottle to big-kid cups in no time.
What to know before you buy a sippy cup with straw
Sippy cups with straws are generally inexpensive, so it is easy to try out several different types to find one that works for you and your child. Although keeping the straw part of the sippy cup clean can be challenging, these sippy cups are great to have on hand at home and on the go.
Material
Sippy cups with straws are generally made from one of three materials: plastic, aluminum or glass. Each type of material has its benefits and drawbacks as to what makes it work for a toddler’s sippy cup. Plastic, for example, is probably the most affordable and durable, but it can start to discolor over time. Aluminum is lightweight and great for keeping beverages cold, but it can get cold to the touch for your child in chilly weather. Glass maintains the integrity of the water or liquid you put inside the sippy cup the most, but a glass sippy cup can be quite heavy for a toddler to hold. Which material you choose comes down to which you like best for your baby.
Size
Depending on how much liquid you want your toddler to drink, you can choose small, medium or large sippy cups that will hold varying amounts of liquid. Smaller cups can be easier for smaller kids to hold because they will weigh less, but you may find yourself refilling smaller sippy cups with straws more frequently. Pick a size that is both easy for your toddler to grip, but also minimizes your trips to and from the refrigerator.
Ease of cleaning
When it comes to being easy to clean, not all sippy cups with straws are equally easy to clean. Some sippy cups can be fully dismantled for easy cleaning while others only separate into two pieces. Be sure and check out the sippy cup you choose to see how it breaks down to clean. Also consider whether the straw can be removed or replaced because if you let your child drink anything other than water in the sippy cup, the straw may wear out more quickly and need to be replaced.
Sippy cup with straw features
Handles
Some sippy cups with straws also come with handles that make it easy for small hands to grip the sippy cup. Sometimes these handles can be removed if the child doesn’t like them and sometimes they can’t, so make sure they make sense for your child. The downside of handles on a sippy cup is that it usually makes it hard for the sippy cup to fit into drink holders on strollers or car seats.
Characters
If your child is into a particular character, such as Mickey Mouse or the dogs from “Paw Patrol,” they might enjoy having a sippy cup with that character on it. You may want to look out for a sippy cup with a straw that also has a picture of your child’s favorite storybook or cartoon character on it.
Interchangeable lids
Kids grow quickly, so it can be nice to have products that grow along with them. If you don’t want to invest in sippy cups too heavily because you know your child will outgrow them, consider investing in a sippy cup with a straw that will grow with your child instead. Some sippy cups come with interchangeable lids, this way your child can choose between different kinds of sippy cups without you having to purchase multiple.
Sippy cup with straw cost
When it comes to kid items, sippy cups with straws are actually on the inexpensive end of things. You can expect a single sippy cup with a lid and straw to cost you anywhere between $5-$20, depending on size and material among other things.
Sippy cup with straw FAQ
When can my baby start using a sippy cup with a straw?
A. Many parents start to introduce the idea of a straw to their baby around one year of age. However, you can start introducing a sippy cup with a straw to your baby even younger if you want to. Some parents start introducing a sippy cup with a straw to their baby around six months of age, and some even earlier than that. However, it is probably easiest to start on a sippy cup with a straw once a baby can sit up on their own and hold their own sippy cup.
Is a sippy cup with straw bad for my baby’s teeth?
A. Sippy cups with straws are actually a better choice for your child than a traditional sippy cup. A traditional sippy cup requires a certain amount of sucking to get liquid out, and that repeated motion can be harmful to a child’s developing palate. However, a sippy cup with a straw requires a different sucking motion which doesn’t interfere with growth. Sippy cups with straws are good to use to teach children independence and help keep them hydrated throughout the day.
Which sippy cup with straw should I get?
Best of the best sippy cup with straw
Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Straw Trainer: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby
Our take: Colorful and spill-proof, this Munchkin sippy cup is easy for your child to grip.
What we like: This Munchkin sippy cup is dishwasher safe and comes in multiple sizes. It enables your child to use it at any angle for easy sipping while sitting, standing or laying down.
What we dislike: Some say that the flip-top mechanism that hides the straw is difficult to latch and unlatch, especially for a toddler.
Best bang for your buck sippy cup with straw
Nuby Two-Handle Flip N’ Sip Straw Cup: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby
Our take: Brightly colored and easy to grip, this sippy cup with flip-straw from Nuby is perfect for your growing baby.
What we like: The base on this sippy cup grips surfaces easily and the bright colors make it easy to find. The soft rubber makes it easy for your child to hold.
What we dislike: The handles on this sippy cup cannot be removed which makes it hard to fit it into cup holders in the car seat or stroller.
Honorable mention sippy cup with straw
OXO Tot Sippy Cup with Straw: available at Amazon and Buy Buy Baby
Our take: Spill-proof and available in several colors, this sippy cup with straw from OXO has removable handles for easy gripping.
What we like: The top of this sippy cup has a hinge that conceals the straw when your child isn’t using the cup. This prevents leaks and also keeps germs off of your child’s sippy cup.
What we dislike: Many parents complain that this sippy cup is hard to clean. Stephanie Jarrett is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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