Kids Water Bottle Review

I feel like I’ve been on this search for the last 4 years, finding a kids water bottle that wasn’t made of plastic. My Mama instinct was never comfortable with their drinking water sitting in plastic all day, even if it was BPA free. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint when it comes to “clean living” but this particular thing has always been important to me. That thought was reinforced even more after reading Green Enough – it’s a great book regardless of your feelings on plastic. Highly recommend it.

This is our current arsenal of kids water bottles. There are pros and cons to each but let me just tell you know, I have yet to find the holy grail of the kid friendly water bottle.

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Kids Water Bottle Name Tags

Before I get into the water bottles, I have to talk about the best custom labels I’ve ever used. They are from Mabel’s Labels and are beyond adorable. Not only do they work great on these water bottles but I have used them on all of Big Nugget’s school sweaters, dance clothes and hockey equipment. Fully water proof and customizable. Completely adorable.

Kids Water Bottle Review

Green Sprouts – as you can see, this cup has been very well loved. It’s been a fantastic “first cup” and quite honestly my favorite of all of them, I just wish it was bigger. Now that the little one is 15 months old, she guzzles this down in one sitting which is why we only use it now for her nightly cup of milk. The outside of the cup is plastic but the inside is glass and silicone which allows for this thing to survive multiple falls from the highchair without the water sitting in plastic all day.

Thermos Funtainer – this has been our go-to since Big Nugget started at preschool. It’s the most kid friendly water bottle that we have except they leak like crazy. I think the leaking is from wear and tear and it’s not every time. It’s easy for the kids to open and close it themselves. It keeps the water cold and my Big Nugget loves that her cups have her favorite characters. We have the Beat Bugs, Olaf, and multiple Paw Patrol cups. Another reason why those name tags come in handy? This is a VERY popular cup with the preschoolers.

Munchkin Miracle Stainless Steel – this might have been our favorite but Little Nugget can’t figure out how to work it. She doesn’t see a straw so she doesn’t get the concept of still having to suck to get water out. She expects it to work like an open cup. I would recommend starting this cup before you introduce a regular open cup. It doesn’t leak at all (yay!) and keeps water pretty cold.

Contigo Kids – So far so good on this one but other Mom’s have told me they don’t hold up as well. I’ve had some issues with the straw not staying in place inside the cup. It keeps water cold and Little Nugget can hold it easily. So far, it doesn’t leak when she leaves it open and it falls over.

HydroFlask Kids – this one keeps the water super cold for quite awhile but for the 15 month old, it’s really difficult to close. If it’s not closed, it leaks. It’s taken a few falls off the highchair and is already dented but that doesn’t seem to affect it’s functionality. It’s heavier than the other cups but doesn’t give your water a metallic taste.

Kids Water Bottle Conclusion

So here is the bottom line, there are pros and cons to each of these kids water bottles. Not what you wanted to hear I’m sure. I’m keeping them all in our rotation. When it comes time to order a new kids water bottle though, I might go back to the drawing board.

Looking for more product recommendations? Check out my favorites page for all of my go-to products.