These Leakproof Sippy Cups Were Made for Every Stage of Toddlerhood

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Getting kids to give up the bottle can be a huge pain, but having the best sippy cups possible makes the transition a little bit easier. In fact, giving them a sippy cup all wrapped up is a fun way to help them graduate from using the bottle. By making it a gift, you're making the transition a more fun experience. Sippy cups come in all sorts of fun patterns and colors (which kids love), so it sweetens the pot, but finding the right one is key for not only convenience, but for your child's oral health as well.

There are so many different types of sippy cups, from those just this side of a bottle, to cups that have straws, and more. And, of course, there's a lot of conflicting advice on social media about the ins and outs of sippy cups and their usage, mucking up the waters and making everything more confusing. So I called in the experts to find out the real information about sippy cups.

The Best Sippy Cups

• Best Overall: Munchkin Miracle 360

• Best Budget: Parent's Choice Non-Spill Soft Spout

• Anger-Proof: Contigo Cleanable Sippy Cup

• Tried-and-True: Nuk Fun Grips

• Sippy Lid Adapter: Healthy Sprouts Sippy Cup Lid

• Best for Crunchy Moms: RePlay Sippy Cups

What the Experts Say

I contacted orthodontist Dr. Scott Cardall of Orem Orthodontics and dentist Dr. Cary Goldstein of Goldstein Dental and asked them what parents should know about sippy cups. Dr. Cardall tells Best Products that there's nothing inherently problematic about sippy cups, instead, it's more about what you're putting inside the sippy cups. “The contents of a sippy cup can obviously be damaging to teeth,” he says, and that the phenomenon known as “baby bottle caries,” or cavities or tooth decay in baby teeth, “is a serious problem in younger children that are given sugary and/or acidic beverages. He adds that “serious care should be made to avoid bottles with sugary drinks that stay in the child's mouth overnight and for other extended periods."

Dr. Goldstein agrees with Cardall, adding that children should stop using sippy cups by age 2, and drink only from an open cup after that. As to what kinds of sippy cups should be used, Goldstein urges parents away from plastics containing BPA, as those can be dangerous to their child. Cardall suggests that you should also focus on sippy cups with smaller mouthpieces because they are less likely to impact the growth, or “eruption,” of teeth.

Types of Sippy Cups

Unsurprisingly, like bottles, there are several types of sippy cups on the market. The main types are spout, straw, and spoutless.

• Spout: Your traditional sippy cup. They're easy to drink from — just tilt and drink. Both the cup and the spout come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. They're rarely leakproof, but they are slow to leak, which parents love.

• Straw: Super popular for older kids or parents who don't love traditional spouted sippies, these have a soft straw (like that of the Lalo) that generally has some sort of cover to prevent spillage. Not all kids love this type, but they are the sippy cup with the smallest mouthpiece.

• Spoutless: These are newer to the market, and they're making waves. They're made to release liquid when tipped like the Munchkin 360, but the lid of the cup looks and feels just like a regular open cup. It's the best transitional option. Alternatively, there are soft, spoutless, open cups made just for toddlers as well.

I spoke with a veritable bevy of parents to find out which cups they loved — and which ones their kids liked the best.

Miracle 360 Trainer Cup

Hands down the favorite sippy cup of many of the parents I spoke with, the Munchkin Miracle 360 is a spoutless sippy cup with a slower flow rate, allowing the fluids to be accessible without overwhelming the new cup learner.

Made with BPA-free plastics and sturdy handles, your little ones can drink from any part of the edge of the cup, giving them a lot of freedom. One of our editors here at Best Products says that this is one of the only sippy cups her kids tolerate using.

More: The Very Best Toddler Beds for Your Little

Non-Spill Soft Spout Sippy Cup

“You’ve got to get the Walmart brand” was echoed to me by legions of parents. Having no Walmarts near me, I was unfamiliar with this cup. Now, having seen it myself, I can tell you that for under $2, you’re not going to find anything better. The spout is soft but durable, the body is easy-to-clean, and it doesn’t spill easily,

Fun Grips Hard Spout Sippy Cup

One mom told me that these are her “inexpensive, tried-and-true sippy cups” for her kids. I am also a fan as I used these with my daughter. They’re hard to destroy, they can really take the dishwasher like no other, and their leakage is reasonably minimal given the low price point.

Sippy Cup Lids

These came highly recommended to me by many parents and the toddler teachers at my synagogue. They're stretchy rubber sippy cup lids that turn any cup into a sippy cup. They make life so much easier for everyone, but especially for whoever is doing the dishes because they're just one piece.

Paw Patrol Kids Cleanable Water Bottle

My nephews use these cups when they go out. My sister-in-law told me, “It’s the only one that doesn’t get broken by your brother because the top is all one piece.” Reader, my brother gets so frustrated with sippy cups that he’s been known to simply toss them out.

The downside of the straw and lid being all one piece is that it's trickier to get it clean. There are nooks and crannies that need attention.

Spillproof Cup

You're helping both your sanity and the environment when you buy this spillproof cup from Re-Play. They're made of recycled milk jugs and are dishwasher and microwave safe. The lid can get a bit funky according to our tester, but that's only if you're not paying attention to nooks and crannies.

Superstar Insulated Sportee Toddler Water Bottle

Designed with older kids in mind, this leak-resistant insulated sippy cup has a lot going for it. The first cool thing I must mention is that the mouthpiece is not only gentle on gums and durable enough for toothy toddlers, but it’s also made of bacteria-resistant materials that help keep the ick out.

The Tommee Tippee “intellivalve” helps prevent a ton of leakage, though it’s not entirely leakproof. That said, you really have to have a go at this one to make it leak. Bonus: Even with the sealed spout, it’s still easy to clean.

The double-walled BPA-free plastic keeps beverages warm or cool for hours, but the bottom isn’t completely flat, which irks some parents.

Learner Cup 6+ Months — Timeless Collection

Very much a “love it or hate it” sippy cup, the learner cup from Nuk requires a bit of suction to get the liquids out, and not all kids love that. However, the soft spout, size options, and how easy it is to clean make it a big hit for parents.

It’s pretty durable, too. One mom told me, “My kid literally threw this at our tree, and it was fine — just dirty.”

Little Cup

Kids love this silicone cup! On the smaller side at 4 ounces, this straw cup is the best “first straw” cup for many reasons. First, the straw itself is really strong, making it far less likely that your little one bites through it when they get teeth (though you should still watch out for that). Also, the handles are super easy to grip for fumbly hands thanks to the texture.

It does leak but not that quickly, and there are only 4 ounces in the cup, so it’s not a huge amount of anything.

Milestones Hard Spout Insulated Sippy Cup with Handles

So you have a biter — you need a hard-spout sippy cup. And to that, Dr. Brown’s hard spout insulated sippy cup is easily the best. Decently spillproof and medium flow, it’s a kid favorite.

The handles really lock under the lid so gripping the cup isn’t a problem, even for smaller hands — it won’t spin around as they’re trying to drink. When you’re out and about, you won’t have to worry about drinks getting gross, because the double-wall construction keeps beverages cold for a long time.

Miracle Stainless Steel 360 Sippy Cup

I get that many parents simply don't want a plastic container. The Munchkin 360 is aluminum and has all the benefits of the regular spoutless 360. It's easy to clean, can be drunk around the entire lip, and comes with a handy-dandy lid.

It's on the heavier side, and like all aluminum cups, it's not great if it falls on your foot, but the same thing that makes it a pain in the foot gives it a ton of durability.

Smart Cup (4-Color Set)

The open-rim Reflow smart cup is really one of a kind. It's basically a regular cup, but it has flow control on the inside that slows down liquids for eager little drinkers.

Yes, this cup can get messy, but it really does teach little ones how to drink out of a cup. It's more of a training cup than a sippy cup, but parents I spoke with used this with children as young as 6 months, but only at mealtimes at the table because of the spilling issue.

No-Spill Super Spout Grip N’ Sip Cup (2-Pack)

Nuk made this cup for the youngest of sippers. It has a soft spout, can be gripped by either the arms or the body, is reasonably leak-resistant, and the flow is slow, but not hard to drink.

Your 4-month-old can easily drink from it because of the “natural flow” design of the mouthpiece. It is a bit harder to clean than some others on the list, but parents note that it really is worth it.

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