When it comes to buying anything for your baby, if you're like me, you probably spend hours and hours researching to ensure you buy the best value for money. And choosing a baby cup is no different.
If you just google "baby cup" you'll probably find hundreds and thousands of different pictures and reviews of baby cups.
So how are you supposed to know which one is the best?
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The Best Baby And Toddler Cup (For Your Child)
The secret is that you're not. Definitely not if you're searching for THE best baby cup.
But when it comes to the best baby cup for YOUR baby? Well that's a whole different story.
To save your time, money and sanity, I'll walk you through my steps of choosing the baby cup that'll best fit your baby.
Baby And Toddler Cups
If you're on a quest for your first baby cup, you must have already seen numerous different options. Each one having the perfect statement on why it is THE best one for you to choose.
How To Choose The Best Cup For Your Baby And Toddler – Step-by-Step
But before you take one from the shelf and decide it's the one you're going to give to your baby, let's see some of the things I advise you look at before choosing.
1. Decide on the type
Whether it's a sippy spout cup, spoutless one, straw cup or open cup – ultimately you are the one who decides which one to buy. And give your child.
My recommendation is always to start with an open cup. At first, it doesn't even have to be a store-bought one but simply a small shot glass you have at home (not like you're using it these days anyway!).
If you are familiar with the Montessori approach you may know that they recommend that children starting using shot glasses at 6 months, so this may be how you roll too.
We started using them around that time and have never broken a glass.
On the other hand, open cups are not really convenient to take out and about but there are actually two ways you can handle this.
First is to have another cup for when you go out – like a straw cup or a spoutless cup.
I don't recommend sippy spout cups because drinking from these mimics drinking from a bottle or breast so the baby is not able to develop their oral-motor skills.
The second option is to take water out in thermos bottles and take your open cup with you so you can simply pour water into the open cup when needed.
You might need a few extra changes of clothes in that case depending on your child's competency!
2. Decide on the material
The material your baby and toddler cup is made out of is also an important choice you make.
The healthiest options (and definitely eco-friendly ones) are silicone, stainless-steel, or glass.
BPA-free plastic cups are also a healthy option but I always rather go for the non-plastic ones if I can for the environmental reasons.
I find stainless-steel and glass cups a bit heavy, so they really are a better option for older toddlers and kids.
For babies and younger toddlers my recommendation would be silicone cups.
Best Baby Cup For Your Baby
Baby Cup For Age: 6 - 12 months
Open Cup
1. EZPZ TINY CUP
This is probably the best starter open cup I have come across. It's silicone, an open cup, and is small enough (4 oz) for a baby that has just learned to sit and has started solids. And you can use it for both hot and cold drinks (just not too hot or cold!).
2. GREENSPROUTS LEARNING CUP
This cup has all the same benefits as the EZPZ Tiny Cup. The only difference is that it has silicone handles. Whether you prefer it or not is really a matter of preference.
I personally used an open cup without any handles and it worked great for us.
Straw Cup
1. GOSILI STRETCHY UNIVERSAL SILICONE LID STRAW CUP
This cup is one of the few smaller size straw cups that you will find in a silicone version.
It is great because you get an open cup, a lid for a straw and a straw.
You don't get a cover but it's perfect to carry in your stroller if you have a special place for drinks on it. It does prevent big spills and is dishwasher and microwave safe.
Spoutless Cup
1. MUNCHKIN 360 TRAINER CUP
Even though the Munchkin 360 Trainer Cup does have a BPA-free plastic bottom and handles, the top is silicone. Out of the other spoutless cups for babies, I consider it the best option even though it is plastic.
(If you have recommendations for a non-plastic 360 cup email us and we can update this article).
Best Baby Cup For Your Toddler
Toddler Cup + 12 MONTHS
Open Cup
1. EZPZ MINI CUP
This open cup has all the same benefits as the best baby cup for 6 - 12 months EZPZ TINY CUP only it's bigger. The EZPZ Mini Cup can hold 8 oz of liquid so it's perfect as an open cup for your baby that has just become a toddler.
2. GOSILI CUP BUNDLE
This cup is another great toddler option. It's silicone and an 8 oz cup but also has an embedded stainless steel ring. And it's dishwasher safe (and microwave safe too somehow) which makes it perfect for our Homemade Chocolate Milk!
3. LIEWOOD ETHAN CUP 2 PACK
Another great silicone open cup option from this gorgeous Danish brand, Liewood. These actually come as a 2-pack :). You can use them for both hot and cold drinks and they are also dishwasher safe.
(Only available for purchase in Europe at the moment)
Straw Cup
1. GOSILI TODDLER STRAW CUP
A bit bigger than the 8 oz straw cup for babies, this one can easily hold 12 oz of liquid. Fully silicone it's also dishwasher and microwave safe so it really is a great option for toddlers if you're looking for a straw cup.
2. LIEWOOD ELLIS SIPPY CUP
A nice 8 oz straw cup that is ideal for your toddler that has just gotten the hang of open cup drinking as the risk of spills is minimal. It's also suitable for both hot and cold drinks and comes with this small cleaner brush with which you can easily manually clean the silicone straw.
Spoutless Cup
1. MUNCHKIN MIRACLE STAINLESS STEEL 360 SIPPY CUP
This is a great cup for smoothies and shakes. It's a 10 oz cup so can hold more liquid than an average baby cup but also isn't too big so your toddler can't hold it. The bottom is also made of stainless steel rather than BPA-free plastic which I find a better option.
2. GOSILI OH! 360 SIPPY CUP
If you're looking for a silicone toddler spoutless 360 cup, then this Gosili one is the choice for you. It's a bit bigger than the Munchkin stainless steel one but since it's silicone the weight is pretty much the same once they're both filled to the top (even though they don't have to be).
Final Note
As I tried to point out at the beginning of this post, there isn't really the best baby or toddler cup that can be generalized for all. There are only things you can look out for when deciding on which one to choose (e.g. material, type, durability, size) and then go from there.
My choices have always been (when possible) silicone and appropriate for the child's age in size and shape.
So we started with a small shot glass, then moved to an open 4 oz silicone cup and finished the year with the Munchin 360 Trainer Cup which was our choice when out and about.
Now that my son is 16 months of age, he drinks from an open 8 oz silicone cup at home and from the Munchkin Stainless Steel One when we are out.
Straw cups have never been my choice but for no particular reason. I just had everything I needed with the options mentioned above.
What are your cup choices?
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