Product Comparison: Straw Cups
posted by McKenna on February 27th, 2008My son, Connor weaned from the bottle to the straw cup. I chose to transition him to the straw cup instead of the sippy cup for several reasons.
- Straw cups were easier for him to hold because they don’t require tilting.
- Straws are EXCELLENT for oral motor strengthening and speech development.
- A sippy cup is just one more thing to have to wean from. He can use a straw until he’s an adult!
- Sippy cups can contribute to speech problems and dental problems, so I wanted to avoid them if possible.
However, this isn’t my article on convincing you to use straw cups with your child. This is my article comparing the trillion different straw cups out there so you can choose the right one for your child! The one thing consistent in all straw cups on the market is leaking. I haven’t found one cup that is completely leak proof, but some are definitely better than others!
Munchkin’s 10 oz. Insulated Straw Cup - Mommy and Connor’s Pick!
Munchkin’s wins in our house as Mommy and Connor’s favorite straw cup on the market. This cup is durable and has lived through many of Connor’s throws. The straw is nice and soft and Connor really enjoys drinking from this cup. While it leaks (like every single straw cup on the shelves), I have found that it leaks the least out of all of the straw cups I’ve tried. The fact that it leaks minimally and is not too difficult to clean makes this straw cup my pick. The price is steep at $6.97 on Amazon.com, however I paid $4.99 at my local grocery store for mine. I love the Dora, Diego, and Backyardigan prints, but am not fond of the Spongebob Squarepants prints. I had to wait for a new shipment to come in to avoid buying the Spongebob print because he’s just a little too mature and obnoxious for my kids in my opinion.
Playtex Baby Einstein - Highly Recommended!
This is my second favorite of the lot. The reason I love this straw cup is cleaning time! The valve is a plug, so you can unplug the valve and clean the straw very easily. All of the other straws are attached to the valve and cleaning is a little more difficult…not impossible, but more difficult than this one! I also love the fun Baby Einstein prints that are age appropriate. This cup leaks more than the Munchkins, however if you make sure the lid’s not screwed too tight, the leaking will decrease. Overall, this is a great straw cup!
Take & Toss Straw Sippers - A Must-Try!
Obviously, the price is GREAT! For $2.99, you get five cups. That’s $0.60 per cup and you can’t beat that in the overpriced baby market we live in! There are no valves, so these cups make for easy cleaning. Even though there are no valves, the leaking is not as bad as I thought. They don’t leak any more than some of the other straw cups that have valves. The lids are very sensitive. If you press on the top of the cup, the contents will travel quickly up the straw. I’ve had a lot of counter messes when using this cup. The straws are not very soft. They are a thick plastic and Connor does not enjoy drinking from these cups. I do keep these cups in stock for extended day trips, friends who come to play, and as back-ups when I am way behind on my dishes.
Gerber Cool Twisties - Not very durable.
The price is not too steep at $3.95 per cup. The straw is nice and soft and Connor enjoyed drinking from this cup. I also like the fun space design on the cup. Cleaning this cup is not very difficult. While Connor loved this cup, and the price isn’t too bad, I can’t recommend it for a couple reasons. This cup can do some major leaking! Connor is in the stage of throwing things when he’s done (that’s another blog post!) and he has broken two of these cups. He throws all of his cups, but these have been the least durable. Overall, I’d probably not purchase this cup again due to the fact that they can be easily broken by throwing toddlers!
Luv n’ Care’s 2 Handle 8 oz. Cup - Don’t waste your money!
This cup is my least favorite. There are some good things about this cup that I’ll share with you. This is the only straw cup I’ve found that has handles and I love the short squatty shape in contrast to the long stretched shapes of the other cups. The price is GREAT at $3.99 per cup. I bought a two pack for $5.99 at Babies “R” Us. The straw is super soft and Connor really loved drinking from this cup. I also didn’t have too bad of a time with the leaking. While it has many good features, it has a couple problems that keep me from recommending this cup. The straw is three separate pieces. One of the pieces is incredibly small and it is very difficult to put together. It is also incredibly difficult to clean because there is a valve on both ends of the mouth piece. Once you take this straw cup apart, it is incredibly difficult to put back together. If the maker would correct these problems, this would be my favorite straw cup on the shelves.
Check out these links about straw cup drinking:
Mommy Speech Therapy’s take on straw cups over sippy cups
How To Teach a Child to Drink From a Straw
Sippy Cups Causing Too Many Cavities
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February 27th, 2008 at 1:27 am
I LOVE the Munchkin cup! And here’s a little secret — if you lose the straw attachment (or the top straw part wears down b/c your child likes chewing on it), just call them and they will send you a new one for free! At least they did for me
February 27th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I am in the process of replacing Little Beans plastics. So, I have been doing some research. Thanks for the article on straw cups. That is something to consider.
Here’s a non-plastic option: http://www.thermos.com/SubCategoriesCatalog.aspx?CatCode=Foog&SubMenuID=0
As of reviews - you have to put this cup back together just right or it leaks. I asked a friend of mine who owns one and she says it is no big deal once you get the hang of it.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:38 am
@Sharon-That IS GOOD to know! I will definitely take advantage of that!
@Jenn- I will definitely look into that cup. I have learned that all of these cups have little tricks to minimize the leaking. The Avent bottles leaked horribly for us (and so many other people), until I stopped over-tightening them. Then I had no problem at all. I think the pressure builds up too much if you over tighten these kid cups.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Jenn–I am working on a post about non-plastic options for kids! I read about the cup you linked to but saw the reviews weren’t very good.
We have 2 of the munchkin straw cups but I can’t stand them. I have to use a knife to get the straw to pop out after the “lid”-thing is closed. Of course the kids like to close the lid and then they can’t get it open. I put them away and said good riddance. Has anyone else had that problem with those cups?
We used the playtex insulator sports straw cups for a while. I still have them on hand in case we need to go anywhere and bring a drink along but I use open cups all the time now. I figure at 3 and 4 they can handle it. If spills happen they know to get a rag and clean it up!
February 27th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Amelia - I can’t wait to read your article on non-plastics. I am finding the list is endless and non-plastic options are not easy to find! As far as my toddler’s world, I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
McKenna - I agree about leakage, all the cups and bottles all have their tricks. We just have to adjust or come up with the idea bottle ourselves.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Oh my gosh ladies, I saw an elementary school aged child today (easily 7, 8, or even 9 years old) WITH a sippy cup. Not holding it for a younger child, I saw her drinking from it several times and was appalled!! What are her parents thinking?
February 27th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
@Amelia- I haven’t ever had that problem. I open and shut the straw lid all the time. Did you know that the straw lid can come off? It took me a while to figure that out…oh I hope I’m not the only person who didn’t figure that out right away.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
@Melissa - You never know what was going on that day. Maybe that was just the cup the mom had on her at that moment. Maybe she didn’t want to deal with a spill, if it happened. I am sure the child could drink out of a cup, but just didn’t at that time for whatever reason. The good thing is that by 21 I am sure that they won’t be sipping their margarita out of a sippy cup! ha!
February 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
i didn’t know that about sippy cups. i feel terrible!
February 28th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
oh and clarification….i didn’t know that sippy cups caused speech problems.
February 28th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Natalie-You don’t need to feel bad!!! I wasn’t trying to add to the already way too heavy “mommy guilt” we all carry around. I just have had a child in speech therapy since she was three months old, so I have learned some things that most moms don’t know. Most kids go on sippy cups, and there’s a small percentage of those kids with speech problems…sippies are just one contributing factor for some of those kids. You also have to know that after going through as much therapy as I’ve gone through with Darah…I am a little nutty about avoiding potential therapy with Connor! Well, I’m just a little nutty period!
February 28th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
no…..YOU did not make me feel bad. I just didn’t know that. I’m sorry!!! Ha. I think it’s good for me to find this stuff out!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:25 am
I was reading the article on the connection between tooth decay and sippy cups, and I’m not sure I completely agree with it. As someone who worked at a pedi dentist for 5 years, I can tell you that the root problem is sugary drinks and juices. If you dilute the juice (at least 1/2 water), it greatly reduces the problem. DON’T give your kids sugary drinks (and that includes juices and milk) all day, or they will most likely get cavities. If they’re drinking water out of their sippy cup, it’s unlikely they’ll get cavities on their front teeth. I’ve seen older kids come in that sip soda all day long, and guess what? Same problem.
Our American kids are (in general) addicted to sugar. We saw kids come in with horrendous tooth decay (some as young as 2!), not because they didn’t brush their teeth, but b/c parents were choosing sugary drinks and snacks over healthier choices.
Sorry, I’ll get off my soap box now.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Sharon, that’s very good info! I agree that the amount of sugar in kids diets is the number one culprit for cavities and tooth decay in children. Sippy cups expose more of the child’s teeth to the liquids than straw cups do, so maybe by eliminating those sugary drinks, the tooth decay problem will decrease!
Very good info again! Thanks for sharing your experience!!
March 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I agree with your recommendations. Don’t waste your money on the last… as I did on 3 of them at once. I love the Take & Toss Straw Sippers for the simplicity of them, but my favorite are the Playtex Straw cup (character doesn’t matter so much).
Great post!!
April 19th, 2008 at 11:45 am
We also transitioned from a bottle to a straw cup. We had seen some kids at a playgroup with them and thought they looked awesome! Now she loves them and uses them every day. I had no idea that they were good for speech development though! Aly (my girl, 18 months) has a great vocabulary and speaks really well for her age. I have to wonder if that’s part of the reason why! Very good to know. We will definitely be trying the Munchkin straw cups since Aly is a huge Dora fan and because of your glowing recommendation. We’ve used the Nuby Mega straw cups since day 1 but they leave a lot to be desired.
Thanks so much for your post!
June 12th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
We chosse to use the Playtex Coolster Sipper that doesn’t have a spout. We also have straw cups but the number of pieces was just too much to handle sometimes. The cup we use looks like an adults travel coffee mug and our daughter has been using them since she was about 8 months old and loves them. I like the way they look and they are double insulated so that they don’t sweat all over everything either.