Best straw cups for babies

Your little one accomplishes a lot in one short year, and that includes graduating from a baby bottle to a training cup. As the name suggests, training cups are essentially cups that help your baby learn how to drink out of a real cup without spilling the contents all over themselves and everything around them.

According to both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association (ADA), the best training cupOpens a new window is one without a no-spill valve, because these valves encourage children to suck, as if from a bottle, instead of sipping. For that reason, a lot of parents prefer straw cups, which help children learn to sip and help keep a lid, literally, on messes.

When babies are first learning to use a straw cup it can be tough to nail down the angle needed to suck liquid up and out of the cup. Munchkin’s cup makes it easier thanks to its weighted straw which, thanks to gravity, points down no matter what angle your child holds the cup. It’s a great choice for active families, too, since the cup has a fully locking flip top lid that won’t leak in transit. Its two sturdy handles make it easy for babies to hold, too. And if you’re skeptical? Munchkin offers a full replacement guarantee, so you can give it a try, no strings attached.

Christine Mattheis, Group VP, Content & Brand Solutions at BabyCenter says that her daughter started using this cup at 6 months and got the hang of it immediately. "I love that the cup is truly leakproof -- she would throw that thing around and not a drop would come out of it," says Christine.

Christine also says that the weighted straw worked as advertised, and her daughter could drink from any angle. The only downside from her end was that the straw was hard to clean, even with the included straw brush, though she knows that almost every straw cup has that catch. The rest of the cup could be placed on the top rack of the dishwasher.

Heads upThis cup is sold in a two-pack at many retailers, and comes in 7- and 10-ounce versions for younger or older babies (the 10-ounce cup is recommended for babies 12 months and up).

Parents say"The Munchkin one with the straw is leakproof and they can use the straw at any angle! My EBF baby loves it and figured out how to use it quickly."

"We love the munchkin weighted straw, but we only put water in it because the straw is a pain to clean."

"They can drink at any angle and it has a straw cover and handles. Perfect for little hands."

Specs

Parents who want to avoid plastic may prefer a silicone cup, and this beautiful option from Olababy stands out among similar cups due to its thoughtful design. The cup's bottom is weighted, so it doesn't tip over easily when it's sitting on a surface, and is easier for children who are just learning how to pick up and balance a cup. Parents love the translucent silicone and measurement markings, both of which make it easier to know exactly how much your baby is drinking. The cup is also less slippery to hold than slick plastic, so less chance of it falling through your child’s small hands.

Parents love the look of the Olababy, and appreciate that even if babies accidentally hit themselves in the face or mouth with this cup, the soft silicone won't bang them up. A final high point: When your baby's ready for an open cup, just take the straw and lid off and you're all set.

Heads upThis cup is microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and can hold hot liquids that are up to 428 degrees Fahrenheit; that said, the AAP recommends serving liquids that are maximum room-temperature-warm to your baby, and warns against microwaving to warm.

Parents say"I was surprised at how solid and cute this tiny little cup was."

"It’s not spill proof but I like it because it’s just a regular straw, she doesn’t have to do anything special to get the water out and was able to learn super quickly! It’s silicone but see through so you can see how much water is in there and also has ounce markings. These were all things I wanted with a cup but hard to find one that had all of these. It’s also easy to clean because there’s no extra straw mechanism parts."

"We love the Olababy straw cup!! You can also use it to practice drinking from an open cup. Wide base keeps it from being tipped over."

Specs

Like other weighted straw cups, this one dispenses liquid at any angle, which helps babies new to cups learn to drink more easily. But Dr. Brown's Milestones boasts a few features that make it better for travel than competitors. First, like Dr. Brown’s bottles, they're narrow, making it easier to fit into all the bags you're already using to carry around bottles. This also allows them to fit into your car's cup holders.

The “cup” also has sturdy, but soft handles, which make them easier for babies to hold. But unlike other straw cups, the handles slide on the cup like a koozie instead of being attached to the cup's cap. You can slip the handles off to more easily fit this bottle in small spaces, and take them off entirely when your child doesn't need them anymore.

The bottle's sliding cap stops leaks completely, and is easy to operate one-handed, says Leah Rocketto, Associate Commerce Director for BabyCenter: "You can slide it with a thumb," she says. "Slide it open and the straw pops out; slide it closed and the straw goes down, and there's no leaks."

Heads upThese cups come in narrow- and wide-necked varieties just like Dr. Brown's baby bottles, so you may want to choose one or the other if your baby's already used to Dr. Brown's. The narrow-necked bottles contain 8 ounces; the wide-necked, 9 ounces.

Parents say"Baby loves it. We have been using it for small sips of water since 8 months. Now he’s drinking 7 oz of formula out of it at lunch time. We have the ezpz also, but I find that he drinks much more from the Dr. Browns."

"The straw is softer [than on other cups], but still a straw. Plus it has a locking lid so when they’re all done, they can slide the straw in to prevent spills. This will be our last cup before just going to a straight cup, which we are still working on.

Specs

The "honey bear" style of straw cup has become very popular in recent years because it's so easy for babies and toddlers to learn to use. The magic lies in the cup's flexibility: When you squeeze the sides, the liquid rises up the straw. This visual demonstration of the physics of creating a vacuum is a revelation to babies, and really helps them understand how to use the straw.

Alexandra Bisonó, Senior Art Director for Everyday Health Group, says that her daughter only took a few minutes to learn how to use the honey bear straw cup, and after understanding how they worked, she was able to move on to other straw cups. The honey bear cups are often a great option for children having trouble making the transition from bottles: BabyCenter Senior SEO Content Strategist Sarah Darby says "I tried to get my son to drink from a straw for almost two months with little success. After we tried the honey bear cup, he was drinking from a straw that same day at 9 months."

Heads upMany different companies make similar cups but Sarah notes that the brittle plastic flip-up lids on most break easily and create dangerous sharp edges. So she prefers this version from The 730 Project, which has a one-piece lid that's much harder to break.

Parents say"We have the 360 cups and a honey bear cup and my daughter prefers the honeybear. It was a lot easier to teach her to use a straw and she's able to get more water/milk per sip than the 360 cups."

"I agree, honey bear straw cup worked for my baby to learn to drink from a straw."

"I work as a early intervention occupational therapist. We work on feeding a lot…. For straws, you can use a squeezable straw cup such as a honey bear….My son just learned how to drink from a straw in a matter of a few days using a honey bear cup."

"We used what they call a honey bear cup… You squeeze the bear as soon as the straw gets in their mouth and they close around it. She learned this way quick then we transitioned to a Munchkin weighted straw cup."

Specs

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says bottles should be phased out between 12 and 18 months. Why? Think of the bottle as a security blanket of sorts. A toddler who is still drinking from a bottle may find comfort in the act, thus skip meals and rely more heavily on the liquid calories if they know the bottle is available.

And although children this age should technically be capable of sipping straight from an open cup — and should practice it — they can be inconvenient if your baby is drinking anywhere that a mess matters. That’s where a training cup, like a straw cup, comes into play.

When it comes to straw cups, here’s what you’ll want to consider:

Brigitt Earley contributed to this story.

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AAP. 2023. American Academy of Pediatrics. Discontinuing the Bottle. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Discontinuing-the-Bottle.aspx [Accessed March 2023]

ADA. Undated. American Dental Association. Transitioning to Cups for Babies and Toddlers. https://www.happyfamilyorganics.com/learning-center/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-cups-sippy-cups-and-straws/ [Accessed March 2023]

AAP. 2011. American Academy of Pediatrics. Practical Bottle Feeding Tips. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Practical-Bottle-Feeding-Tips.aspx [Accessed March 2023]