Rating and Reviewing the Best Straw Cups for Toddlers
We’ve tried and tested three popular straw cups for toddlers and here’s our rating and review for each one of them.
But first, are straw cups actually good for toddlers?
Most experts would agree that it would be best to transition babies from being breastfed or bottle fed to using open cups or straw cups — not sippy cups. Come to think of it, drinking from an open cup or from a straw is a lifelong skill. As adults, this is how we drink most of the time. Learning to drink from a sippy cup is a skill that will and should be discarded after a couple of months. So why bother?
Speech experts also say that learning to drink from a straw can help strengthen the oral muscles which can in turn help with speech development. Amy Yacoub, a speech-language pathologist, explains that “when a child drinks from a straw, he or she develops strong lip muscles by sealing them around the straw”. It also “encourages your child to keep their tongue in the right position”.
So now that you’re absolutely convinced with the benefits of teaching your child how to drink from a straw, here are our ratings and reviews of some of the popular straw cups out there. We’ve used these cups for months and years and we’re here to share with you our own personal experiences to help you out in making the right choice for your toddler.
Hegen Straw Cup
Hegen Straw Cup from hegen.us
This straw cup has a unique, boxy shape. Quite surprisingly, this shape actually makes it easier for toddlers to grasp and hold the bottle. It also made cleaning easier as the regular shape does not have any tight spaces or crevices that are hard to reach with a bottle brush.
Another unique feature of this straw cup is what Hegen calls “PCTO: Press to Close, Twist to Open”. Unlike other traditional straw cups, this one does not have screw threads wherein to close the cup, you have to turn the cover until it fully closes.
Unfortunately, we were not a fan of this feature. It was quite difficult to open the lid especially with wet or sweaty hands. It wasn’t leak proof either. We experienced some leaks while shaking the bottle to mix some formula.
But one feature that we appreciated was the long, curved straw. It makes it so easy for toddlers to sip every single drop of milk.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Pros:
Easy for toddlers to hold
Easier to clean
Long, curved straw
Cons:
Not 100% leak proof
Difficult to open
Twistshake Straw Cup
Twistshake Straw Cup from amazon.com
This is a straw cup that is absolutely leak proof. The screw threads run quite deep, requiring you to turn or twist the lid a little bit more. But because of this feature, this cup just doesn’t leak.
Their website also boasts of a “straw with integral no-spill silicone seal”. We can definitely agree that this feature may have helped in ensuring a spill-free experience for our toddlers.
However, one thing that we didn’t like about the straw is that it was a bit too short and stiff. This makes it difficult for toddlers to sip out all of the milk inside the cup.
Rating: 9 / 10
Pros:
Leak proof and spill proof
Cons:
Short and stiff straw
Philips Avent Straw Cup
Philips Avent Straw Cup from amazon.com
This straw cup is our favorite and the best in our opinion. The materials used are so thick and durable. Upon feeling the cup for the first time, you just know that this straw cup will last for a long time and will withstand your toddlers throwing fits.
This cup also addresses the two cons of the Hegen and Twistshake. It is absolutely spill free and leak proof. The straw is also long enough and curved so it’s easy for toddlers to sip every last bit of milk or water from the cup.
Rating: 10 / 10
Pros:
Very durable
Spill free and leak proof
Long and curved straw
