The Most Hydrated Baby On The Block – Safe Sippy Cups and Children’s Drink Bottles – Updated!
I thought I better start offering Isabella water when her favourite bath time activity became sucking water out of the face washer. Isabella loves drinking water much more than eating solids at the moment. It’s a favourite activity and she ends up covered – much to my delight as it’s far easier to clean up after than food!
In the news recently there have been stories about children getting sick from sippy cups and water bottles harbouring mould. Something about the twist tops and closed funnelling devices that make them impossible to clean. The thought of inadvertently making your child sick is enough to give any parent nightmares!
I’ve voiced my scepticism of plastics before because companies don’t have to declare what chemicals are in plastics and our laws are so unrestricted regarding the use of chemicals which have been shown to be harmful. I didn’t want to go there for Isabella’s first water bottle especially as there are other great options such as glass and stainless steel.
Glass water bottles obviously have the risk of breaking. Although some have clever silicone sleeves which add protection. Isabella is just getting to the point where she wants to drop everything on the ground for fun so it wouldn’t be a wise choice for us! However, for an older child glass could be a fantastic option. Another great product I’ve seen, but not tried, are silicone lids that fit over a water glass by Sipsnap. They have sippy cup lids and also ones for a straw to fit in. So if your little one can hold a glass ok, it’s a great option- plastic free and completely cleanable.
Stainless steel water bottles are unbreakable and easy to clean, though you need a safe lid to sip from. My love affair with silicone solving my plastic problems continues. Silicone doesn’t leach chemicals and is non-porous so doesn’t support the growth of mould or bacteria. Perfect for sippy cup and water bottle lids!
Below is my recommended list for baby bottles and kid’s drink bottles:
Pura Kiki – Stainless Steel Bottle With Interchangeable Lids. Australian Non-Toxic Awards 2019 Gold winner.
Pura bottles are unique in that they have changeable silicone mouth piece accessories so they can literally be used from infancy until adulthood. The mouth pieces include a baby teat, sippy straw, full straw, sports cap and a flat lid to turn it into a snack container.
The non-insulated bottle is light but strong and has a removable tube of coloured silicone for grip. The lids are easily interchangeable and I love that the straws and sippy mouth pieces are transparent silicone. I love the transparency because if mould did happen to begin to grow, you’d see it immediately. (Mould is a very real issue with all drink bottles if they aren’t immediately and completely dried after every use. Kids bottles are so often left all day with water in them when taken to school… or forgotten about over the weekend.)
I used this bottle for both my 19 month old and my 4 year old. My 19 month old absolutely loves using the full straw. The straw is a thicker straw than some bottles and gives more water flow. It is a great first step before drinking out of a cup. I did find with the straw mouthpiece that the big silicone cover wasn’t 100% reliable as a leak proof seal – however, I really gave it a run for it’s money putting it freely in backpacks etc. The straw being larger is easier to clean. It’s a huge advantage that it is transparent as you really know that you are getting to all areas.
My favourite mouth piece for this bottle however is the Big Mouth sport top. My 4 year old uses this mouth piece. I love it because it is the easiest mouth piece to clean out of any kids bottle I have come across, though it does mean you risk them free pouring water on themselves. However, the cap is leakproof and a 3 year old child can open and close it no problem.
Pura are very impressive in that they submit all their products yearly for lab testing through MadeSafe which carries out extensive screening for toxins according to extremely strict criteria. They are clearly a company which really values consumer health and transparency.
This is an amazing drink bottle option which truly is designed to grow with the child and last a lifetime. It is as non-toxic as you get in both materials and also the ability to keep it clean. Highly recommended.
Baby Quoddle – Glass And Pure Hevea Rubber Bottle. Australian Non-Toxic Awards 2019 Silver winner.
Baby Quoddle Abel series bottles are the most beautiful, non-toxic baby bottles there are. Made from hand blown borosilicate glass and hevea rubber with no paints and only hand woven palm leaf packaging, they are breathtakingly gorgeous. I love that the glass is heat and thermal shock resistant and can be placed in the freezer and then heated without breaking. I also love that the teats are moulded in one piece without joints or cracks for bacteria to reside. The teats are softer than silicone ones and it is possible to completely turn the whole teat inside out for proper cleaning which is fantastic. With the measurements etched into the glass, these beautiful bottles are completely paint free and designed to last.
My only hesitation is not with the product itself, but with the cleaning advice of using Milton, which is a diluted bleach. Having gone to such great lengths to make a truly non-toxic product, I would like to keep it that way. I personally would boil the teat to sterilise and replace it more regularly instead. An absolutely gorgeous non-toxic baby bottle.
Lion & Lady – Stainless Steel Baby Feeding Bottle. Australian Non-Toxic Awards Bronze winnner.
The Lion & Lady Feeding Bottle is such a clever idea and has also been so very well executed. Being stainless steel, not only is this bottle non-toxic and durable, but heat is transferred quickly through the material and so the contents will warm in 10 seconds and there is no need for a microwave! You simply add 40ml of hot water to the lid and slide the bottle inside! Not only is this portable, but it also ensures that the wonderful antibodies and prebiotics etc. in the milk maintain their potency.
Other features I love about this bottle are its wide mouth which enables easy cleaning and that the bottle accommodates most teats. This means that the bottle can grow with your child and convert to a sippy cup or a puree/snack pot. (The snack pot does require an additional lid to be purchased which will be available soon.) The only areas for improvement are that the lid on this bottle can be a bit tricky to pull off and the inside of the lid has a 60ml mark, rather than a 40 ml mark, so you have to guess how much hot water to add. (If you overestimate this, you will end up with hot water running out as the bottle is pushed down.)
This bottle is easy for little hands to hold and every aspect of it feels high quality. Highly recommended.
FINALIST: Cheeki – Kids Stainless Steel Water Bottle. Australian Non-Toxic Awards 2019 Finalist.
The Cheeki water bottle is not only beautifully made but it is the most ‘high tech’ of the kids bottles with 3 water flow setting options. It has a picture of a sea creature on it which my 4 year old thinks is the best thing ever and it comes with stickers and a name tag.
My just turned 4 year old can use this water bottle comfortably, however due to the twist lid settings, I think a younger child would have trouble. If the lid is set to closed, this bottle is completely leak proof which is a really great feature. This bottle also has a soft rubber bottom to aid grip and protect if dropped and a carry handle.
With all the extra features on this, I do think this bottle encourages a child to drink more water. My daughter wants to see what it’s like drinking out of each of the flow settings every time she uses it which pretty much involves her drinking 3x as much water as normal! Amazing!
With such a clever lid containing valves and a straw, it does mean that this is not an easy bottle to clean. Given children often eat and drink at the same time as well as bottles are left in school bags for the day (and sometimes accidentally days!) mould can begin to build up. It would be very important to be particular in your cleaning and drying of this lid, especially as the silicone is black and a lot of the lid you can’t see and so mould could grow unseen.
This bottle is also compatible with Cheeki’s amazing silicone shield lid for when your child can handle a free flow water bottle (and you don’t want to have to spend so much time cleaning the lid anymore!)
This is a fantastic, non-toxic drink bottle which is perfect for enticing your child to drink more water. It brings fun and lasting novelty to the experience which can be worth it’s weight in gold.
Klean Kanteen – Kids Stainless Steel Water Bottle. Australian Non-Toxic Awards 2019 Finalist.
Klean Kanteen’s Kids drink bottle has lots of great features. It is narrow at the neck and light weight making it easy for even a toddler to hold. It is also colourful and fun with a non-toxic, highly durable coating. It has an electro-polished interior with rounded edges making for easy cleaning inside the bottle. The top has a wide opening which can fit ice cubes and it comes with an attached lid to stop the mouth piece from getting dirty.
I do however feel this fantastic bottle is let down by it’s cap (which is interchangeable with Klean Kanteen’s whole range, so there are definitely ways to make this bottle work for you if you feel the same!) The cap isn’t completely leak proof and will dribble a bit if left on it’s side. The spout is quite firm to pull up which would be difficult for a younger child and also requires a child to touch the mouth piece with their hand which might transfer germs. Given the spout is pretty firm, I wouldn’t feel comfortable advising my child do it with their teeth. Unfortunately, the easy cleaning also doesn’t translate to the cap. With no direct hole through the spout from underneath the cap, it is not possible to use a cleaning brush effectively. Having a black spout, it also means that you won’t pick up mould as quickly.
My children are completely drawn to this bottle’s easy hold shape and colourful, fun exterior. As soon as your child can handle a free flow of water, I recommend swapping to the stainless steel and bamboo cap for an unbeatable combination. Then you’ve truly got yourself a winner.
Water bottles are obviously a personal thing and everyone will have their favourite. I hope this helps make it easier to make a safe choice for your child. To read more about recommended products, check out the Australian Non-Toxic Awards winners.
I hope you found this helpful.
Em x
