10 of the best open cups, straw cups and sippy cups for babies and toddlers

Best cups and beakers at a glance

• Best budget cup: Tommee Tippee Essential Free Flow First Cup, £2.49
• Best cup for reducing spills: Doidy Training Cup, from £5.99
• Best baby cup for convenience: Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup, £6
• Best cup for night time: NUK Learner Cup Glow in the Dark, £6.99
• Best free-flow straw cup: Tum Tum Tippy Up Free Flow Sippy Cup, from £9.99
• Best cup for learning to drink through a straw: Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi-Straw Cup, £6.99
• Best baby cup for sustainability: Bamboo Bamboo Baby Sippy Cup, £9.99
• Best transitioning cup: MAM Trainer Cup, £12
• Best easy-grip open cup: Baby Boosa My 1st Cup, £14
• Best cup for simplicity: Babycup Sippeco First Cups, £9.99 for 4

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Here's our pick of the best cups and beakers for babies and toddlers

1. Tommee Tippee Essential Free Flow First Cup, £2.49

– Best budget cup

Type: Free flow | Capacity: 190ml | Spout: Hard, flip-up spout | Handles: Yes | Valve: No | Spill-free: With spout flipped down

Pros:

• Affordable
• Free-flow
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Doesn't hold a lot of liquid
• Not leak-proof with the spout up

This classic, affordable design is not just a hit with parents but with childcare professionals too. Parents in the MadeForMums team are also fans, with Group Digital Editor Gemma saying, "this is the cup my son (Myles, pictured above) drinks from at nursery, and it's become one of our go-tos at home too."

It's a simple two-piece design with grab handles and a flip-up spout built into the lid. The spout is made from hard plastic and it's free-flow, so it encourages babies to learn how to drink properly. It will be messy in the early days as water pours out of the spout easily, but as it only holds up to 190ml the damage that can be done is minimal.

Readily available in supermarkets and online, it offers an easy and relatively mess-free way to introduce babies and toddlers to a cup. Plus, it's dishwasher-safe with no tricky parts to clean.

This simple cup is so popular among parents you only need to refer to "the Tommee Tippee cup" and people will know what you mean.

We tried SO many different cups and the best one for us for water is the free flow Tommee Tippee cup. Easy to drink from and nice size for small hands. Also the action is more like a regular cup than straws or sucking.

Available from: Waitrose, ASDA and Superdrug

2. Doidy Training Cup, from £5.99

– Best for reducing spills

Type: Open cup | Capacity: 200ml | Spout: No | Handles: Yes | Valve: No | Spill-free: No

Pros:

• Affordable
• Teaches correct sipping movement
• Good value

Cons:

• Causes some spillage

The Doidy Cup offers another clever way to introduce an open cup while reducing spills. In the words of home tester Laura, who used this with her 6-month-old daughter, "it is great for training her to drink from an open cup, it's slanted so you don't need to tip quite as much."

The slanted design means that your baby doesn't have to tip the cup up as far to get to the liquid, meaning they have a little more control as they're learning their limits, plus they have better visibility inside the cup. You'll still need to keep a cloth at hand, but if you're already overwhelmed by the mess of weaning, this might help a little.

The one-piece design is easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher, and it's affordable and available in lots of different colours.

My son is able to hold it himself and bring to his mouth without aid, he's also able to successfully drink from it with some assistance. It's easy to clean, durable and has taken its fair share of whacks and drops from my little one!

Available from: Amazon and Bickiepegs

3. Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup, £6

– Best baby cup for convenience

Type: 360 | Capacity: 200ml | Spout: None, spill-free lid | Handles: Yes | Valve: Rubber lid | Spill-free: Yes

Pros:

• Great for teaching to "sip" without mess
• Easy to take care of

Cons:

• Not as good for teeth/development as an open cup

Munchkin has been the driving force behind the popularity of spill-free 360 cups, and this classic trainer cup, suitable from 6 months, is designed to teach children a sipping action without the mess. However, the rubber part of the lid does have a lot in common with a valve and most dentists advise that the 360 cup is not used as your child's only cup, as it doesn't quite teach the correct way of sipping in the same way as an open style.

The 360 cups are well-made and easy to clean, with just 3 parts that are all dishwasher safe. They come in lots of colours and prints, and as your child gets older, you can swap to larger cups in the same range without handles. We really like the stainless steel one as a slightly more sustainable option.

For us, it offered a really easy and convenient way for my son to get used to the action of sipping from the edge of a cup (rather than a spout or teat). I found once he'd mastered the 360 cup it was easier to teach him to drink from an open cup, although we still get plenty of spills!

Available from: Amazon (2 pack), John Lewis and Boots

4. NUK Learner Cup Glow in the Dark, £6.99

– Best cup for night time

Type: Silicone spout sippy cup | Capacity: 160ml | Spout: Yes, silicone | Handles: Yes | Valve: No | Spill-free: Yes | Awards: Silver – Cup / beaker, MadeForMums Awards 2023

Pros:

• Glows in the dark
• No spills
• Durable
• Lid included for travelling

Cons:

• Doesn't hold a lot of liquid

What child wouldn't love a glow-in-the-dark cup? This learner cup from NUK got the thumbs up from our MFM parent testers for its ease of use and undoubtable kid appeal. The star of the show here is the fact the cup glows in the dark, making it easy to spot at night for older toddlers (although you shouldn't leave anything in the cot with a child under 1, even a bottle).

The cup comes with a lid you can use to protect the spout when out and about, while the silicone base and handles help to protect the cup when it – inevitably – gets thrown from the highchair.

My little one is breastfed, so we use this learner bottle for drinks of water with meals. It's so much better than the previous free flowing bottle that we were using, which leaked water everywhere. It's really easy for my son to hold – he got the hang of it straight away.

Available from: Amazon

5. Tum Tum Tippy Up Free Flow Sippy Cup, from £9.99

– Best for a free-flow straw cup

Type: Straw cup | Capacity: 200 ml | Spout: Straw | Handles: Yes | Valve: No | Spill-free: With lid on | Awards: Silver — Cup/Beaker, MadeForMums Awards 2024

Pros:

• No valve
• Weighted straw
• Cute designs
• Lid attached to straw

Cons:

• Difficult to clean
• Pricey

This cute-looking cup has a weighted straw without a valve, so it's great for the teeth, but with the lid down it's still leakproof, which makes it a bit less messy during the early months of weaning.

MFM parent tester Tasha raved about this cup saying "the straw is weighted so they can drink from any angle, there's no valve so doesn't require them to bite down on it, it doesn't leak, is really sturdy (ours is regularly chucked off the high chair onto a stone floor) and it doesn't negatively impact jaw development."

With built-in handles and a choice of fun animal designs, it gets top marks from us for design, but the weighted straw style is a bit more difficult to keep clean and you'll need the narrow brush to get into all the nooks and crannies.

The fact it is leakproof is very helpful, especially as both my 10 month old and toddler have tried shaking it with no success! I love that the lid is permanently attached to the straw as it can't be lost, and that it can be used as a cup too. On top of functionality, it looks lovely – the designs are so cute and colourful.

Available from: TumTum and Amazon

6. Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi-Straw Cup, £6.99

– Best cup for learning to drink through a straw

Type: Weighted straw cup | Capacity: 200ml | Spout: Soft straw | Handles: Yes | Valve: Yes | Spill-free: Yes

Pros:

• Spill-proof
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Does have a valve
• Difficult to clean

Straw cups can be really useful to have alongside more traditional open cups, and the smart design of this weighted cup is great for teaching younger babies how to use them. This model is suitable from 6 months but you may find it takes a little while for your baby to get used to using it, with one of our testers saying it really came into its own at around 12 months.

The weighed design means that the end of the straw stays in the water whatever position they're holding the cup in, so your child can drink from any angle. MFM home tester Kayleigh said her children "haven't really been able to grasp tipping their cup to drink from it when little," but said of this cup, "[my daughter] is 8 months old and has been happily using hers since she was 6 months with no hint of a struggle."

On the downside, it's one of the hardest to keep clean: the cup comes with a tiny brush to poke up and down the straw to get into all the little parts, and the lid has lots of crevices to get into. For this reason, you may want to use this cup exclusively for water.

I've had no issue with leaks provided I'd put all the parts together properly. There is a valve, which means it takes some quite strong sucking to get liquid up and through, but the straw is better for teeth than a spout and my son really liked this cup even though he had to work to get the liquid out.

Available from: John Lewis and Amazon

7. Bamboo Bamboo Baby Sippy Cup, £9.99

– Best baby cup for sustainability

Type: Open cup | Capacity: 150 ml | Spout: No | Handles: No | Valve: No | Spill-free: No

Pros:

• Sustainable
• Looks great
• Open cup is great for teeth

Cons:

• Not dishwasher safe
• Requires special care
• Pricey

If sustainability is high on your list of priorities, Bamboo Bamboo's baby cup could be right up your street. It's made mostly from bamboo, with just a small amount of silicone used for its cute drip-detail rim, which provides a softer cushion for your baby's mouth and teeth. Our home testers loved that little detail during bouts of teething.

The design itself is eye-catching, and this is an open cup so it represents the best design for oral health and your child's development.

Bamboo is a sustainable choice, but it does require a little more care. This cup can't go in the dishwasher, and you'll need to rub it with coconut oil about once a month. This keeps it supple and extends its lifespan (make sure you do follow this advice, otherwise Bamboo wood can split really quickly).

I love that it's biodegradable and good for the planet. I love that it's naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. The design is lovely, simple yet stylish. It's handleless and open design which is good for not constantly buying new cups as they grow.

Available from: Amazon and Bamboo Bamboo

8. Mam Trainer Cup, £12

— Best transitioning baby cup

Type: Sippy cup | Capacity: 220 ml | Spout: Soft/teat | Handles: Yes, removable | Spill-free: With lid on

Pros:

• Suitable from 4 months
• Easy transition cup

Cons:

• Soft spout is not the best for teeth
• Lots of parts to wash, pricey

Although experts generally advise against cups with soft spouts – or at least using them for as little time as possible – there is a time and place for everything. "When my son first started nursery, using this cup was the only way the staff could get him to drink his milk," says MFM's Gemma, who tested it with her son Myles (pictured above).

MAM's trainer cup has been designed to be used by babies as young as 4 months, to help make the transition from bottles to cups as easy and smooth as possible. As home tester Ruth pointed out, "it’s just like the MAM bottles we use but for an older child," and it comes with two teats: one is MAM's fastest-flowing bottle teat, the second is a soft spout. If you have a bottle-fed baby you may find swapping to the spout is a good first step to moving to cups. Then you can graduate to a free-flowing hard spout once you feel comfortable.

It's sturdy and well-made – it survived being dropped several times, and the teat didn’t spill. It's easy to clean as it can be broken down into separate parts.

Available from: Boots and Amazon

9. Baby Boosa My 1st Cup, £14

– Best for an easy-grip open cup

Type: Open cup | Capacity: Around 150ml | Spout: No | Handles: Yes | Valve: No | Spill-free: No

Pros:

• Teaches correct sipping technique
• Great for teeth

Cons:

• Messy in the early stages

You'd be forgiven for thinking Baby Boosa's modern, minimalist baby and toddler accessories might be a case of style over substance, but this cup doesn't just look good, it really delivers when it comes to practicality too. The capacity is relatively small, but that helps your child feel like this is their 'special' cup, and you'll probably find in the early days that you only want to put a small amount of water in the cup anyway.

It's dishwasher safe, easy to keep clean and looks a bit different to your usual brightly-coloured baby products. You can choose from a number of muted shades that match the brand's bibs, bowls and other weaning items.

It's a really well thought-out design that MFM's Gemma found her son preferred over any other open cup they tried.

It has handles, which my son favours even now as a 2 year old, and it's also made from a soft, matte silicone which has just the right amount of grip to help tiny hands keep hold and reduce spills.

Available from: Amazon and Baby Boosa

10. Babycup Sippeco First Cups, £9.99 for 4

– Best baby cups for simplicity

Type: Open cup | Capacity: 50ml | Spout: No| Handles: No | Valve: No | Spill-free: No | Awards: Gold – Cup/beaker, MadeForMums Awards 2024

Pros:

• Teaches correct sipping technique
• Small size for small hands
• Good value

Cons:

• Will need refilling frequently
• Messy at the start

They may look like shot glasses, but these tiny little open cups are actually designed for the youngest members of the household, and our home tester Nikki confirmed they are "really good for small hands."

These shrunken versions of an adult cup are great for teaching babies to sip slowly. Home tester Laura, mum to an 18 month old, said "my child enjoys drinking from them and often drinks more than from a normal beaker which she seems to give up on. They are easy to clean, stack and store and look great at the dining table."

The tiny plastic cups are made from recyclable plastic and are dishwasher-safe, with markings of 10ml all the way up the side to help you track how much water your child has drunk/poured down their top. They will be messy, but with only a small capacity there won't be too much cleaning up.

My daughter was intrigued straight away and knew instantly to try and drink out of it. She has slowly got better at not spilling water and can confidently hold the cup and drink from it herself in under a week of using them. It's a very simple yet perfect product.

Available from: Amazon and Baby Cup

What types of cup are there?

There is a huge variety of babyt cups on offer, from trainer cups through to open cups, sippy cups, straw cups, weighted cups and spill-proof 360 cups. Each one suits a different age or situation. Here are some key things to look out for.

What to look for when buying a cup or beaker for a baby or toddler

Age suitability – Most cups will have a recommended age range which may help guide your decision, but remember a simple open cup is fine from 6 months and many of the special features and functions of other cups are not necessary (they're just useful).

Spout material – Trainer cups often come with a soft spout similar to a bottle teat but with a larger hole. These are handy in the very early stages as they'll feel familiar to babies. However, you'll want to move to a hard spout, a straw cup or (ideally) an open cup as soon as you and your baby feel comfortable.

Valve vs Free-flow – Free-flow means the liquid flows out of the cup or spout without needing to be sucked, and this is preferable. However, many cups designed for weaning babies and those under 1 have a valve to control the flow of liquid. They're easier for your baby to use (and less messy) but they won't teach your child to drink "correctly". If you'd like to use a valve at the start, perhaps look for one that can be removed later, turning a sippy cup into a free-flow one to extend its life span.

Spill-free designs – "360" or spill-free cups look like a regular open cup but have a special lid with a rubber stopper in that prevents any spills. These are brilliant for ease of use and they're popular with parents, but the lid is essentially a valve: your child will learn to sip but it's still not quite the same as an open cup. Again, it's best to consider these as an occasional or training option.

Straws – A lot of modern toddler cups have straws, and many dentists and speech therapists now recommend these alongside open cups if you need something more convenient, usually from around 9 months. Look for one with a short, fairly solid straw.

Handles – Many trainer cups and starter cups have handles, and a lot of babies will find these easier to grab and use at first, but do bear in mind it is another piece to wash and sterilise. There's no real developmental issue here: drinking vessels come in all styles for all ages, but it's a good idea to make sure your child has some cups without handles too, just like most adults will use a mixture of mugs and glasses.

When should I introduce a cup?

The NHS and the British Dental Health Foundation recommend that you begin to introduce a cup at around 6 months – when your baby can sit up unaided – with the aim of weaning them off bottles (if you are using them) by around age 1.

An open or free-flow cup is recommended. This is because soft rubber teats and spouts encourage children to suck for longer periods of time, which means milk or other liquids can stay in contact with their teeth for a long time, potentially causing tooth decay. An open cup also helps encourage a sipping action, rather than a sucking one, which teaches children to control the liquid better and helps with the development of their orofacial muscles (which are also used for speech).

What should I give my baby to drink from a cup?

Babies over 6 months only need milk and water. When you begin the weaning process your baby will still be having lots of milk feeds, and it's fine to serve both pumped breast milk or formula in a cup for these. Juices, squash, fizzy drinks, smoothies, flavoured waters and so on are not recommended by the NHS. You may notice that there are some juices and drinks marketed towards babies, but water is a much better option.

Once they are 6 months old, it's absolutely fine to give your baby water straight from the tap. Before 6 months, breastfed babies shouldn't need water at all, and formula-fed babies should only be given sips on very hot days or if they are constipated. Any water served before 6 months should be boiled and cooled before serving.

Hygiene is as important with cups as it is with bottles so, if you serve milk from a cup, all pieces should then be sterilised until your baby turns 1.

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