The Best Sippy Cup

We've all had one of those sippy cups...the ones that leak, drip, or puddle all over the carpet, wood floor, or the baby. I can't tell you how many different sippy cups I've gone through as a mother of two. I'm here to tell you what leaks, drips, and puddles and what works.

First of all, any sippy cup with an inner attachment is destined to leak at some point. Whether the attachment is silicone soft plastic, or a brittle plastic as most of the Nuby cups have.

The Nuby brands are the worst. If your baby is like mine, he'll toss the sippy cup across the room when he's done taking one sip (just to cry and ask for it right back, no less). Once the attachment in the Nuby sippy cups has come off, that's it. No more seal, and lots of leakage. I've always had a difficult time screwing Nuby lids on as well, which resulted in leaking around the band of the cup. Perhaps the only pro of this cup is the price. Nuby sippy cups are around a dollar each at the local Wal-Mart. When it comes to Nuby, you get what you pay for.

The next sippy cup is the on the worst list is The First Years Take and Toss packs. I suppose the name in and of itself should tell you they are meant to last a long time. The cups are pretty durable, but the plastic isn't too hard nor is it soft. It's right in between, so that means when baby is teething, the spout of the sippy cup gets chewed to pieces and will begin to leak. That's not why it is second worst on my list. The reason The First Years Take and Toss cups are on the bad list is because baby can take the lid off. Yes, you read that right. Baby can take the lid off. Once they've figured it out, which isn't too difficult considering all they have to do is bite the spout and pull down on the cup, baby won't stop doing it. Whether they want to play with the milk or water inside, or simply don't understand what they are doing, baby will continue to take the lid off resulting in big messes. The cost is $5.99 for a pack of 6 cups and lids.

Gerber Graduates Soft Started cups are not terrible, but they aren't the best. What I didn't like about them was they had an insert, which eventually lead to dripping out the spout of the cup if left tipped over. Also, the soft silicone lip was really soft. So soft, in fact, my baby chewed right through it and then the flow of liquid was too fast resulting in dirty shirts and a drenched baby. It worked good until the spout was chewed on. This might be a good option for a small baby who is first learning, but that stage doesn't last long enough and teeth can come in at any time. Cost for a 2pk is $7.99. The same conclusion is to be said of the Munchkin Might Grip with Soft Lip, which has the same cost as the Gerber Graduates Soft Lip.

The Playtex Insulator and the Playtex Sipster both rank the same with me. They aren't the best sippy cups, but they are good ones.They both had inserts inside the cups that detach so they can be cleaned. The cups are heavier, which makes them a bad choice for a starter sippy cup, but they are durable. When baby tosses the cup to the floor, the insert stays in. The only time I had leaking was when the lid was screwed on too tight. Since the lock on the lids doesn't require the lids to be tightened fully, it's easy to over tighten which results in leaking around the band of the cups. But, if you tighten to specifications and you remember to put the insert back into the cups when they've been washed, then they are good cups for you. Cost of a Playtex Insulator is $5.85 each, cost of the Playtex Sipster is $7.99 for a 2pk.

Ranking number two on my list of the best sippy cups is the Avent Magic Trainer Cup. The lip is soft but has a harder core. This makes it easy for baby to suck on the lip without hurting their gums and if they have teeth, they can't bite through it and make it leak. The sippy cup comes in three pieces: the lid, the handle, and the cup. The lid doesn't have an insert that needs to be taken off to wash. Since there isn't an insert, I've had no leaking from the lips of the cup. Personally these are some of the best sippy cups I've ever found. The only cons I have are one: they don't hold a lot of liquid and two: if you don't place the handle over the band of the cup right to and screw on the lid, it can leak. The 6oz max of liquid makes them great for little ones, but as your baby grows, you'll want to move onto a sippy cup that can hold more liquid. And as for putting the three pieces together, it's not hard. It just takes practice and you won't have any leakage.The cost is $7.95 for a 2pk.

And finally, the sippy cup which ranked the highest are The First Years Disney Insulated Sippy Cups. These cups have only two parts to them: the lid and the cup. Absolutely no inserts. You don't have to worry about any pieces falling off inside the cup when they are tossed to the floor. The band around the cups is wider, so the lids screw on good, evenly, and tightly. I've had these cups for over a year now and they haven't leaked once. I love them!! Baby has to suck a little bit harder to get the liquid out of the cup, but they don't leak!! Baby can't take the lid off. The lip is harder, so if baby chews on it, it doesn't ruin it and won't cause it it leak either. The cost of these cups are $5.99 each. They aren't too expensive. I've personally only have two of them and I feel like that is plenty. With them being so durable, I don't have to replace them as often as I had to with the others. My son has abused the cups, as does every baby, and has yet to cause one of them to leak, drip, or puddle. If you're looking for the best, economical sippy cup, these are it.

I am a stay-at-home mother of two beautiful children. I have plenty first hand experience of what sippy cups work and which ones don't. Having both a boy and a girl, I know how both genders treat their cups. http://thebestsippycup.com