5 best sippy cups of 2024, according to parents

Getting your baby to move from bottle to cup can be a slow, sometimes stressful process. One thing that can make the transition a little easier is a “sippy” cup. More appropriately known as a training cup, sippy cups help your child develop the motor skills needed to grasp and drink from a cup independently.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends starting the bottle-to-cup transition process around 6 to 9 months, adding that children should be able to drink from an open cup by the age of 2 . Although the American Dental Association (ADA) doesn’t not have a recommended age, the organization notes that tooth decay can occur as soon as your baby's teeth appear, and that drinking from cups instead of bottles can help prevent that decay. So, you may want to be on the lookout for your baby’s first tooth and start the transition then.

Be prepared for the transition to take time. Dr. Keila Rodriguez, M.D, International Board of Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), recommends that parents use a gradual approach, bringing out the sippy cups early "to allow your baby to touch, play with and see a sippy cup so they are not brand new when it is time to begin using one.”

How I chose the best straw sippy cups

• In my search to find the best sippy cups on the market, I first consulted guidance from the AAP and the ADA to learn what features to look for in sippy cups. Per their guidance, all the cups on this list:

  • Have a snap- or screw-on lid

  • Do not have a spill-preventing valve, as this can encourage children to suck, as if from a bottle, instead of learning to sip

• I then spoke with four parents on BabyCenter's staff who told us what sippy cups worked best for their families.

• I also searched BabyCenter's community boards to find a consensus of opinions on the best baby sippy cups. All the carriers on this list received positive reviews for:

  • Ease of use

  • Ease of cleaning

  • Value

  • Features that make them suitable for babies at more than one stage (such as the ability to remove lids)

Keep reading to learn more about the best sippy cups I recommend and what you should look for when buying them.