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Looking for the best stainless steel sippy cups for your toddler?
Sippy cups are a popular way to transition babies away from the breast or bottle. Designed to be ‘spill proof’ they’re usually introduced at around 6 months & often used until a child is 2 or 3.
Sippy cups are both convenient & help reduce mess, but they’re also traditionally made from plastic, a material increasingly linked with health & environmental concerns. Plastic also isn’t environmentally friendly.
Thankfully, one of the most common chemicals in plastic, BPA, has been banned from baby bottles & sippy cups in many countries, including the EU & US.
However, stainless steel sippy cups still have a number of key advantages over plastic ones.
5 Benefits Of Stainless Steel Sippy Cups
Here are 5 advantages of stainless steel sippy cups over the more common plastic versions:
- even if a sippy cup is labelled ‘BPA free‘, research suggests plastic alternatives, such as BPS, may not be any safer
- many plastics contains phthalates, which have been linked to health issues, including asthma & fertility issues
- stainless steel is highly durable & typically lasts longer than plastic
- stainless steel is non toxic & doesn’t leach chemicals when heated (many plastics do)
- stainless steel is non porous, so doesn’t absorb food & germs in the way plastic can.
Stainless Steel Sippy Cups – What To Look For
When shopping for stainless steel sippy cups, look for #304 or 18/8 food-grade stainless steel to ensure high quality. Also look out for plastic lids, which may not be BPA or BPS free. Where plastic parts are included in a product, polypropylene or type #5 plastics are commonly considered the safest plastics.
Alternatively, silicone lids are often a safer, non toxic option that avoids plastic altogether.
Here are 5 of the best stainless steel sippy cups for toddlers & young children, which use traditional spouts, integrated straws or ‘spill proof’ sealed rims. There’s also the option of a stainless steel kids’ cup, should you want to bypass a sippy cup altogether.
1 – Pura Stainless Steel Sippy Bottle
Best For: Plastic Free
100% plastic free, the Pura 11oz stainless steel sippy cup is made from high quality stainless steel, with a food grade silicone spout & sleeve. Internal volume markings make measuring milk & drinks easy, plus the bottle is compatible with other Pura silicone components. This means you can switch the spout to a straw as your child gets older, extending the life of the bottle & saving you money.
BPA, BPS, PVC & phthalate free.
2 – Klean Kanteen Kids Bottle With Sippy Cap
Best For: Smaller hands
Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel sippy cup is made from durable, high quality stainless steel & food grade silicone. The design makes it easy for toddler hands to hold & the larger opening makes the bottle easy to fill. The bottle is also compatible with the Klean Kanteen Sport Cap, so you can continue use the bottle as your child gets older.
If you’re looking to avoid plastic, the cap is polypropylene, but as a type #5 plastic it’s generally considered safe.
3 – Munchkin Miracle 360 Stainless Steel Cup
Best For: Alternative to spout or valve sippy cups
If you want to avoid the spout or valve in traditional sippy cups, The Munchkin Miracle 360 is a popular choice. Instead of a spout, you’ve got a 360 degree spill proof rim, which is lip activated and creates a leak proof seal when your child’s finished drinking. It’s insulated too, keeping drinks cool for up to 15 hours (although it’s not suitable for hot drinks). As it’s valve free, no sucking is required, which is often a preferred choice by dentists.
4 – Elk & Friends Stainless Steel Eco Tumblers
Best For: Straw instead of spout
Some experts recommend a straw over a spout in a sippy cup, as it helps strengthen the lip, tongue & cheek muscles. These Elk & Friends stainless steel cups are a best seller & feature a food grade stainless steel ‘tumbler’ with silicone lid & straw. Each stainless steel tumbler comes with a protective sleeve, leak proof cap, straw and straw stopper. These are all made from food grade silicone, plus there’s also a handy straw cleaner included to keep germs at bay.
5 – Thinkbaby Stainless Steel Sippy Bottle
Best For: Incorporated handles
Made from 304 (18/8) stainless steel, the Thinkbaby sippy bottle features a silicone straw in place of a spout. Side measurement markings make it easy to measure liquid content, plus the easy to close swivel top helps reduce spillage & protects the straw when not in use. Some toddlers may find the handles easier to hold, but keep in mind handles & top are plastic, but the product lists them as BPA, phthalates, nitrosamines, lead & PVC free.
6 – Thermos Foogo Insulated Straw Bottle
Best For: Insulated bottle
Thermos have been making insulated products for over 110 years & the Foogo Insulated Straw Bottle makes a good choice if you want drinks to remain cold & fresh for up to 10 hours. Made from high quality stainless steel, the bottle’s contoured shape is easy to grip & hold & a push button lid reveals a silicone ‘pop up’ straw. Recommended for 18 months plus. A ‘standard’ sippy cup version with a spout (also stainless steel) is also available for younger children.
7 – Kids Stainless Steel Cups
Best For: Transitioning to a standard cup
If you decide not to use a sippy cup or your child doesn’t like them, a good non-plastic (& non toxic) alternative is a stainless steel cup. They’re great to use at home, they don’t break, plus they can easily double up as camping or picnic cups. These stainless steel kids cups are a best selling choice. There’s also a version with silicone sleeves if you plan to use the cups for warm drinks.
Sippy Cup Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re thinking about buying a stainless steel sippy cup for your child, here are some commonly asked questions you might find useful.
Best Stainless Steel Sippy Cups For Toddlers – Conclusion

Sippy cups are a popular way to help your child transition from bottle or breastfeeding to an everyday cup. They can also help with fine motor skill development and hand to eye coordination.
Traditional sippy cups feature a spout or valve, but you can also buy ones with straws or lip activated ‘spill proof’ rims. Which you choose largely comes down to personal choice, your child or dentist recommendations.
Stainless steel sippy cups are often considered a safer, more environmentally friendly choice over plastic ones, as stainless steel doesn’t leach chemicals, plus it’s highly durable. As a non porous material, stainless steel also doesn’t absorb flavours like plastic can, so is less likely to affect the flavour of your toddler’s drink.
Hi Sarah,
thank you for that comprehensive article. I remember when my son was born we were on the edge if we would go with plastic or glass. At the end of the day we went with plastic, as we wanted to avoid a falling bottle from breaking (and my gosh, do they fall often 🙂 ) – But it didn’t even come to my mind that there are stainless steel options. Duh! I’ll definitely bookmark your site so that I can come back to it when number two is on its way 🙂
All the best,
chris
Thanks Chris. I know, stainless didn’t occur to me either until I stumbled across the Klean Kanteen!