2025 Non-Toxic Sippy Cup & Water Bottle Guide

Maia James
2025 Non-Toxic Sippy Cup & Water Bottle Guide
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My Top Pick For Non-Toxic Sippy Cup/Water Bottle

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1. Klean Kanteen

When my first son, Felix was an infant, he refused a bottle due to what I called his “reverse nipple confusion.” But once he was old enough to drink water, he happily accepted a non-toxic sippy cup. With Wolfie, we never even tried to give him a bottle, as I didn’t use a pump the second time around. I started him on a sippy cup even sooner.

When I was researching non-toxic sippy cups for Felix, I was at first I was psyched that every single sippy I found was BPA-free. For once, a decision would be easy! Or not. Even back then (in 2011), major news outlets were reporting the dangers of BPA substitutes. Since then, more research has emerged, and it has become clear that pretty much all plastic food and drink containers should be avoided whenever possible.

The good news is that there are lots of non-toxic sippy cups to choose from–namely, those made of glass and stainless steel with minimal (or no) plastic mouth parts. (See below, under “The Good Stuff.”)

In the updated version of this Guide, I also included a bunch of non-toxic kid-sized water bottles—since kids really use sippy cups for such a short period of time. (Tears…it goes so fast!).

What Sippy Cups/Water Bottles Are Made Of

  1. Plastic. Every plastic sippy cup I researched proclaims itself “BPA free!” Sadly, this is basically meaningless, as we now know that estrogen-mimickers are found in BPA-free plastics, too. And what about phthalates? I’ve had almost no luck getting any manufacturer to provide me with a list of all the materials they use (that includes the makers of The Good Stuff!), but the potential for phthalates to be lurking in plastic sippy cups is just another reason to stick to stainless steel or glass. That said, phthalates tend to be found in soft plastic (think bath toys), so most sippy cups are probably in the clear. Bottom line: For non-toxic sippy cups or water bottles, screw-top styles made entirely of stainless steel or glass are your best bet. While cold water poses less of an immediate concern, long-term exposure to plastic components can lead to degradation and the release of unwanted additives.
  2. Silicone. This plastic substitute seems to be non-leaching and non-toxic, although I would like to see more studies conducted on silicone. Increasingly, sippy cup manufacturers are using silicone spouts or straws in place of the old plastic ones, and this is definitely an improvement. Bottom line: Bottles where the body itself is made of silicone (and liquid sits in it) will only make our Okay Stuff list.
  3. Aluminum. The inside of aluminum water bottles or sippy cups are always coated, since aluminum is not considered “food safe.” This epoxy lining is usually plastic, and you should make sure that it is guaranteed to be free of BPA or its analogs (see below, under “The Sneaky Stuff,” for more on this). In addition to concerns about the coating itself, I also worry that if it were to be scratched or compromised in some way, the liquid inside the cup could theoretically contain traces of aluminum, particularly if your child was drinking an acidic juice. Bottom line: Avoid aluminum water bottles and sippy cups.
  4. Glass. This is probably the best material in terms of safety for a non-toxic sippy cup or water bottle. But glass is heavy and breakable, so most people prefer stainless steel. Bottom line: Glass is to a top choice material for non-toxic sippy cups and water bottles, if you’re willing to deal with the weight and potential for breaking.
  5. Stainless steel. Long considered the safest material for cookware, even good old stainless steel has come under fire for potentially being dangerous: when heated, it may leach aluminum and other heavy metals into food. Since sippy cups generally contain only cold liquids, this doesn’t concern me, and if you wanted to be really careful you could avoid using stainless steel sippy cups for acidic drinks. Bottom line: Stainless steel is a great material for non-toxic sippy cups and water bottles. See a few caveats here:

Is There Lead in Your “Non-Toxic” Sippy Cup?

You’ve probably heard about stainless steel water bottles and sippy cups containing lead, specifically inside of insulated bottles (and possibly exposed if the seal “button” on the bottom comes off). Here’s the bottom line:

  1. Don’t worry about any non-insulated stainless steel bottles.
  2. These brands have never used lead in their manufacturing process or phased it out more than a decade ago, so you don’t need to think about it at all:
  3. If you have an insulated stainless steel bottle made by someone other than the brands above, make sure the dot on the bottom is covered with a seal. And if there is a seam instead of a dot, don’t worry–your cup doesn’t have lead.
  4. If you have a stainless steel bottle AND it has a dot on the bottom AND the seal is missing, toss it and call the company, but still rest assured that the chances of your child having been exposed to unsafe lead levels is low.

One other unfortunate reality about stainless steel is that it’s all manufactured in China, and the coking process, which is part of steel production, generates hazardous wastewater containing carcinogens, including cyanide. On top of that, airborne pollutants like carcinogenic naphthalene are released from coke ovens. While these environmental and safety risks primarily affect workers and local populations in China rather than American consumers, they highlight the hidden costs of low-cost steel manufacturing abroad!

Now without further ado, here are the brands we recommend (or don’t) for non-toxic sippy cups and water bottles.

Good Stuff

Bkr

  • Glass.
  • I love Bkr for myself; I have this one.
  • Bkr does not make a sippy cup, but their smallest bottles (the Teeny or the Little) are perfect for slightly older kids, if not toddlers.
  • From $32.

Buy from Bkr
Bkr

Contigo

  • Stainless steel only.
  • Does not make a sippy cup, but rather a flip up straw cup.
  • The spout is made of silicone.
  • Comes with a convenient handle, and is leak-proof when closed.
  • Contigo makes a bunch of other kids tumblers and bottles, but most are plastic, so these should be avoided.
  • From $25.

Buy from Amazon
Contigo

Hydroflask

  • Stainless steel.
  • There is no sippy cup option.
  • The kids water bottle with straw cap comes in 12-, 18-, or 20-oz size.
  • There’s also a kids tumbler with straw, which comes in just a 12-ounce size.
  • Double-wall vacuum insulation means drinks stay cold for hours.
  • Both of these fit in most cupholders and are dishwasher safe.
  • Hydroflask never used lead in their insulated bottles.
  • From $25.

Buy from Amazon
Hydroflask

Klean Kanteen

  • Stainless steel.
  • Klean Kanteen makes traditional spout sippy cups, plus a range of kids water bottles–with sports caps, straws, and flip-seal spouts.
  • The sippy cup is good in the leak department (but not leak-proof!) because of the valve-style of the spout, plus the added dust cover.
  • The bottles for bigger kids can be thrown in a bag and won’t leak.
  • The sippy cup bottle is NOT insulated, and the other bottles come in either insulated or non-insulated.
  • Interchangeable caps make easy transition as kids grow up, from baby bottle to sippy bottle to sports bottle.
  • While Klean Kanteen bottles are dishwasher-safe, the paint may chip in the dishwasher.
  • Klean Kanteen never used lead in their insulated bottles.
  • From $16.

Buy from Amazon
Klean Kanteen

Planet Box

  • Made with high-grade 304 stainless steel
  • Silicone flip straw for easy sipping
  • From $28

Buy from Planet Box
Planet Box

Pura Kiki

  • Stainless steel.
  • This entirely plastic-free non-toxic sippy cup is a customer (and personal) favorite.
  • Pura offers the only sippy/straw cup that is Nontoxic Certified (by Madesafe.org).
  • An older version of the INSULATED bottle was found to contain lead ONLY in a small dot on the bottom of the cup, which was covered by a (lead-free) metal seal. And there is no lead anywhere in the current line of Pura bottles and cups–insulated or otherwise.
  • A stainless steel body and silicone spout means zero contact with plastic for your child.
  • Also great is the way this cup transitions as your child grows–just replace the spout with the silicone straw top (sold separately) and then the sport top for even older kids.
  • You can also buy a straw or sport version of this cup to begin with, if you want to skip the spout style entirely.
  • Available in either insulated or non-insulated models.
  • The Pura Kiki cup is not completely spill proof–if your child is intent on tipping it and shaking it, water will leak.
  • The My-My line is Okay, not Good, since the water actually sits in silicone in this one.
  • From $35. Use GOODSTUFF for 10% off on Pura’s website.

Buy from Amazon
Pura Kiki

Thermos

  • Stainless steel only.
  • Thermos doesn’t make a traditional sippy cup, but they make several kid-sized water bottles in spout and straw versions.
  • All stainless steel versions are insulated to keep water cold for at least 12 hours.
  • The pop-up straws are made of silicone.
  • Leak-proof.
  • Thermos does still make plastic water bottles, and those should be avoided.
  • From $17.

Buy from Amazon
Thermos

Okay Stuff

Camelbak

  • Stainless steel only.
  • Does not make a sippy cup, but rather a flip up straw cup.
  • We’re only calling it Okay Stuff because the spout is made of low-density polyethylene in addition to silicone.
  • Avoid the Camelbak bottles that are made of Tritan plastic instead of stainless steel.
  • These bottles are spill resistant even when the straw is up, and leak-proof when closed.
  • From $25.

Buy from Amazon
Camelbak

Ello

  • Stainless steel only.
  • Ello does not make a sippy cup, but rather a straw cup.
  • We’re only calling the Ello stainless steel Okay Stuff because while the spout is made of silicone, the interior straw is made of plastic.
  • Lockable to be leak-proof.
  • Avoid the Ello bottles that are made of plastic instead of stainless steel.
  • From $20.

Buy from Amazon
Ello

Green Sprouts

  • Green Sprouts makes a range of sippy and straw cups that are made of “plant-based” plastic.
  • Straws are made of silicone.
  • Free of petroleum and comes with claims of testing for hormone-disrupting chemicals, but there is a lack of transparency.
  • May break down with repeated dishwasher or high-heat use.
  • I considered calling this Sneaky Stuff because of a lack of long-term safety data, but ultimately decided it’s safe enough if used with cold liquid–and more environmentally friendly than polypropylene cups.
  • A stainless steel cup with a 100% silicone spout or straw is safer than either plant-based plastic or polypropylene.
  • From $20.

Buy from Amazon
Green Sprouts

Kid Basix

  • Stainless steel.
  • This brand makes both sippy cups and water bottles for kids.
  • This is especially robust insulated–beverages will stay cold for 24 hours.
  • Kid Basix’s bottles are Okay rather than Good Stuff because the mouth pieces are made of plastic.
  • From $17.50.

Buy from Amazon
Kid Basix

Owala

  • Stainless steel.
  • Owala does not make a sippy cup, but they make a kids stainless steel tumbler with straw as well as insulated stainless steel flip-top water bottle that comes in a couple sizes.
  • The water bottle is leak-proof.
  • Owala never used lead in their insulated bottles.
  • Owala makes plastic kids cups as well as stainless steel ones–the “Tritan” are plastic and should be avoided.
  • Owala is Okay rather than best stuff because the mouth pieces and straws are made of plastic rather than silicone like other brands, and because they don’t disclose the type of plastic. Some people replace the plastic straws with metals ones, so that’s an option.
  • From $20.

Buy from Amazon
Owala

Mushie

  • Silicone.
  • Mushie makes a variety of beautiful sippy and straw cups for babies and toddlers–all made of 100% silicone.
  • Dishwasher safe.
  • Owala is Okay rather than best stuff because it’s made of silicone instead of glass or stainless steel, but it is likely perfectly safe for drinking cold liquids.
  • From $15.

Buy from Amazon
Mushie

S’well

  • Stainless steel.
  • This brand does not make a sippy cup, but rather a flip-straw cup.
  • This is especially robust insulated–beverages will stay cold for 24 hours.
  • S’well’s kid water bottles are Okay rather than Good Stuff because the straw is made of plastic, and because they don’t disclose the type of plastic.
  • From $40.

Buy from Amazon
S’well

Sigg

  • Stainless steel.
  • Sigg does not make a sippy cup, but rather a stainless steel spout water bottle for older kids.
  • These bottles are Okay rather than Good Stuff because the spout is made of some kind of undisclosed plastic.
  • Avoid the Sigg kids water bottles that are made of aluminum or plastic.
  • There is another scandal in Sigg’s past that makes them not Good Stuff: After promising their aluminum water bottles would not leach BPA, it was discovered that they contained the very chemical in their lining. Sigg has since corrected the situation.
  • From $25.

Buy from Amazon
Sigg

Skip Hop

  • Stainless steel.
  • Skip Hop does not make a a cup with a sippy spout, but rather a straw-style bottle.
  • These bottles are Okay rather than Good Stuff because the straw is made of a combo of silicone and plastic.
  • Avoid the Skip Hop straw bottles where the body is made of plastic.
  • From $18.

Buy from Amazon
Skip Hop

Bad Stuff

Evenflo and Playtex make the Bad Stuff, despite being BPA-free plastic. Again, all plastic sippy cups and water bottles should be avoided.

Brita Premium Filtering Water Bottle is neither a very good filter nor a good option if you’re avoiding plastic.

How about this for an offensive premise: First Years Take & Toss sippies are disposable plastic cups (BPA free!) with “recycle!” printed on the front of the package. As of 2025, these cups now also recommend that you “reuse them.”

Munchkin makes tons of sippy cups, but they are all plastic (although BPA-free). The one exception is the Miracle Stainless Steel 360 Sippy Cup, which is Okay Stuff (because it still has a plastic mouth piece).

NUK also makes a ton of different sippy cups, all of which are made of plastic (some with a silicone spout).

Re-Play Spill-Proof Cups are made of the best kind of plastic, polypropylene, and I love that they are made of recycled milk jugs. That said, plastic is plastic, and there are too many good options to give any plastic cup a nod.

The Zoli straw sippy cup is made of low-risk polypropylene, but with so many good non-plastic options now available, there is no need to use a plastic cup at all.

Sneaky Stuff

Evori sippies brag about being BPA- and phthalate-free, but they are made of plastic, which cannot be assumed safe.

Nalgene water bottles were the original Sneaky Stuff, embraced by environmentalists while all the while containing BPA! These days, Nalgene uses BPA-free plastic for their sippy cups, but plastic should be avoided, if I haven’t mentioned that yet.

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Maia, Founder & CEO

Note: This article contains affiliate links or sponsored content, which means that if you make a purchase, we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that meet our strict standards for non-toxicity and that we use (or want to use!) ourselves. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make Good Stuff! 

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