Best Water Bottles for Kids

Price paid: $25
Where to buy: Amazon, Yeti

Capacity: 12 ounces
Empty weight: 1 pound (16 ounces)
Dishwasher-safe: Yes

I’ve never typically been the mom who spends over $20 on something like a kid’s water bottle until recently. At 9 and 11, my kids are getting older and are finally beginning to take care of their stuff. At $25, this bottle is an investment for most parents, but it’s one I believe will become a key part of a family’s hydration arsenal until they require something larger.

Though I’ve never owned one myself, I know that along with a tough exterior, Yeti water bottles come with a certain cachet. Called the Range Rover of water bottles, I knew there must be clear reasons people love the brand’s outdoor equipment. I won’t deny that the cool design definitely wooed me. 

The Rambler Jr. comes in seven vibrant colors perfect for kids. There are three key features I like about it: the bottle’s ultra-sturdiness (it’s made of kitchen-grade stainless steel), the fact that it’s dishwasher-safe, and that it has a wide mouth. These things make it easier to wash, easier to fill, and strong enough to withstand frequent tumbles. Yeti’s marketing materials say the stainless steel construction makes the bottle puncture- and rust-resistant, and I tend to believe it. 

The bottle has double-walled vacuum insulation, a term I had to Google. It means the two stainless steel walls of the bottle are separated by an air vacuum that reduces the heat transfer, thus keeping the liquid inside cold. I found that the water in the bottle was still cool after more than 36 hours of sitting on my counter, a feature that’s great for school days, summer camp, or long trips.

The Rambler Jr. isn’t super-lightweight, nor would I expect that of a tough bottle like this. While it doesn’t leak water when the “leak-resistant” straw is pressed down in the closed position and the bottle is kept upright, if you pull the straw up to drink, turn the bottle upside down, and shake it, water will come out of the spout and air hole at the top. When I dropped it from table height onto my garage floor (it was loud!) water did spit out a bit. It’s a detail to keep in mind if a young child will be tossing this around. Its durability hitting a cement floor was definitely clear—no dents or dings to be seen.

Parents should also keep in mind that it almost didn’t fit inside the cup holder that’s built into my daughter’s booster seat, so check to make sure it’s compatible with yours. The fact that many of the Yeti bottles for adults are too large for standard cup holders has made me shy away from this brand for myself. This bottle holds a good amount of water for children under the age of around 7 (my daughter graduated to larger bottles at age 8), so if they need to refill this without a parent present, it may be trickier for little hands. Twisting the cap on and off takes a little dexterity.

Price paid: $30
Where to buy: Amazon, Hydroflask, REI

Capacity: 12 ounces
Empty weight: 9.6 ounces
Dishwasher-safe: Yes

The Hydro Flask Kids Wide Mouth is made of durable 18/8 Pro-Grade Stainless Steel. A quick Google search reveals that 18/8 stainless steel represents the composition of 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, a corrosion- and oxidation-fighting combo. Though it’s slightly more stout than the Yeti, it feels a lot like it, and the spout works in much the same way, needing to be flipped up before you can drink. Like Yeti, the Hydro Flask brand has fans, like tweens and teens who make statements by choosing unique stickers to put on theirs. 

Maybe it’s the kid-friendly details that make the Hydro Flask’s price $5 more than the Yeti’s. First and foremost, the “perforated flex boot,” as the brand calls it, is really clever. It hugs the bottom of the bottle and keeps it from skidding on surfaces or dropping out of hands. Next, on the bottom of the boot is a simple “Hello” and a space for you to write your kid’s name in Sharpie. It’s a nod to all the bottles everywhere that have been lost at school or camp. 

Similar in design to the Yeti Rambler Jr., the Hydro Flask has double-wall vacuum insulation, which kept the water cool for me for approximately 24 hours. Water drips out of the bottle in the same way the Yeti does when held with the spout open and shaken upside down. When opened and tossed from table height onto my garage floor, no water leaked out. 

It fit pretty snuggly in my daughter’s booster seat cup holder, so check for compatibility. The bottle also comes with not one but two straws, which any parent who loads the dishwasher (where do they go?) can totally appreciate. That’s the one critical area where the Hydro Flask falls short. Instructions on the website recommend hand-washing with soapy water and a bottle brush. Will the bottle last as long if you take the shortcut? The larger ones I own have done well. This model certainly seems like a sturdy, kid-friendly option.

Price paid: $17
Where to buy: Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Target, Thermos, Walmart

Capacity: 12 ounces
Empty weight: 7.8 ounces
Dishwasher-safe: Yes

Remember the Pottery Barn Teen bottle I mentioned above? The designers of that bottle, which is no longer available on the Pottery Barn website, could take a tip from the stainless steel Thermos Funtainer. Like that bottle, the Funtainer has an inner straw connected to a mouthpiece that then attaches to a cap to dispense water. Unfortunately, the straw and mouthpiece unit inside my daughter’s Pottery Barn Teen bottle doesn’t easily detach, and mold collects underneath it. I’m often forced to use the end of a knife to scrape out mold, followed by giving it a vinegar bath, which does the job of removing it.

Because the Funtainer comes apart in three separate pieces, I don’t see mold becoming a problem, and that’s one big thing to like about it, in addition to the fact that the vacuum-insulated bottle keeps water cool for about 24 hours. The Funtainer’s cap covers the straw, which will please any parent concerned about it becoming a magnet for germs. Speaking of, while the sticker on the bottle says it’s dishwasher-safe, the very tiny instructions say hand-washing is recommended. 

Leak testing was wet. Kept upright with the cap closed, the Funtainer doesn’t leak. Open the cap, turn it upside down, and shake, and water will come out of the tiny air hole near the straw. If the cap is closed and the bottle is held upside down and shaken, water leaks out when the cap is opened. Every time I threw the bottle onto my garage floor, the cap popped open and water came out. In my opinion, the younger the child, the more problematic this leaking will be because tossing things is a part of their M.O.

Price paid: $16
Where to buy: Amazon

Capacity: 13 ounces
Empty weight: 3.5 ounces
Dishwasher-safe: Yes, on cool setting

Have you ever given a water bottle as a party favor? That’s the category under which this water bottle falls, in my opinion. It’s on the lower end pricewise and is available in a variety of cute patterns that would bring a smile to anybody’s face. Buying five of these and putting some candy inside would be a fantastic parting gift. But when the kids graduate from high school, will this bottle still be functional? Probably not. Its delicate construction just doesn’t inspire feelings of longevity for me. 

I do like, however, that it’s made out of a material called Recyclon, which is made from recycled nylon material. 

“The magic of nylon is that it can be recycled by melting it down and creating other materials from it,” says Shanika Whitehurst, Consumer Reports’ associate director for product sustainability, research, and testing. “From clothes to shoes—and water bottles—it is a type of synthetic material that can be molded into a number of items.”

The initial production of nylon has a negative impact that can’t be ignored, she adds, especially because it’s made from petroleum products. “Now that there are a number of programs and companies that are beginning to use recycled nylon materials, it helps to reduce its waste stream, where in most cases it would sit unable to decompose,” Whitehurst says.

The silky-feeling bottle boasts a OneTouch lid that is said to be “reliably leakproof” when sealed shut. To seal it, you must close the cap and pull up a tiny latch to lock it. “When closed, the spout and vent are completely sealed,” it says on the website. I buy that. Even if that tiny latch breaks, the bottle is further secured with a cap hook that, when pressed, pops open the cap. The cap covers the mouthpiece, keeping it clean when in a bag or thrown on the grass or the floor of a car. 

I was afraid to drop this bottle on the floor of my garage, however, for fear of its early demise. I first dropped it five times on the hard rubber mat that my lawnmower sits on. It held up okay when dropped from various heights, approximately 3 feet being the highest. So I tried the concrete floor and dropped it with and without its cap lock on (because, well, kids will no doubt forget to lock it). When the lock wasn’t securely on the lid and I dropped it, the cap flew open, spilling water onto the floor.

Price paid: $12 for a 2-pack
Where to buy: Amazon, Contigo, Target

Capacity: 14 ounces
Empty weight: 5 ounces
Dishwasher-safe: Yes, on top rack

Two for the price of one: That’s essentially what you’re getting when you stack this bottle up with others on this list. My kids were probably most intrigued by this bottle for one simple reason: It has a button. Kids love to press things, and we have zero bottles like this in our collection, so it was certainly a novelty to them.

What they realized, though, was that the button, which is marketed as the “one-touch Autoseal lid that automatically seals between sips for easy, mess-free drinking,” loses its appeal pretty quickly. We all found it kind of awkward drinking out of this while pushing the button down to keep the mouthpiece open. It required a certain amount of coordination, especially if you’re thirsty for lots of water. It probably goes without saying that the plastic also does nothing to keep liquids cold for extended periods.

The hourglass shape of the plastic bottle, which is BPA-, phthalate- and PVC-free, does what the website jargon says: It makes it “easy for smaller hands to hold.” But the lid makes the bottle very top-heavy, which means that it often falls on its side when empty. That can be an annoying design flaw when you’re a busy parent. 

Dubbed 100 percent leakproof and spillproof, the Trekker Kids Water Bottle didn’t leak when held upside down and shaken. When I slammed it on my garage floor as a young child might, it did spit the slightest bit of water, and I was afraid it would crack. I’m happy to report that it didn’t after several slams.

I’d say the novelty of the button will interest a child you’re trying to encourage to drink more or find creative ways to build motor skills. The fact that it fits nicely in a cup holder and is dishwasher-safe on the top rack is convenient, too. One inconvenient detail is that it doesn’t have a hook for a bag.

Price paid: $15
Where to buy: Amazon, CamelBak, Target

Capacity: 14 ounces
Empty weight: 6.3 ounces
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Cap and bottle are free of BPA, BPS, and BPF

If you’re looking for something that isn’t stainless steel but is lightweight and durable, the Eddy+ is a solid option. This 14-ounce bottle has double-walled insulation and is made with Echo, a 10 percent renewable plant-based material. The Big Bite Valve, as CamelBak calls it, is made from medical-grade silicone. 

The valve is marketed as spillproof when open and leakproof when closed. It’s definitely sturdy and didn’t leak a drop of water when tossed onto my cement garage floor with the cap opened or closed. But the leakproof qualities aren’t without caveats. 

The mouthpiece can only be activated when your mouth bites down, allowing water to flow out. I can see the appeal of this for parents who aim to prevent spills by little ones. My 9-year-old tester—not quite the intended user of this bottle, which is made for ages 3 and up—found it annoying to use long-term. As an adult who is also not the intended user, I tend to agree. It’s work for your mouth. If you have a young child who tends to toss bottles around like balls, this unique valve will definitely prevent messy spills. I found that ice-cold water turned cool in about 24 hours in this bottle.

The cap and vessel are dishwasher-safe. But by process of elimination, the straw does not appear to be, so having to separate the parts before washing is a definite drawback. But if the cute designs of the Eddy+ encourage little ones to drink more often, preventing dehydration, which Karges sees quite a bit of in her practice, that’s a plus. 

“Keeping water bottles in a central location to sip on throughout the day can be a helpful reminder, as is taking regular hydration breaks,” she says. “Kids are more likely to learn by example, so when parents and caregivers are active in regular hydration, this can increase their likelihood of drinking water, too.”

This product evaluation is part of Consumer Reports’ Outside the Labs reviews program, which is separate from our laboratory testing and ratings (though some Outside the Labs reviews may incorporate limited testing data from CR’s labs). Our Outside the Labs reviews are performed at home and in other native settings by individuals, including our journalists, with specialized subject matter experience or familiarity and are designed to offer another important perspective for consumers as they shop. While the products or services mentioned in this article may not currently be in CR’s ratings, they might eventually be tested in our laboratories and rated according to an objective, scientific protocol.

Like all CR evaluations of products and services, our Outside the Labs reviews are independent and free from advertising. If you’d like to learn more about the criteria for our lab testing, please go to CR’s Research & Testing page.