One of the few things that is universal among all parenting styles and philosophies? The search for the ultimate water bottle! What water bottles can you buy once? Which water bottle brands are tough enough for kids? What water bottles are best? What are the kids water bottles that last longest?
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The search for the ultimate water bottle
Last year we were in desperate need for good, quality, long lasting water bottles. The Ello ones from Target? Junk. They barely lasted months. I had pieces and broken parts of the stupid things all over my house.
One day I must have wandered into my local Sierra Trading Post on just the right day because they had a huge variety of different kid water bottles on the shelf – the likes of which I haven’t seen since! With all different brands in one place, I got to really investigate, touch and literally feel out a bunch of different brands, styles and set ups.
I went with an Owala for my school aged kid and a Takeya for my preschool aged kid. They were gifted from the Easter Bunny in 2023 and now that Easter is back: Both are still going strong one year later! We have been using them almost daily and I am so happy to recommend them to you!
Best water bottle for older kids: Owala Flip in Stainless Steel
First is the stainless steel Owala with the flip top. Since I purchased it, I have only seen plastic ones out in the real world and I’ve officially been converted to the stainless steel water bottles. I was a hold out because I liked to be able to see how much water was in them but these guys are tough and the water is cold! When I check out the plastic ones they just don’t feel like they would last the same.
I purchased the Owala in the 20oz size which seems to maybe not exist anymore? This is a rare size to find – not too big but not too small, it was the perfect step up for my school aged kid without having the weight of a full-sized adult water bottle.
If your kid tends to chew or bite the water bottles, this is a good solution. In our house, the silicone Camelbak nozzles were just constantly broken and buying replacements was constantly on my to-do list. No more!
Best kids water bottle for preschoolers: Takeya Actives Kids Water Bottle, Stainless Steel
Next is the Takeya. The Takeya was handed to a three year old and it has been through a lot! It looks good as new and has no signs of stopping! My kid made the executive decision to ditch the straw inside and it functions fine without it.
The Owala has a little lock feature to keep it from flipping open when you don’t want it to. If your kiddo doesn’t have the fine motor skills or interest to pay attention to that, I’d go with the Takeya. No lock management necessary, this has never leaked on me. Secure when the nozzle is folded down, it is just not going to get accidentally opened up in a bag thanks to the design.
I did ditch the little silicone cover on the bottom fairly quick, the bottle wouldn’t fit in the car seat’s cupholder with it on and we haven’t missed it. I figured it would fall off and be lost soon anyways!
Inadvertent lesson learned: Own less
I purchased these two with the intention of trying them out and then buying more if I liked them. Instead, I discovered how much easier it is to manage when you just have the one bottle to keep track of! I had stocked up on the junky Ello ones so that no matter where yesterday’s ended up, I could grab a fresh one from the cabinet and head out the door. Nope, this is a bad system, then water bottles are just everywhere and nowhere – and suddenly you have five water bottles to wash all at once.
Having one go-to for their daily use has translated to it never being able to get far. When it is lost we notice right away and the search begins. We can’t just get another one and put off the task of recovery. Lesson learned: Buy kids a quality water bottle that will last and stick with it!
