What cup should your baby or toddler be using and when?

Wondering when your baby should start using a cup and which one’s best for their age? You’re not alone. It’s one of those things no one really tells you… until now. We’ve put together a handy guide to help you know exactly when and what kind of cup to introduce at each stage.

For the first six months, it’s all about breast or bottle feeding. No need for cups just yet as your baby will be getting everything they need from milk.

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From around six months, you can start introducing your baby to small amounts of water from a cup, alongside their regular milk feeds. This could be an open top cup, sippy cup or straw cup whichever works best for you.

Here are two first cup options to get started:

This isn’t your average sippy cup. Our All Around Cup has a clever 360-degree, no-spill design so your baby can sip from any side without a drop hitting the floor. It’s the perfect stepping stone before they move on to tumblers. Plus, the easy grip handles mean they can start sipping on their own.

Another great option for first sips is our best-selling Grip N Sip Cup. It’s got a soft silicone spout that’s gentle on new teeth and gums and the easy grip handles help your baby get the hang of holding and tipping a cup. The clear design also makes it simple to keep track of how much they’re drinking throughout the day.

At around six months, you can also introduce a straw cup and that’s where our Flip N Sip Straw Cup comes in. It’s designed with a soft-flex silicone straw that’s gentle on little mouths and great for encouraging sipping. The straw is weighted, so it works from any angle, meaning your baby gets a sip whether they’re still figuring out how to tilt a cup. Once they’re done, the straw flips down to help keep it clean between drinks. Like our other first cups, it also has easy grip handles for confident holding.

Once your baby turns 12 months and is getting the hang of sipping, this is a good time to introduce a tumbler. They can also start using larger straw cups, depending on what suits your daily routine.

Here are two solid choices:

Made from plant-sourced bioplastic, our Earth First Tumblers are kind to the planet and built to last. They’re tough, dishwasher safe, and ideal for everyday use at home or on the go.

Ready to size up from the Flip N Sip? The Super Sippy Cup with Straw is the next step up, it still features that soft silicone straw that’s gentle on teething gums. It has a pop-and-lock system to keep the straw tucked away when not in use - practical and hygienic.

By 18 months, most children have mastered drinking from a cup. At this stage, it’s more about offering larger volumes as their water intake increases.

Our top picks:

With a 540ml capacity, the Super Quench is designed to keep up with busy toddlers. It has a soft-flex silicone spout that flips up when it’s time for a drink and folds away when it’s not. There’s a simple push-button mechanism to open it - easy to use and fun too. The built in handle means it’s easy to carry around, whether you’re out and about or just moving from room to room.

Prefer a cup without a straw? The Super Slurp Water Bottle has a pop-up, no-spill free-flow spout - less fiddly, more flow. It holds 360ml and has an easy hold base that’s made for small hands.

Finding the right cup at the right time doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether you’re starting out with a sippy cup, moving on to a straw cup or looking for something bigger for a busy toddler, it’s all about choosing what works best for you and your child’s stage.

Browse our full range of baby and toddler cups and find the one that’s just right.

So many of our bottle and cups come in multiple kinds of decorations so if you're more dogs than dinosaurs or more bumble bee than berries then make sure you've taken a look at our full collection of bottles and cups by clicking the button below.