Best kids' water bottles, tried and tested

The best kids' water bottles become a staple in every parent's armoury, not to mention a requirement for most children to take to school and nursery. 

We recruited primary school children to help with our ease-of-use tests, to ensure that the best children's water bottles we recommended are kid-approved.

Not only did our tough tests reveal two excellent Best Buys and a lower-priced Great Value option, but we also found Don't Buy bottles that didn’t survive our durability tests – so steer clear of those.

The best kids' water bottles 

Only logged-in Which? members can view the kids' water bottles test results, below. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations, below.

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The kids' water bottles we tested 

All the kids' water bottles we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best kids' water bottles from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations, below.

CamelBak Eddy kids drinks bottle

Colours Clear, numerous other designs available

Dishwasher safe Yes (cap recommended on top rack)

Need to know 400ml, 0.15kg, carry handle

Ion8 kids water bottle

Colours Aqua, black, blue, coral, dark green, dark red, deep teal, green, grey, light purple, navy, pink, red, rose quartz, sonic blue, surf green, teal, yellow

Dishwasher safe Yes

Need to know 350ml, 0.15kg, carry handle, flip cover, lockable lid

Klean Kanteen kid classic sport bottle

Colours Hawaiian ocean, orchid hearts, tigers, planets, sparkling grape, mermaids

Dishwasher safe Yes (bottles with graphic treatments should be hand-washed to preserve detail)

Need to know 355ml, 0.15kg, carry loop

Sistema Twist 'n' Sip Squeeze sports water bottle

Colours Pink, blue

Dishwasher safe Yes (top rack)

Need to know 460ml, 0.04kg

Smash stainless steel drink bottle with sipper lid and straw

Colours Pink, black, blue/magenta, green, grey, mulberry, navy, navy rose, peach, pink, purple, rainbow, teal

Dishwasher safe Yes (however, hand-washing is recommended to extend the life of this product and its finishes)

Need to know 750ml, 0.18kg, one-touch flip lid, carry handle

Smiggle Limitless insulated stainless steel flip drink bottle

Available from Smiggle (Out of stock) 

Colours Black/grey, lilac, black mix, mint, navy

Dishwasher safe No

Need to know 520ml, 0.3kg, flip spout, insulated double-walled stainless steel

Smiggle Loopy Spritz insulated stainless steel drink bottle 

Available from Smiggle (Out of stock)

Colours Green, black, blue, lilac, coral

Dishwasher safe No

Need to know 500ml, 0.32kg, misting function

Tinc Tonkin drinks bottle

Colours Blue, black, green, mint green, orange, pink, purple

Dishwasher safe Yes

Need to know 500ml, 0.14kg, carry loop handle, lockable lid with clip

Yeti Rambler Jr 12oz

Colours Navy, key lime, wild vine red, daybreak yellow, wildflower fuchsia, canopy green, tropical pink, big wave blue, rescue red, seafoam, agave teal

Dishwasher safe Yes

Need to know 354ml, 0.4kg, double-wall vacuum insulation

Which? Don't Buy kids' water bottles

Our tests uncover the best and the worst. If a product performs so poorly that we think you should avoid it, we call it a Don't Buy. 

We've named three kids' water bottles Don't Buys. To find out which and why, log-in or join Which?

How we test kids' water bottles

The best kids' water bottle should be leakproof, durable, easy to clean and, of course, easy to use for little hands. 

We designed a test to encapsulate all of these elements, and we also had boy and girl volunteers aged six to eight to help with the testing. 

We regularly revisit the water bottles on sale to test any any popular, new models. 

Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

Ease of use 

To ensure the best kids' water bottles are child-approved, we ask primary school children to help score the water bottles for ease of opening and closing, comfort and ease of filling and emptying.

Leakage 

• We fill the water bottles to the brim, seal them tight and hold them at a range of angles, then shake them vigorously to check for any signs of leakage.
• We also simulate the bottles not being closed properly in your kids' schoolbag by dyeing the water with food colouring and leaving them slightly open, lying on kitchen roll to see how much water escapes.

Ease of cleaning 

We wash each of the kids' water bottles by hand, noting any tricky issues we encounter – such as awkward nooks and crannies.

Durability 

• Kids' water bottles will inevitably get dropped at some point, but the best children's water bottles will survive these hits.
• We conduct a drop test from desk height to see how well the bottles stay in tact. 
• The best emerged without a scratch while the worst shattered into jagged pieces or split at the bottom, rendering them unusable.

Insulation 

For any insulated kids' water bottles, we check to ensure they keep water cool over a period of several hours.

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What are the different types of kids' water bottles?

The type of water bottle you need will vary depending on the age of your child, and what life stage they're at. The bottles we've selected for our tests are aimed at preschool and primary school children. 

• Straws: Once a child has grown out of baby bottles, the next step might be a bottle with a straw. These can either be made of tough plastic or softer silicone. We've found that some of the softer silicone straws don't stand the test of time and children will nibble through them given half a chance. 
• Spouts: A bit like straws, but they tend to be thicker and with a slightly wider opening. Again, bottles with spouts can be found with either softer silicone or tougher plastic. The spouts will either be manually flipped up or have a button that pops the spout up for you. With the pop-up versions, look for bottles that also have locks so that the spout doesn't pop up by accident when it's in a bag. 
• Open pour: These types of kids' bottles have an opening that you pour the water into your mouth through. They tend to be for slightly older children who have mastered this technique. These bottles will have a flip-top lid that closes over the top of the spout. Again, it's sensible to look for a bottle that has a lock on the top so that it doesn't inadvertently open in a bag and soak everything in it., tired