The Best Water Bottles for Kids of 2023

• Material: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 14 oz.
• Dishwasher safe: Yes
• BPA Free: Yes

We love this kid-sized Yeti Rambler. More than two years into testing, it basically looks and functions as well as the day we got it.

It’s hard for us to narrow down everything we love about the Yeti Rambler Jr. The insulation is terrific. It’s sturdy and durable and holds up well in the dishwasher. The handle makes it easy for kids to carry. Every part is easy to clean—both in the dishwasher and with a bottle brush. And lastly, the wide mouth opening makes it simple for even small kids to refill with ice.

This water bottle is as long-lasting as they come. The chrome bottom takes the brunt of the impact when this bottle is dropped, while also making it easy to slip into cup holders and backpack water bottle pockets. The powder coat ensures it will always look new. Plus, it has an innovative straw design that prevents straws from splitting—no small detail when a split straw renders a bottle useless until a new one arrives in the mail.

While the Yeti Rambler is listed at a 12-ounce capacity, it actually holds 14 ounces. That may not seem like a big deal, but extra space makes the Yeti a perfect size for small kids to carry and for bigger kids to have adequate water intake or—in my kid’s case—it allows for a solid layer of ice.

The Yeti Rambler for kids is a bit pricier than other options, but if your child doesn’t lose it, you will never need to replace it.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 10 oz. to 18 oz.
• Dishwasher safe: Partially
• BPA Free: Yes

Simple Modern’s bottles have continually impressed us in our testing. Their wide range of designs appeals to older and younger kids alike, their price point is spectacular, and they clean up easier than most of their competitors.

With an array of patterns to choose from—from Disney- and Star Wars-themed styles for tiny tots, to cool color ombre styles for older kids with more sophisticated tastes—you are certain to find a bottle that will get your child passionate about hydrating.

These easy-to-clean bottles come in a wide choice of sizes, from 12 ounces to 64 ounces and we found that sizes as high as 18 ounces fit in a variety of car seat cup holders—for older kiddos that still need to be in boosters.

With no small parts to deal with, the patented leak-proof top portion can easily go through the dishwasher cycle for easy sterilization. While the vessel of these bottles isn’t technically dishwasher safe, we’ve found they hold up great on the top rack. Plus, this bottle also has a split-proof straw holder design.

If you do choose to follow manufacturer directions, these water bottles are still a cinch to clean. The wide mouth makes them easy to scrub and easy to fill, and the wide array of sizes and styles make them the best all-around kids' water bottle you can buy for the price.

These bottles did sustain dents and scratches over the course of a year, but that’s to be expected of any bottle that doesn’t come with a bumper or a powder coat. Overall, however, they held up great through continual and constant use.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 12 oz.
• Dishwasher safe: Yes
• BPA Free: Yes

Well-insulated and well-built, the Hydro Flask Kids’ Wide Mouth bottle was one of the best water bottles for kids that we tried—both for keeping drinks cold all day and for standing up to bumps and drops with nary a scuff.

The loop handle is well-positioned, making it easy to carry or hook onto the back of a backpack. We also appreciated the powder coating that made gripping the bottle easy when hands were wet or covered in goop or slime.

This spill-proof and leak-free bottle, also available in a 20-ounce version, didn’t give up a drop, even when turned upside down for 12 hours. With no small pieces and every part being dishwasher-safe, this is one of the easiest bottles to clean that we tested.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Capacity: 12 oz. and 16 oz.
• Dishwasher safe: No
• BPA Free: Yes

One of the most popular and affordable bottles on the market, the Thermos Funtainer keeps drinks cold, comes in at a great price point, and is mainly dishwasher-safe (though the cool printed versions tend to lose their colors and fare better over time if hand-washed). It's also one of the leakiest we tried. (Another test for the best straw cups for toddlers also found the Thermos Funtainer to be a prodigious leaker.)

Soggy mess aside, that wasn't the only issue we had with this popular kids' water bottle. The straw is one that got constant complaints from parents polled for being one that children could easily bite through. While the pieces gnawed off won’t likely require the Heimlich, I don’t love the idea of my child ingesting tiny pieces of a silicone straw. If you go for this one, be judicious about checking your child’s straw daily and being on top of replacement straws.

As a note: There are complaints online about replacement straws causing leaks. We didn’t have an issue with that with our replacement, but the reasons for replacing the straws are concerning enough that we won’t continue using these bottles either way.