Best Straw Cups?

Love the Playtex ones, have never had a problem cleaning the straws. I just take the long straw out and put that in the dishwasher basket straw holder, pop the whole lid in the basket with the silicone straw still in it and then the cup in the rack like any other cup. If the silicone straw comes out, it's easy to put back in. We only use them for juice or water and we use the take 'n toss cups for milk with regular bendy straws - I think it helps keep the Playtex ones from getting funky but we have used them for milk when travelling.

I think the Camelbak is the best. They have a child's water bottle now and it's great! I had been using the previous adult bottle for my older child, but the kid's kind is way better designed. I just throw the straw pieces in the silverware basket of my dishwasher. My 9 month old son loves to drink from it!!! Here's a link to amazon... http://www.amazon.com/CamelBak-0-4-Liter-Kids-Bottle-Dino...

I agree with R.M. those dishwasher baskets are great for cleaning the straws. I believe it is munchkin as well that makes a bottle brush with a smaller detachable brush on the inside of the base that is great for cleaning the inside of the straw on the lid. I really like The First Years cups because I found they leak less and are easier for my daughter to drink from. They are also felxible in the area where the straw meets the lid so it is easier to clean as well. They are also pretty inexpensive. The Tinkerbell one I just got for my daughter was only like 4 or 5 dollars at Target. I don't know why all the cups have straws with two pieces. It really doesn't serve any purpose other than to lose a piece so you have to buy a new cup. lol. maybe thats the master plan! Its not like it makes it easier to clean the straws. Oh and I almost forgot my best cleaning trick! good old fashioned pipe cleaners from the arts and crafts isle are something I keep around for cleaning the straws out when I don't want to run the dishwasher. They work like a charm...but I guess before art projects and multiple colors came around cleaning small compartments in pipes IS what they were made for :) Amazing how easy we forget the most obvious things in our world of modern convenience. It was my grandmother who gave me the idea when we were visiting with her for a weekend and she saw me washing them. She actually had a bag of pipe cleaners from back years ago when all of us kids would do crafts with her. we were going on a long car trip from Florida to California and she gave me a few to travel with so I could use them at the hotels. Now I make sure to always have them on hand. Turns out they have like a million uses. Gotta love grandmas and years of baby raising wisdom!

I love love the sippy straw cleaner. I found it on a mom's saving blog and ordered one. It is the best at cleaning the straw sippy cups. It is a brush and it slides inside the straw. It gets all the junk out that you cannot see and that you cannot get to. Buy that. The best straw cups that we use or the thermos pop up ones at Target. They are the BPA free one's and love them. They are more expensive, but worth it. When she was younger Gerber had straw handle sippy cups and we have 2 of those. They are hard to find, you might find some online. Hope this helps.

We all have camelbak water bottles and they are great! We use those for water. For drinks other than water, I like to use the Take N Toss straw cups for my 3 year old. They are BPA free, easy to clean, and spill very little when dropped. (They are also cheap!)

There is such a thing as a straw brush... you know like those bottle brushes for the kitchen? Well, they have small skinny long ones for straws... my Mom got one once, for me.
I have no idea where she found it. Probably those dollar stores she likes to go to.

Or, I use a Q-tip to wash the straws and the connection parts. They do come apart.

all the best,
Susan

We have been using the Munchkin straw cups for about 8 months now. We love them! The only downside I've found is that if you put a cold liquid in it and leave it at room temperature, the liquid will slowly rise out the straw. Other than that, they are very durable and wash great in the dishwasher. I have a dishwasher basket that has a place for the straws and the other pieces as well.

Try the ones from Thrermos. They keep things cold for a long time and If you dont let things sit in them just put them throught the dishwasher. They are $13-15. But are worth it. Have used them for years. I still have them for my 5 yr old they even have them for adults.

I like the Munchkin brand. (Target,walmart, etc). They have the flexible straws and are BPA free. I also have one of those dishwasher baskets for bottles (also munchkin) that goes in the top rack with the little flip down straw holders on the sides. I put the straws in those, the tops in the top "nipple" part and the lids in the big part. I never have to hand wash, and I think I have the worst dishwasher in the world. I do make sure to never let milk dry in them, and if it does just soak them for a few minutes. My only complaint is that the straw holders on the baskets start to wear out and I have to replace the baskets every 6-8 mos. But they are only like $4 so the convenience is worth it.

The straws on the Munchkins aren't hard to suck, they are valveless. I did notice when I first bought them that sometimes they wouldn't separate easily for my son who was still very young. So I would just pinch them and that would break the seal of the plastic sticking on itself.

Don't know what you need from the "straw cups" or how old your child is, but I was tired of the pieces and parts that were hard to clean, got lost, would grow mold if not enough air was allowed to circulate, and were hard to drink through...and found a couple that I still keep around today, even though my kiddos are now 7 & 10 years old (nice to have for car rides, or little visitors!): Tupperware makes a set of four plastic cups with lids that attach tightly and has a silicone slitted opening that allows you to insert a straw (not leak-proof, but pretty safe), Tommy Tippee makes a cup that has an inverted lid with a hole that can be used with a straw, or just to slow the liquid coming out for cup-training (won't prevent leaks, but makes for less mess when the cup is accidentally knocked over), and my favorite is not currently available: a plastic, double-wall, "Grande" or "Venti" cup from Starbucks that has a screw on lid with silicon gasket (preventing leaks) and a reusable straw with a bump on it so it can't be pulled out of the lid when the lid is on the cup (if you've ever had a little one discover the "joys" of flicking liquid everywhere as the pull the straw out of a traditional plastic lid, you know what a big deal this is)! Good luck to you!!