Glass, Tritan or Steel? Best Drinking Glasses Kids Can Handle

Every family table has one glass that is always closest to the edge, and it belongs to the smallest person sitting there. A child reaching across for the salsa or pushing back from a plate of enchiladas will knock a cup over sooner or later. The question is what happens when it lands: a bounce, a dent, or a floor full of glass.

This guide covers drinking glasses for kids that are built for that moment: small tempered glass tumblers for children ready for the real thing, shatter-resistant Tritan and acrylic that look like glass, silicone and stainless steel for toddlers, and lidded cups for the car. Every claim about materials and care is the maker’s own, and we checked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall site for each brand.

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Quick verdict: which kids’ drinking glass to buy

Here are the five standouts side by side, followed by all eight cups in full.

Five kids’ cups side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each age and material, with what each maker or listing states. All eight are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Materials, BPA-free status and care are as each maker states on its listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best drinking glasses kids can use

These eight cups cover the ages most families pass through: silicone and stainless steel for toddlers, Tritan and acrylic for preschoolers who want a “real” glass, and small tempered glass tumblers for older children. We left out the drinkware already reviewed on our glassware sets guide.

How to choose a drinking glass for a child

The right cup changes as a child grows. These are the points that matter at the table.

Material

Silicone bounces and stainless steel dents, so neither shatters. Tritan and acrylic look like glass; Drinique describes Tritan as stronger than acrylic. Tempered glass, like Duralex, is much stronger than ordinary glass by the maker’s figures, but it can still break, so save it for children old enough to drink sitting down.

Size and shape

Small hands do best with cups around 7 to 10 ounces, a narrow or tapered body, and a low center of gravity. Bigger cups are heavier when full and tip more easily.

Lid or open cup

Open cups are for the table. Lids and straws are for the car, the couch and the park. Check whether a straw has a valve: Elk and Friends, for example, says its straw has none and can leak if tipped.

What the maker says about the material

Look for the maker’s own statement of the material and whether it is BPA-free, and be wary of listings that do not say what plastic a cup is made from. We only repeat what each maker states.

Care

Most of these cups go in the dishwasher; some plastic cups are top-rack only, and some cannot be microwaved. A straw lid adds parts to clean.

How we chose these eight kids’ cups

We did not use these cups at home or in the restaurant. We looked for drinkware sized for children from identifiable makers, read each Amazon listing through Amazon’s product data, and recorded the material, capacity and care each maker states. Every product was in stock on Amazon when we wrote this guide.

We searched the CPSC’s recall site, cpsc.gov, for each brand. We found no recalls for Duralex, Tervis, Drinique, Elk and Friends, Silipint or Scandinovia. We found one past recall each for Zak Designs and for REDUCE (Base Brands), both for other products, and we describe them in those reviews. We also left out the cups and plates already covered on our kids’ plates and kids’ melamine plates guides.

Kids’ glassware questions, answered

What are the best drinking glasses for kids?

For older children, small tempered glass tumblers such as the Duralex Provence 8 3/8 oz. For toddlers and preschoolers, shatterproof Tritan like the Tervis kid’s cups, or stainless steel and silicone.

At what age can a child use a real glass?

There is no set age. Most families wait until a child can sit and drink without tipping the cup, and start with a small, tough glass at the table.

Is Tritan safe for kids?

Tervis and Drinique both describe their Tritan cups as BPA-free. We repeat only what the makers state and make no further health claims.

Are stainless steel cups good for toddlers?

They cannot shatter and are easy to clean. A silicone sleeve, like the one Elk and Friends includes, adds grip and, the maker says, protects against bumps and drops.

Can kids’ cups go in the dishwasher?

All eight here are dishwasher safe according to their makers, though Zak Designs specifies the top rack. Check the listing for microwave use.

Our last word on cups for the kids’ table

Start with the Duralex Provence 8 3/8 oz if your children are old enough for glass, or the Tervis Tritan cups if they are not. Add a few stainless or silicone cups for toddlers and a lidded set for the car, and every age is covered. For the grown-ups’ glasses, see our glassware sets and wine glasses guides. When the whole family is too hungry to cook, call Julia’s at (346) 546-8283 to order.