Best First Sippy Cup: Dr. Brown's Milestones Wins

The best first sippy cup is Dr. Brown's Milestones Baby's First Straw Cup, a 9 oz cup with a weighted silicone straw that follows the liquid so a baby can tip it in any direction. If you want a soft-spout style closer to a bottle nipple, the NUK Learner Cup at 5 oz for 6+ months is the better first buy. This guide picks a first cup for you and names the trade-offs no listing spells out.

Best first sippy cup at a glance

Who this guide is not for

If your baby is already drinking confidently from an open cup, you have passed this stage and a training cup is a step backward. The picks below are for the handoff from bottle or breast to a cup a baby can hold. That window sits roughly between 6 and 12 months for most families, and the listings here specify 4+ months (Nuby), 6+ months (NUK Learner and The First Years), and 8+ months (NUK First Choice Large).

You are also in the wrong guide if you want a stainless insulated toddler bottle for a two-year-old on the go. None of the five picks here are insulated, and their capacities top out at 10 oz. What this guide covers is the first cup a baby learns to sip from, and the differences that decide whether that lesson takes a week or a month.

Two other groups should look elsewhere. Parents wanting a strict open-cup or bamboo Doidy-style trainer, and parents wanting a 360-degree rim cup. Neither shape appears in this shortlist.

How I screened the shortlist

I started with the cups Amazon actually surfaces for a first-cup search, then cut anything not aimed at the 4-to-12-month window. Three reasons knocked cups off the list:

1. No handles, or fixed handles that cannot come off. A first cup needs side grips, and the best of them let you remove the grips as the baby's hold matures. Dr. Brown's, both NUK cups and the Nuby all publish removable handles.
2. A rigid spout. For a first cup, the spout or straw wants to be soft silicone. Every pick here uses silicone on the drinking surface.
3. No spill-proof mechanism named in the listing. Every pick states either a valve, a sliding lid, or a squeeze-controlled flow.

That left five cups across three spout styles: one weighted straw, two soft spouts, one standard soft straw, and one parent-squeezed straw. The mix is deliberate. A first cup is not a single product, it is a category with three approaches, and the right one depends on how close your baby is to bottle-feeding on the day you introduce it.

Cups without any published dimensions or weight also got a harder look, because a first cup lives on a highchair tray and the footprint matters. Two of the five publish full dimensions.

Straw, soft spout or squeeze: which suits a beginner?

The obvious specification to compare is capacity, and it misleads. A 10 oz cup and a 5 oz cup do the same job on day one, because a baby learning to sip will not empty either. What decides how quickly a baby takes to a first cup is the spout style, and the three approaches in this shortlist teach different skills.

• Soft spout. Closest to a bottle nipple. A baby tips the cup, the spout meets the lips, and a valve or the baby's suck releases liquid. The NUK Learner and Nuby Clik-It sit here. Easiest handoff from bottle, but pediatric dentists tend to prefer families move off spouts within a few months.
• Straw. A different skill entirely. The baby has to draw liquid up rather than tip a cup, and once learned it transfers to any straw cup, pouch, or restaurant drink. Dr. Brown's Milestones and the NUK First Choice Large 2.0 are the straw picks. Dr. Brown's adds a weighted end so the straw finds liquid at any angle.
• Parent-squeezed straw. The First Years Squeeze & Sip. You squeeze, the baby sips. The point is control while a baby figures out the seal.

Pick one style, buy one cup, give it a fortnight before you judge it.

1. Dr. Brown's Milestones Baby's First Straw Cup — Best overall

This is the first cup to buy if you want your baby on a straw from the start, because the weighted silicone straw and 9 oz body cover the whole learning curve in one purchase.

Best for: a baby making the bottle-to-cup jump with a weighted straw Skip it if: you want a soft-spout style closer to a bottle nipple

Dr. Brown's is the cheapest of the five and sits ahead of every other pick on how fast it moves in this category. The specs matter here. It holds 9 oz, weighs 4.66 oz empty, and measures 3.15 x 8.19 x 8.19 in, which fits a standard highchair tray without dominating it. The listing describes a weighted silicone straw that moves with the liquid so a baby can tip and sip in any direction, side-grip handles that come off as the baby's hold matures, and a sliding lid that stows the straw for the diaper bag. Measuring marks run up the side.

The trade-off against the rest of the set is quantity. You get one cup, not a two or three-pack, so if you run a dishwasher every other day you may want a second. It is also a straw cup, which means a baby has to learn the drawing action rather than the familiar tip-and-suck of a spout.

Pros:

• Weighted straw sips in any tilt
• 9 oz capacity covers water and milk servings
• Removable side handles grow with the baby
• Sliding lid keeps the straw clean in a bag
• Cheapest pick in this shortlist

Cons:

• Ships as a single cup
• Straw learning curve steeper than a soft spout
• Only one seller lists it

2. Nuby Clik-It Grip N' Sip — Best for families

Three matching soft-spout cups in one box, aimed at the 4-month-plus end of the window and priced as the second-cheapest pick here.

Best for: households that want three matching cups on rotation Skip it if: you prefer straw drinking from day one

The Nuby is the entry-level soft-spout pick and the only cup in the five aimed as young as 4 months. Each cup holds up to 10 oz. The listing describes a soft silicone spout, a TOUCH-FLO valve that only opens on a sip, and a Clik-It lid designed for the transition into cup drinking. The set is three cups, one aqua, one purple, one pink, so a family running two feeds a day has spares while one is in the dishwasher.

It is a soft-spout cup, which is the easiest handoff from a bottle and the least useful long-term skill. Most pediatric guidance nudges families off spouts within a few months of introduction, so if you buy this, plan a straw cup as the next step. The listing does not publish a separate empty weight for a single cup, and the shipping weight of 3 oz suggests a lightweight body that a determined baby will send off the tray.

Pros:

• Three cups in one box
• 10 oz per cup handles milk portions
• Valve-controlled soft spout
• Aimed as young as 4 months
• Second-cheapest pick in this set

Cons:

• Soft spout is a shorter-term skill
• Lightweight body flings easily
• No separate empty-weight figure published

3. NUK First Choice Large Learner Cup 2.0 — Best for heavy use

A 10 oz straw cup in a two-pack, aimed at 8 months and up, for the baby who has already learned to sip and now drains a full cup at a sitting.

Best for: an older baby around 8 months who drains a full cup Skip it if: your baby is closer to 6 months and new to cups

The NUK First Choice is the mid-priced pick and reads as the heavy-use option in the set. Each cup is a 10 oz straw cup with easy-grip, anti-slip handles that come off as the baby grows. NUK describes the spout area as soft and gentle on teeth and gums, and states that the pair is spill-proof and leak-proof and dishwasher safe. Weight is 5.92 oz for the pack, and the recommended age is 8m+, which is the oldest starting age of the five picks and a sign this is a second-stage cup as much as a first one.

Against Dr. Brown's, the trade-off is the straw itself. The NUK straw is a standard soft straw, not weighted, so a baby has to tilt the cup to reach the liquid at the bottom. Against the Nuby three-pack, you get two cups instead of three, and the age range is narrower. The listing does not publish dimensions, which is the main gap in the specifications here.

Pros:

• Two 10 oz cups per pack
• Removable easy-grip handles
• Soft straw and soft spout finish
• Spill-proof and leak-proof claim from NUK
• Dishwasher safe

Cons:

• Straw is not weighted
• Recommended from 8 months, not 6
• No dimensions published on the listing
• Only one seller lists it

4. NUK Learner Cup, 6+ Months — Best for beginners

The gentlest handoff for a 6-month-old, with a soft spout and an air vent that the listing says reduces swallowed air.

Best for: a 6-month-old moving off the bottle for the first time Skip it if: you need a bigger cup for milk-sized servings

The NUK Learner is the closest of the five to a bottle-feeding experience. It comes as a two-pack, each cup 5 oz, in a Timeless finish, at 5.6 oz for the shipping weight. NUK describes a soft, spill-proof spout designed to be gentle on gums, easy-grip anti-slip handles that come off as the baby grows, and an air vent to reduce swallowed air. It is BPA-free and dishwasher safe, and NUK's recommended age is 6m+. Dimensions are 7.86 x 3 x 8 in per the listing.

This is the smallest cup in the set by capacity, which is deliberate. A first sip session with water is 1 to 2 oz, not 8, and a smaller cup weighs less on a wobbly hold. The trade-off shows up two months later. Once a baby wants milk from a cup rather than water for practice, 5 oz is short of a full feed and you will find yourself refilling. It also sits at the premium end of this shortlist, so the per-ounce cost is the highest here.

Pros:

• 5 oz body suits a first-timer's hold
• Soft spout with air vent
• Two cups per pack
• Removable anti-slip handles
• Dimensions published on the listing

Cons:

• Smallest capacity in this set
• Sits at the premium end here
• Spout style is a shorter-term skill

5. The First Years Squeeze & Sip Straw Cups — Best premium

A parent-squeezed straw cup that puts you in charge of the flow while a baby learns the seal, sold as a three-pack at the top of this price set.

Best for: parents who want to control the flow while a baby learns the straw Skip it if: you want the child to self-serve straight away

The First Years Squeeze & Sip is the most expensive pick here and the most different in how it works. You squeeze the body, and your baby sips through a silicone straw that the listing says has a valve controlling flow. The set is three cups, pink, purple and blue, at 2.69 oz for the pack, in a 5 x 3 x 3 in footprint per the listing. It is BPA-free, top-rack dishwasher safe, and marketed from 6 months up. The First Years states that once the training phase is over, the same cup carries on as a regular toddler cup.

The pitch is a real one. If you have a baby who cannot yet draw liquid up a straw, a parent-squeeze cup gets a first taste through without a rigid spout. The trade-off is that it is not really a self-serve first cup at all. Until the baby learns the drawing action, you are the pump, and that means an adult at every sip. Against Dr. Brown's weighted straw, which teaches self-serve straw drinking directly, this is a slower path.

Pros:

• Parent controls the flow while learning
• Three cups per set
• Silicone straw and valve
• Doubles as a toddler cup later
• Released 2024, current design

Cons:

• Most expensive pick in this set
• Not self-serve until straw drawing clicks
• Smallest published body of the five

What to check on the listing before you buy

The listings do not all publish the same fields, and the gaps matter. Before you click buy, run down this short list.

• Age recommendation. Nuby says 4m+, NUK Learner and The First Years say 6m+, NUK First Choice Large says 8m+. Match it to your baby's age today, not the age they will be in three months.
• Capacity per cup. 5 oz on the NUK Learner, 9 oz on Dr. Brown's, 10 oz on both the Nuby and the NUK First Choice. The First Years lists a small size without an ounce figure.
• Pack count. One cup from Dr. Brown's, two from each NUK pack, three from Nuby and The First Years. If you run one dishwasher cycle a day, one cup is workable; if you run one every other day, buy at least two.
• Dimensions. Dr. Brown's, NUK Learner, Nuby and The First Years publish dimensions. NUK First Choice does not. If your highchair tray is narrow, this matters.
• BPA-free and dishwasher safe. All five state both, though only the top-rack is claimed on the Nuby and The First Years.

A quick tip. The word "spill-proof" on any of these cups means a valve or lid that resists a moderate tip and shake. It does not mean a cup you can leave on its side in a car seat.

How many cups do you actually need?

For a baby starting cups at 6 months, the honest answer is two. One in use, one in the dishwasher or drying. If you buy a single like Dr. Brown's Milestones and plan to run a cycle every day, you can get away with one for the first fortnight, but you will resent it by week three.

That is why three of the five picks here ship as multipacks. The Nuby and The First Years give you three each, both NUK packs give you two. Dr. Brown's is the outlier as a single cup, and the case for it is that a lot of families use a first cup for a few weeks to prove the concept, then buy a second in the same style. If you already know your baby will take to a straw, buying a pair upfront in a different brand can be cheaper per cup than doubling up on Dr. Brown's.

Colour matters more than you would think. A cup that is yours and one that is a sibling's is a fight avoided.

Dr. Brown's vs. NUK Learner: which wins for a first cup?

These are the two picks a lot of parents choose between, because they represent the two philosophies of a first cup: straw or soft spout. Dr. Brown's Milestones is a 9 oz weighted straw cup at the cheapest position in this set. The NUK Learner is a 5 oz soft-spout cup that sells in a two-pack at the premium end.

The straw teaches a skill that transfers everywhere. Once your baby can sip from Dr. Brown's, they can sip from a juice box, a restaurant kid's cup with a lid, and any cup with a straw hole. A soft spout teaches a shorter-lived skill that most families move on from within a few months. If your baby is already accepting a bottle happily, the soft spout of the NUK Learner is a gentler first meeting with the idea of a cup, and the smaller 5 oz body is easier to hold.

The verdict here comes down to how far along your baby is. New to cups at 6 months and still very bottle-shaped in their expectations: NUK Learner. Ready to skip the spout stage: Dr. Brown's.

The verdict

Dr. Brown's Milestones Baby's First Straw Cup wins, on two grounds. First, the weighted silicone straw is the single most useful feature in this shortlist, because it works at any tilt and it teaches the drawing skill that carries through to every straw cup and juice box a toddler will meet. Second, at 9 oz with a sliding lid and removable side handles, it is a cup that grows from a first-sip trainer into a real everyday cup, at the cheapest price position of the five.

If your baby is brand-new to cups at 6 months and you want the softest possible landing from a bottle, buy the NUK Learner Cup instead. Its 5 oz body, soft spout and air vent are the closest match to a familiar bottle feed in this set, and the two-pack means one is always clean.

If you want three matching cups for a busy household and you are comfortable with a soft spout as the starting style, the Nuby Clik-It Grip N' Sip is the cheapest way in and the only pick aimed as young as 4 months.

FAQ

When is the right time to introduce a first sippy cup?

The right time to introduce a first sippy cup for most babies is around 6 months, which is why three of the five picks here specify 6m+ or 6+ months on the listing. The Nuby goes as low as 4m+, and the NUK First Choice Large targets 8m+. Start with water in small amounts at meal times, and let the cup live on the highchair tray so it becomes familiar before it becomes functional.

Is a straw cup or a soft spout better as a first cup?

Whether a straw cup or a soft spout is better depends on how bottle-shaped your baby's expectations are. A soft spout like the NUK Learner is the closer handoff from a bottle nipple. A straw cup like Dr. Brown's Milestones teaches a skill that transfers to every straw cup a toddler will use. Dentists tend to prefer straws long-term, so if you can start there, you skip a step.

Is the Dr. Brown's Milestones cup worth it as a single?

The Dr. Brown's Milestones cup is worth it as a single if you are willing to run the dishwasher daily or hand-wash between feeds. It is the cheapest pick in this shortlist and the only one with a weighted straw that sips in any tilt, so the per-cup value is strong. Buy two if you feed twice daily from a cup and your dishwasher runs every second day, not every day.

What capacity should a 6-month-old's first cup be?

The capacity for a 6-month-old's first cup should be modest, because early sips are practice, not hydration. The 5 oz NUK Learner is deliberately small, easy to lift, and matched to how much water a baby actually drinks at that age. A 9 or 10 oz cup like Dr. Brown's or the NUK First Choice works too, but you will be filling it a third of the way up for the first few weeks.

How does the NUK First Choice Large compare with Dr. Brown's Milestones?

The NUK First Choice Large compares with Dr. Brown's Milestones as an older-baby straw cup rather than a first-first cup. NUK's is a two-pack aimed at 8m+, each cup 10 oz with a standard soft straw. Dr. Brown's is a single 9 oz cup with a weighted straw that finds liquid at any angle, marketed as a first straw cup. Start with Dr. Brown's, graduate to NUK when your baby is draining full cups.

Pick a spout style, buy one cup, and give your baby a fortnight of daily practice at meal times before you decide whether it is working. The reason Dr. Brown's Milestones sits at the top of this guide is not that it is fancier than the rest, it is that a weighted straw at 9 oz is the single cup here that teaches a skill your child will use for years, at the lowest price position in the set. Everything else in this shortlist is a good pick for a narrower profile. Start there, add a second cup once you know the style has stuck, and treat the first cup as practice equipment, not a final answer.

Last updated: September 24, 2026. Product availability re-checked.

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.