Review on Contigo Autoseal Trekker Kids Water Bottle, 2-Pack: Granny Smith & Nautical - Perfect Hydration for Active Kids! by Jeff Rothstein

I have 3 children and have been looking for good water bottles for 6 years. I've bought tens of thousands of different models I think and so far this has been the best. Of course, I've been looking for so long that my kids have grown to handle this type of bottle in that time. let me explain. I started with a cup/bottle with a spout but they leaked. Failure to leak meant drastic action was needed, which my kids never got around to. It also required tilting your head back while drinking, and my kids tilted their heads back so far that their mouths were watering all over them (they were used to regular milk drinking bottles, which had a more limited flow). Then I started using straw bottles as the kids got a little older and learned how to use a straw. It turns out they walk too. Since many of the more airtight straws have to bite to open the valve, my kids bite with all the vigor and eagerness that only children have (as opposed to tired parents), and soon all the straws were chewed to shreds. . The worst thing about these straw products is that they tend to grow mold in the unreachable indoor areas. I bought a straw cleaner but the mold still didn't get stuck in that particular area where the straw was bending. I emailed the company and ordered replacement straws but they limited the amount I could purchase. Besides, who wants to clean that many parts?! So I bought a sports bottle that had a tug on the cap when you were thirsty. Catastrophe! They worked fine for drinking, but my kids constantly forgot or neglected to lock them (squeezed them hard enough to seal) and too often came back with wet school bags. Straw, just a big hole. My kids, God knows how much I love them, are probably not the most sophisticated or coordinated kids, so you already know that water was everywhere, all the time. Enter these bottles. You press a button and a slit opens to drink from. Then they simply insert the bottle and it automatically closes. Big! You don't have to worry about leaks. You don't have to worry about the rubber parts of the straw picking up mold. I hope my hunt for the perfect bottle is over. However, I have to say that this works best for children over 3-4 years old. You must be able to hold the bottle and press the button at the same time.