Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have three kids and I have been on the hunt for good water bottles for 6 years. I have purchased what feels like ten thousand different models and so far this one has been the best. Of course, I have been on the hunt for so long that in that time my children have grown enough that they can handle this type of bottle. Let me explain. I started with the spout kind of cup/ bottle, but those leaked. If they didn't leak, that meant it required some biting action, which my kids never got the hang of. It also required tilting your head backwards when drinking, and my kids would tilt their heads back so far that the water would spill out of their mouths everywhere (they were used to the regular milk drinking bottles which had a more restricted flow). Then, I started with the straw bottles once the kids were a little older and could navigate a straw. Turns out, those leak as well. Since a good number of the more leak-proof ones require biting to release the valve, my kids bit them with all the energy and fervor that only children possess (as opposed to tired parents), and before long the straws were all munched to shreds. The worst thing about these straw ones is that the parts tend to develop mold in the inside areas that are impossible to reach. I purchased a straw cleaner but it still wouldn't clean out the mold stuck in that particular area where the straw bends. I emailed the company and ordered replacement straw parts, but they limited the number I could buy. Additionally, who wants to clean so many parts?! So I bought the sports bottle type that required you pull out the top a little when you wanted to drink. disaster! They worked well for drinking but my kids kept forgetting or neglecting to secure it shut (by pressing down on it hard enough to seal it off) and returned way too often with dripping wet school bags. lastly, the ones that are just open with no straw, just a largish hole. My kids, God knows I love them, are probably not the most refined or coordinated children, so you already know that water was everywhere and over everything constantly. Enter these bottles. They press a button and a slit opens up to drink from. Then they just put the bottle down and it automatically seals itself. Great! No need to worry about leaks. No need to worry about rubbery straw parts collecting mold. I am hoping my hunt for the perfect bottle is over. I have to say though, this works best for children over age 3-4. They must be able to hold the bottle and press on the button simultaneously.