NUK Active Cup with Silicone Spout Review

The Nuk Active Cup with Silicone Spout is a simple leak-proof sippy cup designed with a one piece spout/valve system, that is easy on gums and teeth. The cup is made with a BPA-free plastic body, and a silicone spout. It is light weight, includes a clip and cap for travel, and is dishwasher top rack safe. The cup comes in two designs, a ladybug and a turtle motif, and is available in some stores and online.

Performance Comparison

Likes

This cup was a top-performer when it came to our leak tests. It was hard to find a cup that leaked less than this one, not a single drop came out in the sideways, or the upside portions of the test. So given that a sippy cup is supposed to be leak free by definition, we felt this was a good start for this cup, and something we really liked. However, not surprisingly, many of the other cups we tested also managed a score of 10 and some even earned a 9, so while this was great, it was also on par with the other cups in our tests, and did not make this a standout cup.

We also liked the slim design of this cup, as it fit well in most cup holders, something not all the cups in our reviews could brag about. The travel clip on the side of the cup is also a nice touch, but it did feel a little fragile, and we worried it would break if used regularly.

This cup also scored fairly well for ease of cleaning, earning a 7 of 10 in this category. This score was better than average, and the one piece valve meant it didn't have as many pieces as some of the other cups in our tests. We consider fewer pieces to be a bonus when washing and assembling sippy cups. This cup did not require any special tools beyond a basic bottle brush, to clean it properly.

Dislikes

Our primary dislike was that this cup was difficult to drink out of. We can get past a lot of things when choosing a cup, but a cup being hard to suck on is not one them. This cup set the low bar in our tests for difficulty of sucking, sharing this title with the Eco Vessel Stainless Steel Insulated, which utilizes the exact same spout. So while we liked that the spout was made of silicone, was one piece, and didn't leak, it was so hard to drink from that it essentially sealed this cup's fate of never winning an award.

This cup also scored poorly for eco-health because it was made of plastic. In general, we prefer cups made with inert materials like glass and stainless steel. This cup also failed to earn points for alignment with the American Dental Association's recommendation that toddlers use valve free cups to avoid the possible oral hygiene issues that come with excessive sucking of some types of liquids. Because this cup required possibly the most amount of sucking, out of the cups in our tests, it scored low for this concern.

If the spout of this cup is somehow a winner in your book, you might just be in luck on the eco-health front. The Eco Vessel Stainless Steel uses the exact same NUK spout, and its body is made with stainless steel, an inert material. Plus, the Eco Vessel is insulated, has handles, and interchangeable tops to use as your child grows.

Conclusion

This NUK product failed to impress us in our tests. We liked the simplicity of the design and the slim bottle construction, but overall it was difficult to use, and felt somewhat fragile compared to the other cups in our test. So while this cup performed great for leaks, and we loved the feel of the drinking spout, it was hard to get over how poorly it did in our ease of sucking test. All of this combined made this a cup we cannot recommend.