In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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The Contigo AUTOSEAL Kids Scout bottle is no longer available. Contigo makes a plastic version of this bottle called the Contigo AUTOSEAL Trekker.
REASONS TO BUY
Stainless steel
Insulated
Leak-proof
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavier
Push button hard to use for younger children
This bottle is the top scoring bottle in our review, by a fairly wide gap. It has so many wonderful attributes and features to go with exceptional performance that it is hard to find fault with such a thoughtful design and execution. This stainless steel bottle is insulated, easy to clean, durable, and leak proof. The drinking spout is cup like compared to the others in our review, and while the button mechanism is somewhat difficult to use for younger children, it is a unique concept and works well once mastered. This bottle won our Editors' Choice award and is definitely a bottle we recommend.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Contigo Auto Seal Kids Scout bottle is a 12 ounce insulated bottle made out of stainless steel. It is a vacuum insulated bottle that can keep drinks cold for up to 7 hours. The bottle is easy to grip, is made with BPA free materials, phthalates and PVC free. It features a one touch lid that automatically seals between sips for an easy leak free drinking bottle; just press the button to sip, release to seal the lid closed. This bottle and parts are top rack dishwasher safe, and it sports a non-skid bottom pad for added table top stability. This bottle is for children age 4 years and older.
Performance Comparison
Kids Water Bottle Review Contenders (Klean Kanteen Kid Sports Bottle not shown)
Credit: Micah James
Likes
Contigo's stainless steel Kid's AUTOSEAL is insulated to keep drinks cold up to 5 hours. Its unique push button drinking feature auto seals when not in use making it truly leak-free.
Credit: Micah James
The Contigo bottle is a great stainless steel bottle that incorporates plastic in the lid only, so it avoids any potential for plastic sitting in the contents. The insulation feature is also nice and allows the bottle to be used for liquids other than water that might need some help staying cool to be viable after a full day at school.
Two parts are easy to assemble and clean
Credit: Micah James
We liked that this bottle is essentially leak-proof. It did well in our tests for leaking scoring a 10 of 10 for leaks. While some of the other bottles in our review also scored a 10 of 10 for the combined leak tests, the Contigo is the only bottle in the review to score a 10 of 10 in both tests, sideways and upside down.
This bottle has a nice contoured design that makes it easy for children to grip and hold. While it might be on the heavy side, it has a shape that fits in little hands and cup holders. While the push button mechanism is a little difficult for younger children to master, the drinking spout is easy to drink from and has a nice flow rate. The cup like edge of the lid is a great alternative to the hard spout bottles and some little testers liked the grown up feeling of drinking from a more cup like edge.
The cup edge of the Contigo auto seals when the button is let go making it truly lead-proof.
The 12 oz Contigo AUTOSEAL Kids Scout has an easy push button that opens its drinking spout and is insulated to keep drinks cold for up to 7 hours.
The photos above show how the mouthpiece opens for drinking when the button is pushed.
The design is easy to clean and assemble with only a few parts to take apart which takes only seconds to accomplish (something not shared by all the bottles we looked at). It doesn't require a special straw brush to clean properly, but a bottle brush will certainly make the job easier. This bottle scored higher than any of the competition for ease of cleaning and it was easier to take apart than any other bottle we looked at.
Internal mechanism of Contigo AUOTSEAL technology.
Credit: Micah James
This bottle also scored well for eco-health. It is made of inert materials, it is recyclable, and children can use the mouthpiece without having to touch it to operate it. While we wish it also had a lid to keep dirt and debris off the lid and drinking edge, it is still a pretty cool design that stays mostly hygienic by avoiding grubby fingers when possible.
Dislikes
On the other hand, we found that 3-year old children had trouble with the push button design of the Contigo AUTOSEAL, although the manufacturer approves its use for 3+ years.
Credit: BabyGearLab
The drinking mechanism and leak-proof opening is a little difficult for younger children to master. In order to drink from the bottle a button on the side needs to be pushed in while simultaneously sipping from the opening created by pushing the button. It is a nice design for preventing leaks and offering an alternative to straws and hard spouts, but it is hard for younger children and those with smaller hands to use. Some testers struggled with the button and even when they got it pushed they couldn't keep it depressed and drink at the same time. This isn't a deal breaker and most users over the age of 4 were able to figure it out and actually enjoyed the design, but those 3 and under had enough problems to avoid the bottle in favor of some of the other easier to use options.
Conclusion
4 year olds operate the AUTOSEAL very well and tended to be pretty impressed by the design of this sleek bottle.
Credit: BabyGearLab
This bottle is the 1st out of 11 in our review. Not only did it have the highest score in our tests, but it outscored the closest competitor by 13 points. It scored a 92 of 100 overall, while the Thermos Foogo scored a 79 for second place. We loved just about everything about this bottle from the materials used to make it to the fun drinking leak-proof mouthpiece. It is easy to assemble, clean, and carry. If we had to change this bottle it would only be an easier to push button, and possibly an additional carry loop. In spite of these little adjustments, we think this bottle is about as close to perfect as a bottle can be.
