Drink in a Box Kids Straw Cup Review

My family is heading to Spain in April and we couldn’t be more excited. I love to prep my kids before trips so we get the most out of our time in other countries. When I think of Spain, I immediately think of Sangria. There’s something so fun about throwing a bunch of yummy fruit, juice and wine together. Maybe that’s because I’m a Mom and adding wine to my juice frequently sounds like a great idea. Obviously I’m not going to give my 3 year old actual Sangria, but I thought it might be fun to make fruit-infused water and test out our Drink in a Box reusable straw cup.

Drink in a Box is a reusable juice box. It’s kind of like the cool version of a straw cup for preschoolers and older kids. My son has always been interested in straw cups and has just gotten into juice boxes recently. When we were potty training, I needed him to drink a lot so that he could practice going to the bathroom frequently. I ended up buying him chocolate milk and juice boxes to ensure he was drinking a lot of liquids. I was really flabbergasted when I looked at the sugar content. I knew I didn’t want to make it his drink of choice.

When we have get-togethers with my extended family, my Aunt always makes fruit-infused waters and they are so yummy! I figured, maybe I could do that as a toddler-led activity with my son. So I cut up some strawberries and added blueberries to a bowl and let my son put as much fruit in the Drink in a Box as he wanted. He had a lot of fun doing that. Then we realized it was too much fruit and not enough water, so we fixed that and it turned out great!

Overall, my son had fun making the fruit-infused water, but he wasn’t super interested in using the Drink in the Box. He had a hard time holding it and immediately grabbed a straw cup to use instead.

We let the fruit-infused water sit in the Drink in the Box for a few days and it was a breeding ground for mold, especially in the straw and inside the top part of the container. Each little crevice was filled with mold. For our family, we need items that are quick and easy to clean.

What I liked about Drink in a Box:

• They offer reusable stickers and crayons so kids can not only label their juice box but also that they can keep occupied. The stickers went through the dishwasher without a problem.
• It fits easier in lunchboxes than most water bottles.
• It’s dishwasher-safe.
• It’s BPA and Phythalate free.
• The Ice on the Box actually stayed on the Drink in the Box.
• The Scribble on the Box dry-erase crayons glide on nicely and are brightly colored.

What I didn’t like about Drink in a Box:

• The color options weren’t stellar.
• The box was tricky for my 3-year-old to open by himself.
• The name itself. I couldn’t stop singing the Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake classic “D*ck in a Box” every time I saw the label on the drink.
• It grew mold very quickly. Even after I put it through the dishwasher, the mold stayed in the lid.

Overall, while I like the idea of Drink in a Box, it’s not a good fit for our family. We tend to forget water bottles in our car or in lunch bags, so I’d be hesitant to put anything other that straight water for fear of mold. But, it could be a great option for families with school-aged kids who could rinse out the Drink in a Box as soon as they got home from school.

I was provided these products in exchange for an honest review.