Skater children's stainless steel water bottle

For a school bag, day out or drink break between activities, this Skater children's bottle offers two ways to drink: through a straw or from the included cup. That gives families a choice of drinking style rather than relying on a straw-only bottle.

Its stainless steel body is paired with lighter plastic and silicone parts. The set also includes a shoulder strap and name plate.

The key detail to check is capacity: the product name says 410 ml, while the supplied specifications list 420 ml for straw use and 350 ml when using the cup.

Technical details

The bottle’s inner section, body and lip are stainless steel. The straw, drinking mouth and gasket are silicone rubber, the cup, inner plug and lid are polypropylene, while the cap is saturated polyester resin. A thermoplastic elastomer forms the bottom plate.

The listed dimensions are 6.8 cm in diameter and 20 cm high with the cup, or 21 cm high with the straw. The set includes the bottle, cup, shoulder strap and name plate. Tomica and Tom, and Tsumupappa, appear in the product name, but the supplied details do not clarify which design is included.

Getting the most from it

The two drinking options are the main point of difference. Straw mode is suited to sipping while out and about, the cup gives a child a more familiar way to drink when there’s a place to stop. For instance, the strap can keep the bottle close during a walk, then the cup can be used for a drink break. That flexibility may be useful if your child is moving between settings and prefers different ways to drink.

It’s a different approach from choosing a simpler, single-mode bottle. The extra cup and straw parts offer more choice, but also mean there are more components to keep track of and clean. The supplied information does not state whether the bottle is dishwasher-safe, so don’t assume it is.

Usage tips

Before packing it, decide whether straw or cup mode better suits the outing and check that the relevant parts are in place. The name plate can help identify the bottle among others, while the shoulder strap offers another way to carry it. If you’re choosing a bag, compare its available space with the stated 6.8 cm diameter and the 21 cm height with the straw fitted.

May suit you if a child would use both a straw and a cup, and you want those options in one set. It may not suit you if you’re after the simplest possible design, or if an exact capacity is essential: the product name and specification give different straw-capacity figures. I can’t assess its everyday durability without having tried it.

Before you buy

Treat the capacity discrepancy as the main decision point. The product name states 410 ml, but the specification lists 420 ml in straw mode and 350 ml with the cup. If capacity affects how much your child needs to carry, clarify which figure applies to the version being sold. Also bear in mind that the listed dimensions are given with different drinking attachments, so the overall height depends on the setup.

Three specific questions

Can it be used without the straw? Yes. The supplied details describe cup drinking as an alternative, with a 350 ml capacity.

What comes in the set? The listed contents are the bottle, cup, shoulder strap and name plate.

Which capacity should I use when choosing? The name gives 410 ml, while the specifications give 420 ml for straw use. The cup capacity is listed as 350 ml, so check the exact version if the difference matters.