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.
Contigo AUTOSEAL Kids Scout Review

Pros: Stainless steel, insulated, leak-proof
Cons: Heavier, push button hard to use for younger children
Manufacturer: Contigo
The Skinny
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
Likes
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 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.
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
Conclusion
— Juliet Spurrier, MD & Wendy Schmitz
Honest, objective reviews. Led by a Pediatrician.
BabyGearLab was founded by a Pediatrician Mom with a mission to provide a reliable, independent, source of information to new parents. Our experts have tested thousands of baby and kids products to share key performance, health, and safety findings. We spend tens of thousands of dollars crash testing car seats to inform our ratings. And, we combine our review work with gobs of expert parenting advice. To assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing by people who care.
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