Kids' water bottles that keep water cold

Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle has the best record for keeping water cold: 34 of 35 parents said the water stayed cold through the school day or longer. The gaps are small: Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle follows at 33 of 35 and Thermos Funtainer Kids Water Bottle has the weakest record here at 30 of 34, which is still a solid result. Leaks and straw problems are a better way to choose than cold alone, and each bottle rests on a small group of reviewers who gave an outcome.

  • 119 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Aug 2023 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did the water stay cold? What parents said
  1. Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle 35 said either way
  2. Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle 35 said either way
  3. Thermos Funtainer Kids Water Bottle 34 said either way

Share of parents who stated an outcome for keeping cold. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle Best record Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle 34 of 35 say the water stayed cold through the school day or longer See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Praise for keeping water cold runs from 75% to 85% of reviews on all three bottles, so the difference is in the complaints. 22% of reviews for the smaller Funtainer and 12% for the larger one mention leaks, while no complaint shows up more than once for the Owala.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points parents repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1 Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle

Thermos

Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle

34/35 say the water stayed cold through the school day or longer

The highest share here: 34 of 35 parents said the water stayed cold, and 85% of its reviews praise it. 28% also call it easy to clean, but 22% report leaks and 10% mention straw or spout problems.

What parents praise

  • Easy to clean 28%
  • Durable 18%
  • Easy for kids to use 15%
  • Doesn't leak 13%

What parents complain about

  • Leaks 23%
  • Straw or spout problems 10%
  • Too expensive 5%
Where parents said it
  • Target 34 of 35
2 Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle

Owala

Kids FreeSip Water Bottle

Best for cold without repeat complaints

33/35 say the water stayed cold through the school day or longer

Close behind: 33 of 35 parents said it kept water cold, and 85% of its reviews praise it. No complaint shows up more than once, and 23% say it doesn't leak. Reviews copied from Owala's own site run 8 of 9, which we show but don't count.

What parents praise

  • Doesn't leak 23%
  • Easy to clean 18%
  • Durable 10%
  • Easy for kids to use 8%

What parents complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where parents said it
  • Target 33 of 35
  • Brand site 8 of 9 shown, not counted
3

Thermos

Funtainer Kids Water Bottle

30/34 say the water stayed cold through the school day or longer

This larger Funtainer with the bail handle has the weakest record here, yet 30 of 34 parents said the water stayed cold and 75% of its reviews praise it. The catch is leaks, which 12% of reviews report.

What parents praise

  • Easy to clean 13%
  • Doesn't leak 13%
  • Durable 8%
  • Easy for kids to use 5%

What parents complain about

  • Leaks 13%
Where parents said it
  • Target 30 of 34

Where these numbers come from

The 3 products ranked here carry 10,359 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about keeping cold, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Aug 2023 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

We count what parents report. Nothing here is medical or safety advice: for a sick baby, call your pediatrician, and for car seats, a certified child passenger safety technician can check the install.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most parents here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle Target (40 reviews counted)
  2. Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle Target (39 reviews counted)
  3. Thermos Funtainer Kids Water Bottle Target (40 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which kids water bottle keeps water cold?

All three did well. Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle has the best record (34 of 35), followed by Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle (33 of 35) and Thermos Funtainer Kids Water Bottle (30 of 34). The gaps are small, so leaks and straw problems may matter more to you.

How do I keep water colder for longer in a kids water bottle?

Pre-chill the bottle with ice water for a few minutes, then pour it out and fill the bottle with cold water for the longest cold time. Close the lid fully and fill it just before you head out.

Do the Thermos Funtainers leak?

Leaks are the main complaint on both: 22% of reviews for the smaller Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle and 12% for the larger Thermos Funtainer Kids Water Bottle. Check the straw and any valve for wear or cracks, replace worn parts, and clean them the way the maker says.

Is the Owala Kids FreeSip good at keeping water cold?

Parents say yes: 33 of 35 said the water stayed cold, and no complaint came up more than once in its reviews. Reviews copied from the maker's own site run 8 of 9, which we show but don't count.

Related problems

Kids' water bottle Kids' water bottles that are easy to clean Top pick: Thermos Funtainer 12oz Water Bottle 160 parent reports Kids' water bottle Kids water bottle that doesn't leak Top pick: Owala Kids FreeSip Water Bottle 158 parent reports

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