Suggestions on Type of Drinking Cup for 15 Month-old

A sippie cup is still a good idea at his age. the cups with built in straws are much like a sippie cup with the no spill factor. I work at a daycare and a lot of kids use a regular sippie until about 2, and parents either stick with that or than use the straw cups. although since they both prevent spillage, it doesn't really matter either way. Although kids find it difficult to open and close the straw cups. So until he is a bit older it might be best to stick with a sippie cup.

I think some sort of sippy cup is still the best thing for your child...and it will prevent a lot of spills. I'm not a fan of straw cups because almost all of the cups are plastic. There is a listing of plastic-alternative sippy cups found at http://uggamugga.blogspot.com/search/label/sippy%20cups

And one of them listed is the Sigg cups that have more of a sport top which may be a fun thing for your son once in a while...but it's not spill-proof so be careful. The Kleen Kanteen are my personal favorite for my daughter.

I've tried cups that are sealed tight and have a straw and I didn't care for those. The next step is an open cup wouldn't you think?

My three year old still uses a sippy cup because the the leak factor. I'd just stick with the sippy cups and around 2 or 3 give open cups with a little water in it in a place where you don't mind things getting wet. We only allow open cups with our 3 year old at the dinner table. It's sippy cups everywhere else.

Well, in my opinion, the "next step" would be a normal cup. I did a Montessori-style approach with my daughter, so she never did a sippy cup and just had a glass of milk on her low (toddler sized) table throughout the day. However, if you want your son to be able to carry something around with him all day, you're probably going to have to stick with the sippy cup or something similiar. One option might be a CamelBak (available at Midwest Mountaineering, REI, or similar stores), as my daughter took to that well; the model I'm thinking of is a waterbottle with a straw that you bite to be able to sip; I would suggest leaving the sip valve off to air after washing. Or they do have those plastic cups with the folding straw at places like Target, perhaps those would be more similar to a cup w/straw.

Good luck!
T.