I’ve had my eye on the Elk and Friends products for a few years. Many people I know use and recommend them, and I thought they would be the perfect addition to our kitchen.
We have been transitioning away from plastic and other harmful materials in our home to more eco-friendly and safe products. We use a lot of glass and stainless steel, which is often times more expensive than others. This is one reason I was drawn to Elk and Friends. Their products are glass and stainless steel, and they all come in multipack – perfect for homes with many children. The bundled price they offer really cuts down on cost and makes their sets more affordable.
Elk and Friends offers a few different styles of cups that are glass or stainless steel. They have multiple sizes available – 8, 10, 12, and 16 ounce. Their silicone straws are very sturdy and well made, but better yet, easy to clean. The straws also have a stopper on them that really helps out when giving the cups to a young child. Each cup comes with two lids – one with a hole for the straw to fit in, and one with an air tight, leak proof seal.
I was given two sets to use and review. One set we use for the kids and the other set I use, I call them my mom cups.
The “mom set” I was given is perfect for moms on the go. They are 16 ounce glass cups with a silicone sleeve on them. The best part though, I love the straw. I have learned over the years that I drink much more water when I have a straw in my cup. It’s just easier, and I need easier during the days. These 16 ounce drinking tumblers are perfect for water, smoothies, and more.
I am a bit disappointed that there are only two plastic seals that came with the set. I like to use them as storage containers, but I can only use two at a time. This is certainly something that is not a deal breaker, but it is a bit inconvenient.
The cups are so stylish and the muted color tones of this set are perfect for a mom. The colors are pretty neutral and they can be mixed and matched too. These would be a great Christmas gift for someone on your list!
I love the colors that Elk and Friends provides; they are so bright and really perfect for any child. Most of their sets are gender neutral but there are a lot of sets that could be used specifically for boys or girls. They also have many neutral colors that aren’t super bright and colorful, too. These, I feel, are more geared towards parents, moms specifically. They are really cute earthy tones, perfect for homes with boys and girls in the family.
These cups have really surprised me with how durable they are. My one year old likes to take them out of the drawer and often times he throws them on the floor. Although I don’t love that the cups occasionally get thrown on the floor, I am [obviously] grateful for the durability.
Connect with Elk and Friends
The first downside that I came across with these cups is that they need fully disassembled in order to get fully washed. This is by no means a reason for us to stop using the cups, but just takes a bit more time when washing. We take the silicone sleeves off of the glass jars and wash them separately, as well as the silicone seal from the lid.
As you can see in the photo above, the silicone is dirty where the glass and the silicone were touching. The remedy to this is nothing outstanding, but it’s just something we needed to learn for ourselves. This is certainly not something that will stop us from using these cups. We still love them!
One other downside that we have experienced with the cups is with the straws. For the most part they are pretty stop-proof, but my kids have been able to pull the straw out of the lid, despite the stoppers best efforts. The straws have a stopper on them that stops them from being pulled up out of the lid. This is super helpful when you have younger children who don’t understand yet. My one year old has not been able to pull the straw completely out of the cup, but my strong four year old has. He is at an age where he understands though, so we had a conversation with him about it, and it hasn’t happened again. Just something to keep in mind.
In all seriousness though, we are really liking the Elk and Friends cups and I do recommend them to any family who has children.