Air Up Mini Sipper Review: our verdict on the compact version of the hugely popular kids’ water bottle

Price on writing: £30 | Buy now from Air Up

How we tested

My kids, aged four and eight, each tested an Air Up Mini Sipper water bottle over the course of a school term. Bottles were ferried back and forth in school bags and kit bags (ballet and football) and provided half-time hydration at my son’s football matches. The bottles accompanied us on weekend trips around London and a holiday to Brighton. I assessed the quality of the Air Up Mini Sipper based on how easy it is to fill, drink from, carry around, open, clean, and most importantly whether it leaked or not. 

Air Up Mini Sipper: our verdict 

• Design: 4/5

• Likelihood to leak: 4/5

• Ease of cleaning: 4/5

• Value for money: 2/5

Since launching in 2019, AirUp water bottles have achieved something of a cult status and are idolised in playgrounds and parks across the country. 

We succumbed to the hype and bought an original Air Up for my son last Christmas and I’ve never seen him as excited about something as practical as a water bottle. But an Air Up is no ordinary drinking vessel: thanks to an innovative mouthpiece and a scent-emitting flavour pod, it tricks drinkers into thinking they're sipping something far more exciting than plain old water without consuming any sugar or flavourings at all. 

And while he loved the novelty of a magic water bottle and I loved the fact that he willingly drank more H2O than ever before, I often found it cumbersome to carry around and had to mop up a few school bag spillages. Which is why we’ve fully embraced the Air Up Mini Sipper. It’s a revamped version of the original bottle that’s been designed with kids in mind. It’s smaller and lighter with a chunky silicone finger grip and it features a click-and-sip lid which offers more security on the leakage front than the original screw-top design. Oh, and it’s now dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. 

It’s solid and sturdy and the compact shape is a welcome improvement. The click-and-sip lid is a little tricky for smaller hands to push shut but less fiddly (and certainly better at preventing leaks) than the screw-top lid. The main drawback is the price. At £30, it’s incredibly expensive for a water bottle, especially if you’re buying for siblings. But the Mini Sipper has been everywhere with us over the past few months and is still going strong after being dropped on pavements, wooden floors and grass. And it makes staying hydrated fun, which is a price worth paying for IMO.

-Brand recommended by Mumsnet user, LostMySocks

What’s the difference between the Air Up Mini Sipper and the Air Up Classic water bottle?

Pictured: The difference in size between the Air Up Classic (left) and the Air Up Mini Sipper (right).

The main difference between the Air Up Mini Sipper and the Classic water bottle is size and weight. The Mini Sipper is designed with kids in mind so it’s shorter than the Classic bottle (25cm vs 29.5cm) and it’s much lighter (170g vs 500g). And its maximum capacity is 600ml vs 650ml, which is still on the large side for a kids’ water bottle and makes it feel heavy when full. I think a smaller capacity would be even better for a child-friendly version.

The Mini Sipper also features a larger silicone finger grip making it easier for smaller fingers to hold. And instead of a screw-top fastening it has a clip-and-sip design so the lid flips open at the push of a button. Great for making sure that you don't lose the lid and also for providing a secure leak-proof solution. My eight-year-old finds it easy to press the button and shut the lid but it took a while for my four-year-old to get to grips with and she needs to use both hands to fully close it.

Flavour pods can be used across all bottles. You don’t need to buy separate pods to fit different versions.

Air Up water bottle dimensions

Air Up Mini Sipper: Height: 25cm | Weight: 170g | Capacity: 600ml

Air Up Classic: Height: 29.5cm | Weight: 500g | Capacity: 650ml

How does the Air Up water bottle work and what are the flavour pods like?

While the base of an Air Up looks like an ordinary water bottle, the magic happens in the mouthpiece. When you push a flavour pod (a plastic disc) onto the silicone straw and suck water from it, the pod releases a scent that tricks the brain into thinking that you’re drinking flavoured water. Around 80% of what we perceive as flavour derives from smell so it stands to reason that if you get a whiff of something fruity while sipping, your mind wanders to that flavour. It’s sensory trickery in action. 

We found some of the pods more ‘flavourful’ than others. Bear in mind that you’ll get a subtle nod to a flavour rather than a potent hit so the flavours themselves are all quite delicate. We found cola and peach stronger and more sippable than the gummy bear pod. The Air Up Mini Sipper comes with a pack of three flavour pods and it’s well worth experimenting with a few different options to find your preferred pods. 

-Brand recommended by Mumsnet user, scrivette

Is the Air Up Mini Sipper leakproof?

If the lid is fully closed then yes! The trouble is it can be hard to push the button that activates the click-and-sip mechanism and you need some force to fully close it. The smaller the hands, the trickier this is. 

Having said that it’s much better at keeping leaks at bay than the Air Up Classic bottle with its screw-top lid. I always kept the Classic bottle upright when carrying it around, whereas the Air Up Mini Sipper can sit on its side during transit if the lid is fully closed. 

How easy is it to clean the Air Up Mini Sipper?

It’s dishwasher safe, hurrah! Made from Tritan, a hard wearing recycled plastic with a silicone straw, the whole thing (minus the flavour pods) can be bunged in the dishwasher so you don’t have to worry about finding an implement to reach to the base of the bottle and inside the mouthpiece, making it very easy to clean. 

Is an Air Up Mini Sipper worth it? 

There’s no getting away from the fact that at £30, the Air Up Mini Sipper is very expensive. Especially when some of the best kids’ water bottles can be picked up for around a fiver. 

Premium brands like the Liewood water bottle sell for around £25 although these offer insulation. 

The Air Up Mini Sipper is very sturdy and hard wearing, and you’re ultimately paying for an innovative design that you won’t find in any other water bottle. It’s a product that will get your kids excited about drinking water instead of sugary drinks so it’s a win-win for kids and parents and I think it’s worth the investment, particularly if you can nab one during a seasonal sale or a Black Friday promotion. 

About the author 

Rachel Erdos is an Editor at Mumsnet where she commissions, edits and writes content with a focus on family travel, product reviews and homeware roundups.

She’s written buyer’s guides for publications including Expert Reviews and Coach as well as reviews and features for the Guardian, TripSavvy and Visit London.

A mum of two, she’s always on the lookout for products that make life easier at home as well as uncovering genuine deals for families to help lighten the load. 

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.