We just got this water bottle and my daughter was thrilled. However, in her second year of elementary school, we lost it and it was probably stolen, unfortunately, and now we have to replace it. We got a 500ml one for my 5-year-old daughter and a 750ml one for my 7-year-old son. They were just fine pressing the button and drinking water; they were so excited about the mechanism, everyone envied our water bottles! The advantage of this bottle compared to the one with the straw is that you don't have to worry about the cap breaking from bites, etc., although as kids grow up, they don't chew on the caps as much. At least mine don't. Now, if you ask me which is better, the one with the cap or the one with the straw, I would say both have their charm. We have both, but we are more excited about this one because of the unusual mechanism. It's very easy to wash; I would suggest never putting it in the dishwasher, just like "any" water bottle... that's it! Also, for the past two years that we've had them, nothing has happened to them except for a few scratches on the bottom from use! I highly recommend it!