Are Glass Straws Safe for Kids? A Dental Hygienist's Take
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"Isn't glass dangerous for kids?" is one of the first questions we get, and it's a fair one — nobody wants to hand their child something that could shatter. Here's the honest answer, starting with what "glass straw" actually means.
Not all glass is the same glass
The glass in a drinking glass or a wine bottle is soda-lime glass — it's what most people picture when they hear "glass," and it can chip or shatter under stress. Reusable glass straws, including ours, are made from borosilicate glass — the same material used in laboratory glassware, measuring cups, and bakeware. Borosilicate is manufactured to resist thermal shock and is significantly more durable under everyday impact than standard glass. It's why your kitchen already has borosilicate glass in it, probably in a baking dish, and nobody thinks twice about it.
What actually matters for kids: wall thickness
Within borosilicate glass straws, not all of them are built the same. Our Classic straws use a 2mm wall thickness — noticeably sturdier than the thin-walled glass straws sold by many competitors. That extra thickness is also why we're able to back every straw with a lifetime guarantee against breaks, cracks, and chips: it's not a straw we're hoping survives daily use, it's one that's built to.
The case for glass over the alternatives
Every straw material has a tradeoff, and it's worth being honest about them:
Plastic straws are the thing most people are trying to move away from in the first place — they're not recyclable in most municipal systems, and some contain additives parents would rather avoid.
Metal straws conduct temperature (they get hot with hot drinks, cold with cold ones) and have a firm edge that doesn't give the way glass does — something to think about for younger kids' teeth and gums.
Silicone straws are the softest option, but they're harder to see food or residue inside, and over time some retain odors and flavors from previous drinks.
Glass straws are transparent, so you can see at a glance whether one is actually clean, don't retain flavors or odors, and rinse clean the way a drinking glass does.
Our own answer to the safety question
Simply Straws was founded by a dental hygienist, and the questions we ask about a product before we sell it — what's it made of, what does it do to teeth over years of use, is it actually safe near a mouth — come from that background. Beyond the material itself, our glass straws are dentist recommended because compared to sipping straight from a cup, drinking through a straw positioned correctly can help reduce the contact acidic or staining drinks have with tooth enamel.
For younger children, we'd still say what any manufacturer should: supervise use, and consider a shorter, wider straw size that's less likely to be bitten down on. But the material itself — thick-walled borosilicate glass — is a genuinely durable, food-safe choice, not a risk you're taking for the sake of sustainability.