Montessori Drinking Pitchers for Every Age and Stage

For most children, water is something they are interacting with on a daily basis. It becomes a wonderful opportunity for independence even for the youngest of children. When it comes to water for drinking, children can be given the opportunity to participate in the process from a very young age. By offering the right tools, we can give children independence and help them to be successful. 

If a pitcher is too small, your child might become frustrated with needing to fill it so frequently. If a pitcher is too big, it may be too cumbersome for your child to use it correctly -- which can lead to a large mess. Here is a look at the pitchers we have introduced with Gus and Nora. 

The first pitcher we introduced with both Gus and Nora was a very small pitcher. Nora had a slightly different metal creamer, and Gus had this glass creamer. In either case, I wanted to limit the amount of water available to something manageable. We introduced around 12/13 months for both of them. 

Nora's was a metal version because that is what we had. While there's nothing wrong with it, I do think it was harder for her to learn when to stop pouring since she couldn't see the liquid. But, she did learn. If glass makes you uncomfortable, a plastic version is also available (although it does not have a handle.) 

Once my kids have gotten a bit older (around 18-20m) and have a little bit more strength, I have upgraded them to a slightly larger intermediate pitcher. This isn't to say they were perfect with pouring - they most certainly weren't - but it gave them a more reasonable amount of water to drink for their age. Because, at the end of the day, this work is supposed to be practical. For me, I naturally knew it was time to give a bit more water when I was starting to fill the pitcher multiple times for one glass of drinking water. Gus (25 months) uses this pitcher daily now. 

Our intermediate pitcher was found at a local kitchen store {similar}. Again, the specific pitcher matters less than finding something that is big enough to fill your child's needs for a bit more independence without something huge. 

Eventually, my children have moved to this pitcher (or here.) Even at nearly 8-years-old, Henry uses this pitcher regularly, it's also the pitcher that Nora uses.  It's sturdy, it's a great size, and it's design makes for easy pouring. Typically, I make this available once my kids are mostly pouring steadily and have the arm strength to lift it easily. Usually this has been somewhere after their 2nd birthday. Gus isn't quite ready for this yet since its a bit too heavy for him to easily stop pouring. 

(2023 update: this pitcher is still what we use daily for older kids.)

At this point, I really haven't seen then need to upgrade to any other pitcher for my children. At some point, I think they naturally start to move toward pouring from the regular container (and getting water from our dispenser). But having a few options from an early age has given them the confidence and skills to handle water and practice some great self care in getting their own drinks!