Tommee Tippee First Cup > Reviews (22)

After going through all the pain and fuss of teething, the last thing I wanted was for Freddy’s first teeth to start rotting as they came into contact with juice. So as soon as his teeth started coming through at the tender age of four months, I immediately bought him a beaker for juice. As with many aspects of Freddy’s care, we were very lucky and he took to the first beaker we bought, which was this, the Tommee Tippee First Cup (henceforth known as the cup). In fact he took to it so well, that we bought him another for making the important transition from bottle to cup for his milk, which is a process that it’s recommended that you attempt to complete by the age of one.

The Beaker Revealed

Available in three colours (pink, blue and green) the Tommee Tippee First Cup is a beaker that has been designed to be used for babies as young as four months of age. As this cup is designed to be used for such young babies, it won’t hold a huge amount of fluid, in fact it only holds a maximum of 190ml. The actual beaker is made of semi-transparent BPA free plastic, with clear markings up the side that allow you to gauge how much little one has drunk. The two handles are symmetrically placed and a good size for little hands to hold on to, not so thin that they cut in to baby’s hand, but thin enough to fit in the littlest of grips. The lid is made of an opaque plastic (again BPA free), snaps firmly into place and features a free-flowing spout that folds down when not in use. As a whole the cup is well finished, with no sharp edges that might cut baby’s hands or mouth.

As an adult I find it fairly easy to snap the lid closed, although the trick is to ensure that the spout is up, otherwise it just won’t click into place. Removing the lid can be a little more problematic, it does take a little force, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way, because as hard as it is for me to remove, it’s even harder for little hands to pull off. In the main, cleaning the cup is simple, the whole cup is dishwasher safe, should you have one of them. For those, who like me, use a sink to wash up in, the lid does cause a minor problem, in that it can be quite difficult to clean around the spout where it folds into the lid. The cup is also steriliser-safe, our original cup has been sterilised using both the cold water and steam methods and looks almost as good as new.

As far as durability goes, we’ve had one of these cups for eight months now and it’s been used more times than I can count along with being thrown across the room. Although the spout does show evidence that a certain little man has sharp teeth and the ‘Tommee Tippee’ label has long since faded, the actual cup is still perfectly usable. As well as being used at home, we take this cup out with us for drinks on the go. I have previously used a version of this cup over the last twenty years, and I will say that Tommee Tippee do seem to have improved the design recently, meaning that there are fewer leakages. I still don’t trust the cups completely and always put them in a plastic sandwich bag for travelling, but so far I haven’t ended up with puddles of juice in the changing bag.

The Cup In Use

We first started giving Freddy water in this cup when he was four months old and at that point we were really only trying to get him used to the idea of having a drink from something other than the boob or bottle. At this stage I was sterilising the cup before every use and then only partially filling it with a very small amount of cooled boiled water. The look on Freddy’s face as the water poured out of the spout really was a picture as he coughed and spluttered. Lesson number one, although this cup is supposed to be suitable for younger babies, in all likelihood they will find that the liquid comes out slightly too fast.

Over the next couple of months we persevered with the cup and Freddy steadily learnt how to drink from it and then hold it himself. At a year old Freddy now has two of these cups, one for juice and another for milk and is proficient at using them (if a little messy). Even when the cup is filled to maximum capacity it’s still light enough for him to hold and lift to his mouth with one hand. Where he used to find that the drink would come out a little too fast, he now needs to help it along by sucking, but has no difficulty drinking from it. When I say no difficulty, I mean little difficulty, he does get frustrated that he can’t get the last little bit out, no matter how much he tips the cup. This is because of where the spout is positioned, the only way he would be able to get at the dregs is to somehow tip the cup upside down and into his mouth.

Although the cup is fairly leak-proof when travelling, it’s not quite Freddy-proof. The fact that the spout is free-flowing means that if he tips it upside-down or violently shakes it, juice or milk will spill out, much to his amusement. Although Freddy isn’t quite ready to move onto the next stage, once he is the lid can be removed to allow him to use the cup as, well, a standard cup. The two handles will give him greater control as he masters the art of drinking from a normal cup.

BPA, What’s BPA then?

You may have noticed that I referred to the cup being BPA-free, and be wondering exactly what BPA is. Well, BPA stands for Bisphenol A and is an organic compound commonly used to make plastics. As well as giving plastic it’s clear, shatterproof properties BPA is believed to possibly be carcinogenic (cancer causing) as well as contributing to other possible health problems. Now, I’ve read up on this as much as I can and from what I can tell, none of the research is completely conclusive, but so as to minimise risks to our special little ones, it’s really a good idea to stick to BPA-free bottles where possible.

Final Words

The Tommee Tippee First Cup is an ideal first cup for a baby from about four months of age, although it will take them time and patience for them to learn to drink from it. I would say that Freddy didn’t really master the art until he was almost six months, but he still uses the same cups now six months later. Excepting the area around the spout, they are easy to clean and they are extremely durable and hard-wearing, with the original cup still going strong eight months later. They are also a good size for babies and young toddlers to hold, holding enough fluid to quench their first, but still being light enough for them to be able to feed themselves. And at only £2 each, if it’s not going to break the bank if your little one really can’t get on with it. And so I’m giving the Tommee Tippee First Cup a resounding four stars out of and recommending it to any parent of a baby who is ready to begin the transition from bottle to cup.