Before you had a toddler, did you ever imagine how many sippy cups you would own? I mean, seriously. All the cups! And, for every cup you own there’s something that’s just not quite right about it, which is why you continue the quest for the perfect cup by buying more and more and more. Preschool Boy has a couple cups that he is comfortable with that don’t leak too badly so he’s in good shape. But, we’re still trying to find a couple cups that are a good fit for Toddler Girl. As part of Mom Bloggers Club, we had the opportunity to try Tommee Tippee cups. The name is funny, but these cups are no joke!
About Tommee Tippee
Tommee Tippee®, from the UK-based Mayborn Group Limited, is the number-one brand of infant and toddler feeding products in Great Britain. Since 1965, Tommee Tippee has earned a reputation for its clever ideas, product quality and simply intuitive designs that promote natural development at every age, stage and feeding need. Today, Tommee Tippee innovations provide comfort for babies and peace of mind for parents in 45 countries around the world.
Drinking Cup Details
- BPA- and Phthalate-free
- Patented advance-flo valve for guaranteed easy drinking
- Super-sensitive Active Sensor valve is truly spill-proof and leakproof, yet allows liquid to flow on demand
- Five stages to find the best cup for your child – Trainer Cup, Sippy Cup, Straw Cup, Water Bottle and Drinking Cup
Our Experience
We received a set of the Trainer Cups and a set of the Sippy Cups for Toddler Girl. The Trainer Cup has handles and and holds 9 pounces and the Sippy Cup holds 11 ounces. The first thing I noticed was the valve – it is unlike any other valve on a sippy cup and it’s actually a little intimidating. 
There are two pieces with lots of nooks and crannies that I feared would be difficult to clean. I like to take a cup apart, but it in the washing machine and be done with it. So, this valve does take a little more effort to clean, but the trade off is that it works really well. It literally doesn’t leak. (Check out this video demonstration on how to clean a Tommee Tippee cup.)
Because Toddler Girl is still breastfeeding I like to offer her cups with a soft spout – both the Trainer Cup and the Sippy Cup have a soft spout. I offered Toddler Girl the Trainer Cup first and she has done really well with it. Another detail that is just plain smart is that the handles are tilted a little bit toward the child to make holding the cup at the right angle easier. When she uses the Sippy Cup, it also has some grips on the side to aid drinking and holding, but obviously it’s still easier for her to hold the Trainer. Both cups also have that grippy material on the bottom of the cup to prevent slipping. There’s also a little flip top that sort of puts a cork in the spout and keeps it clean when not in use.
Overall, I’m really impressed with the cups. The valve design is the biggest difference and it seems to work because we’ve had very little leak problems. Other than the time it was leaking everywhere and I was really annoyed. Until I realized I hadn’t put the valve back in. sigh.
To Buy or Not to Buy
To Buy… Tommee Tippee Cups are extremely popular Great Britain and I’m not surprised. The design is pretty smart and the valve seems to truly work – it prevents leaks but is also easy for little ones to use. Even though she’s 15 months old, my daughter is still getting used to cups and she does really well with both her Tommee Tippees.
Or Not to Buy… Of our four cups, one cup was VERY difficult to open the first time we used it and that particular cup leaks at the seam between the top and bottom of the cup. We haven’t had that problem with any of the other four cups so I think there was something a little off about that particular cup.
Shop! Tommee Tippee cups are now available exclusively at Babies R Us. Single cups are $4.99 and a set of two cups is $7.99.
Taryn
February 19, 2010These are really cute! I’ll have to check them out at BRU.
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy
February 20, 2010We love our Tommee Tippee cups! We had problems when we put Sprite in one, but other than that, they’re great!
Jennifer H
February 20, 2010Great review! They are super cute.
traci s
February 20, 2010i really love the bright colors
Monica
February 20, 2010I just bought these too! So far I like them, I wish they weren’t so wide, they are so big to hold. I am intimidated by cleaning the valves too, will have to watch this video!
Yes, the sippy is pretty big. My daughter does much better with the trainer cup with handles.
Amanda
February 21, 2010That’s pretty cool that Tommee Tippee cups are making a comeback. Those are the cups I had when I was small. My grandma gave the ones she still had to me for my oldest, but I preferred the newer no leak designs for him.
April
February 21, 2010I’ll definitely be checking these out! Our favorite sippy cups are Mepal brand, but as far as I know, they are only available in Europe. They don’t leak and the valve looks like it might work the same way as the Tommee Tippees. Here’s a photo of the cup we have http://www.bastiaantje.nl/images/M008b.jpg
I will say that Kiefer did much better with the Munchkin straw cups than anything else just after he weaned. The anti-leak feature on the Mepal cups meant he really had to suck to get the liquid out. Of course, we like it now because we can give him chocolate milk in the cup and know that it will not be all over our beautiful carpets!
Thanks for the review!
April, that cup is so Euro-looking that I had to giggle. I swear that the US is still several years behind European baby gear – apparently cups included. For example, the baby stores in Germany had things that seemed, well, foreign (like sleepsacks and tummy tubs) and now those are gaining popularity in the States.
Anyway, the cool thing about this cup is that it is shockingly easy to drink from. Yes, I tried! It really doesn’t require the kind of effort some other sippy cups do. And yet when you hold it upside down or sideways, it doesn’t leak.
Thanks for the reply. I am glad to know that they’re easy to drink from. Since we either have to stock up when we’re visiting hubby’s family in the Netherlands or ask them to send us a package, it is good to know that the Tommee Tippee cups are truly leak free AND easy to drink from.
I had to laugh that mentioned the tummy tubs. My mother-in-law was telling me about them after Kiefer was born. I thought she was crazy, but she just rubs me the wrong way sometimes. Anyway, now that they’re becoming popular here, I can’t see one without thinking of her!
Michelle
April 5, 2010I absolutely love these cups and so does my son. I also bought four of these cups and had no issues with any of them, so I am sure the one you got must have had a mistake on it. I couldn’t believe how truly spill proof these cups are and am so glad we finally have a product out there that matches our toddler’s needs! It’s so great to not have to clean up milk and juice spills all day!
Ryan
May 31, 2010Great sippy cup BUT…the valve housing comes loose and falls out sometimes when the child drops or throws the cup. We have 6 of these cups (4-short w/ handles & 2 tall w/ no handles) — and all six of them do this and liquid POURS out when the valve comes loose.
are you sure you are pushing the valve firmy into its seat? (best using both thumbs)
Yes, of course. I’m a fairly technical person and its easy to tell when the valve is not installed properly. I was quite impressed with the design of this cup until running into this issue. My thought is the plastic clips become worn from the removal and installation process after every cleaning…or else the clips weaken from the dishwasher.
As great as this cup is, it looses major points due to the size of the mess caused versus even the most simple cups (like the old school platex cup sold at any drug store). The classic designs spray or let a few drops out…but I’ve never experienced a design like this where there is potential for ALL the liquid to leak out when dropped on a hard surface upright.
K Clark
September 1, 2010I was not impressed.I got better results out of the new playtex sippy cups.Both of my tommee sippy cups leak.