Classic Brands: Tommee Tippee

“Loved by babies. Recommended by mums”. I’m not sure how factually accurate the first claim is, but the latter certainly rings true. Tommee Tippee is one of those brands with so much useful stuff that you don’t realise how much of it you’ve accumulated until, um, you go to write a blog about it.

From feeding to teething to bath time, grooming, and weaning; they’ve got so many of the basic day to day items covered that it’s easy to overlook how in depth the design process actually is. A sippy cup is just not a sippy cup at TT. It’s a ‘discovera’, with 3 stages covered from First Sips to Active Drinking.

They all have patented Samtech valves which are sensitive, flexible and basically guarantee no spills. I’m not sure if the technology is the most remarkable aspect of this range, or just that that the marketing department came up with such definite names for the different stages of learning to drink from cups…..

But seriously, there is no stone left unturned over at TT – with breastfeeding aids such as a breast pump kit, milk storage containers, nipple shields, and breast pads (and they’re about as glamorous as they sound but anything to help such an important process gets my vote!); bottle feeding necessities such as, well, bottles (wide neck, narrow neck, decorated, grippy, ‘closer to nature’ breast-shaped), teats, washing and sterilising aids; comforters (silicone and latex, technical and/or funky) and teethers; and weaning products galore, most of which are works of indisputable genius – whoever came up with the Stay Put Suction Bowls, the Loop Spoons or the Roll’n’Go bibs deserves a medal. Or at least a gold star sticker.

It’s amazing how fast baby’s nails grow – get a Nail Care Set before you even set foot in the maternity ward, and one of the soft Brush’n’Comb sets for their superfine hair. We have both and are still using them 3 years on – my daughter loves her ‘manicures’ as much as I do! Other essentials worth investing in include the Digital Thermometer for a quick and accurate temperature reading, and the suction-on car Sun Shades. None of the above will set you back much more than a latte-and-muffin hit, but the benefits come with far less carbs.

At bathtime, I can personally vouch for the Tub Toy Bag – a cheap and easy way to neatly store the oodles of squeaking plastic you’ll inevitably accumulate – and the cute Bath Critters for washing. They come in Frog, Duck or Crab designs, and not, in fact, any scary gremlin-esque shapes which the word ‘critter’ may evoke. I can’t say I’m 100% convinced by the inflatable Duck Tub, but no doubt it would come in handy when travelling; and from experience it seems that copious amounts of bubbles and the occasional poking of their bellybutton are all kids need to be amused, but I do like the look of the Stack & Float sea creatures and the cute rubber duckies – I want the one with the cocktail!