Tommee Tippee Bottle and Teat Brush
Product Type: Tommee Tippee kids equipment
Newest Review: ... in one. My experience I have found the brush very easy to use. I found the best way to use the brush was with hot soapy water in th... more
Tommee's Bottle Brush Is Fit For the Tippee
Tommee Tippee Bottle and Teat Brush
Member Name: Hishyeness
Product:
Tommee Tippee Bottle and Teat Brush
Date: 14/11/09
Rating:
Advantages: Works well cleaning bottles.
Disadvantages: Makes hard work of teats. Prone to breaking. Poor value for money.
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INTRODUCTION
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Although my wife is quite successfully breastfeeding Baby H, she also expresses a fair bit of milk so that I can share in the "delights" of the nightly feed in the wee hours of the morning. It also gives her a chance to have a breather every now and again and for me to enjoy the closeness and contact with baby when feeding him at more sociable hours.
The upshot of all this is that we usually have a fair few bottles to wash and sterilise, and given that our little mite has taken a shine to the Tommee Tippee "Closer to nature" range of baby bottles, we thought we'd better invest in a bottle brush.
Following the seemingly foolproof logic that the same brand of brush would probably be optimised for the manufacturer's own bottles, we plumped for the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottle and Teat Brush (despite the ridiculous name).
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WHAT IS IT?
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The product is essentially a fancy double-ended brush shaped and designed to make the cleaning of the inside of baby bottles, and the hard to get to area inside a bottle teat, much simpler and easier. The brush is about 10 inches (or 26cm) long and has a teat brush on one end and a bottle brush on the other, both of which are made of flexible, easy to clean, durable nylon.
It has a robust twisted wire central shaft with an ergonomic plastic handle about two thirds of the way along which is dimpled and rubberised to increase grip. The shaft is not actually one piece (which would have made the unit stronger), instead, each brush is individually fitted and glued into either end of the handle.
The brush comes in a plastic cylinder with a white plastic lid stapled to each end. It stands on its end, making it a useful way to store the brush next to the sink when not in use.
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DOES IT WORK?
~~~~~~~~~~~
In two words - yes and no - the bottle brush does a fairly good job of getting to the hard to reach places inside its own brand, specially designed bottles. However, it falls down on the teat side of things - there really aren't enough bristles at the very top of the teat brush to do a really effective job of removing dried on milk, so I have taken to soaking the teats in very hot water for a while before cleaning them.
Even then, it's hard work - as anyone who has experience of cleaning teats knows, if you apply too much force you can end up damaging them, making them useless for baby.
Disappointingly, the teat brush shaft is also prone to bending, and about two weeks after consistent daily use, it actually came away from the handle completely. I managed a home repair with super glue, but I should not be having to do that after such a short period of time. Given that it's a branded product, it carries a price premium that seems wholly unjustified given the lacklustre performance of half of the product.
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VERDICT
~~~~~~
Although this product is widely available (ranging in price from £2.79 to £3.99 depending on the outlet) I expected a lot better from an otherwise reputable company. As such, I am minded to judge its effectiveness and durability more harshly, especially as you are paying for the brand and the packaging as well as the brush.
That said, the fact is that I have yet to find a suitable alternative, so we are sticking with the product for the time being - more out of necessity than anything else. That's hardly a ringing endorsement, so I would avoid if you can find something better.
© Hishyeness 2009
INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Although my wife is quite successfully breastfeeding Baby H, she also expresses a fair bit of milk so that I can share in the "delights" of the nightly feed in the wee hours of the morning. It also gives her a chance to have a breather every now and again and for me to enjoy the closeness and contact with baby when feeding him at more sociable hours.
The upshot of all this is that we usually have a fair few bottles to wash and sterilise, and given that our little mite has taken a shine to the Tommee Tippee "Closer to nature" range of baby bottles, we thought we'd better invest in a bottle brush.
Following the seemingly foolproof logic that the same brand of brush would probably be optimised for the manufacturer's own bottles, we plumped for the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Bottle and Teat Brush (despite the ridiculous name).
~~~~~~~~~
WHAT IS IT?
~~~~~~~~~
The product is essentially a fancy double-ended brush shaped and designed to make the cleaning of the inside of baby bottles, and the hard to get to area inside a bottle teat, much simpler and easier. The brush is about 10 inches (or 26cm) long and has a teat brush on one end and a bottle brush on the other, both of which are made of flexible, easy to clean, durable nylon.
It has a robust twisted wire central shaft with an ergonomic plastic handle about two thirds of the way along which is dimpled and rubberised to increase grip. The shaft is not actually one piece (which would have made the unit stronger), instead, each brush is individually fitted and glued into either end of the handle.
The brush comes in a plastic cylinder with a white plastic lid stapled to each end. It stands on its end, making it a useful way to store the brush next to the sink when not in use.
~~~~~~~~~~~
DOES IT WORK?
~~~~~~~~~~~
In two words - yes and no - the bottle brush does a fairly good job of getting to the hard to reach places inside its own brand, specially designed bottles. However, it falls down on the teat side of things - there really aren't enough bristles at the very top of the teat brush to do a really effective job of removing dried on milk, so I have taken to soaking the teats in very hot water for a while before cleaning them.
Even then, it's hard work - as anyone who has experience of cleaning teats knows, if you apply too much force you can end up damaging them, making them useless for baby.
Disappointingly, the teat brush shaft is also prone to bending, and about two weeks after consistent daily use, it actually came away from the handle completely. I managed a home repair with super glue, but I should not be having to do that after such a short period of time. Given that it's a branded product, it carries a price premium that seems wholly unjustified given the lacklustre performance of half of the product.
~~~~~~
VERDICT
~~~~~~
Although this product is widely available (ranging in price from £2.79 to £3.99 depending on the outlet) I expected a lot better from an otherwise reputable company. As such, I am minded to judge its effectiveness and durability more harshly, especially as you are paying for the brand and the packaging as well as the brush.
That said, the fact is that I have yet to find a suitable alternative, so we are sticking with the product for the time being - more out of necessity than anything else. That's hardly a ringing endorsement, so I would avoid if you can find something better.
© Hishyeness 2009
Summary: I expected far better from an established brand.
