Gives parents a (slightly!) easier life...! (Tommee Tippee Electronic Steam Steriliser)

Member Name: sambam000

Product:	Tommee Tippee Electronic Steam Steriliser
Date:	20/06/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick, easy & compact.

Disadvantages: May be too small for some.

Even though I was planning to breastfeed, I figured I'd need a steriliser at some point, so after figuring out the different types I decided to go for an electric one. Electric steam sterilisers are more expensive than the traditional cold water sterilisers, or microwave sterilisers, but I'd been told they were much easier & quicker to operate. Now I'm all for an easy life, so I splashed the cash & went for the electric Tommee Tippee version....

As it was, I didn't need to splash so much cash after all. The usual RRP of £39.99 was slashed to a mere £25 on Amazon.co.uk, & I have since seen this steriliser on similar price offers at various other stores.

What swayed me toward the TT version was the shape. Every other steriliser seemed to be round & therefore took up a lot of space. The TT one however is a much flatter, more oval shape, with a flat back that sits neatly against the wall on the kitchen counter. I'm very glad that it is so neat, what with my minimalist lifestyle & counter space being at a premium.

The steriliser couldn't be easier to use. Just fill it with previously cleaned bottles/teats/dummies etc, pour 80ml of water in the base, switch it on & away it goes! After 5 or so minutes the display shows a number '3' which indicates that the cycle has finished & the contents will remain sterile for 3 hours. The counter then counts down through '2' & '1', after which the contents need re-sterilising.

The steriliser needs de-scaling every month (this will depend on the hardness of water in your area). The book says to use citric acid, but doesn't explain how to use it safely. Instead, I buy steriliser descaler from Boots which is approx. £2.19 for 6 sachets.

The steriliser also included a start kit (apparantly worth over £18). This included 3 TT bottles, a bottle cleaning brush & a 'bottle-to'cup'.

I'm only ever sterilising a maximum of 2 bottles & a breast pump, so everything fits in well for me (a 'tray' at the top is also useful for small items such as dummies). Supposedly the steriliser will hold 6 bottles, but I can imagine this would be a tight squeeze & perhaps impossible.

Overall, it fits in well with my lifestyle & I would recommend it to anyone who wants an easier life! If bought on offer, it's a very good price too.

(Also published on ciao under the same username).

Summary: Recommended.