Nothing makes me more nervous than purchasing a new cup for my daughter. To date there is only one cup she will drink out of happily and that is the Tommee Tippee First Cup - and even that took a lot of hard work.

What I was really looking for as I browsed the shelves of Tesco was a Thermos flask style piece of kit so I would take her warmed milk out and about with us in something other than a bottle in an insulated bottle bag. Firstly, my daughter has always refused to drink from a bottle so it is a little at odds to be carrying her milk around in one and also my daughter is one now so I felt it time to move on and find something a little more toddler-like for her milk.

I felt instantly defeated by the shelves filled with sports-style bottles as I had no doubt my daughter would struggle with the technique required to drink liquid out of these. As already stated, she has never taken to a bottle which requires the same kind of sucking action. Even cups with valves have proved difficult for her.

So I moved on from these and then I spied the Tommee Tippee Explora Active Sipper for children aged 12 months and over. Unlike the others is has a little lip from which a child can sip and a valve which can be taken out - which would be ideal for my daughter.

The cup also clearly stated it was insulated which was just what I was after. It look like it would do a good job at this as it was made up of a clear external beaker decorated very prettily in flowers and birds, then there was a space inside which created a vacuum just like in a Thermos flask, before coming to a smaller purple-coloured beaker right inside into which you pour the liquid. The lid screws on and off and is also purple in colour but this particular cup does come in a variety of other colours and designs, some of which are more suitable for boys.

This cup appeared to be the ideal cup. I could store the warm milk inside and keep it warm whilst on the go and there was a good chance my daughter could drink straight out of it, if I removed the valve, saving on taking an extra cup out with us.

The Result
My daughter loved the design of the cup. It immediately caught her eye and she picked it up - she did this quite easily despite the cup having a rather large circumference - and began examining the pictures on it in delight.

I decided to try out the insulating ability of this cup before going out and about with it, so warmed up my daughter's mid-morning milk around two hours ahead of schedule before tipping it into the cup and leaving it to stand on the dining table until it was time to drink it. The test was - would it still be warm.

Two hours later I poured the milk into my daughter's usual cup and it was tepid. The cup hadn't kept it warm at all. A great disappointment.

I didn't want this cup to be a waste of money so I decided to put some water into it and offer my daughter a drink, with the valve in place and then without. As I suspected, with the valve my daughter couldn't get the water our. Without the valve, and even with me holding it, the water came out far too fast from the considerably large hole in the lip of the lid and spilled down her front.

I had one other use for this cup that I could think of. I decided to put some water in it and, valve in place, take it out in the nappy bag as a water flask. No water escaped from the cup whilst we were out even though admittedly I had made sure it was wedged in the bag in an upright position. Nevertheless it was the best use I could get out if it. My search for a child's Thermos flask continues.

Conclusion
If you, like me, are looking for a container to take warmed milk out and about in, do not purchase this insulated cup because it is not insulated. However, if you are looking for a pretty cup and your toddler is good at drinking out of cups with valves this is a very good cup to buy.
If like me your child is a little more fastidious about the container she drinks out of again give this cup a wide berth.