It does have a sleek oval shape, which refers back to the look of the Closer to Nature bottle, and it takes up less bench space. It contains a neat space for everything inside, with purpose-built slots for six Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles, teats and dome tops.
It’s really simple to add just 80ml of water to the bottom of the steriliser, and the lid fits snug and secure on top of the unit. A push button glows orange when the steriliser is switched on and goes off automatically when the cycle is finished five minutes later. You then need to leave the usual three minutes cooling time before opening.
The contents stay sterile for a full 24 hours if the lid remains closed - so you could turn it on before bed, and have clean bottles at the ready in the morning.
What we love
As the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Steam Steriliser is completely BPA free, it offers a worry-free option for cleaning baby bottles safely and easily.
The fact that the cycle is so quick is a huge advantage, and the unit simply turns itself off when it’s finished, which is a perfect feature when you’re feeling sleep-deprived and mummy brained!
It cools down within three minutes and the lid can be removed and used as a tray to keep the items sterile, which I found really useful. It’s also good value for money, as you get two free Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles, a soother and a bottle brush with the steriliser.
The steriliser was really simple to take apart and clean afterwards, and the design means it can be tucked away against the wall and takes up minimal space on the kitchen surface.
It’s perfect to set up at night too, as you turn the unit on in the evening and wake up in the morning to plenty of clean bottles, which is perfect! It also counts down from three hours to let you know how long you have left before the bottles are no longer sterile.
What to watch out for
As with any steriliser, it’s important to allow it enough time to cool down and to remove the lid carefully, as steam can escape. The bottles and teats also take quite a while to cool down after the sterilisation cycle has finished, so it’s a good idea to remember this if you’re in a hurry.
It can be quite fiddly to fit all six bottles into the steriliser, too. The ideal bottles for this steriliser are those with a wide-neck design and while the Tomee Tippee Closer to Nature bottles fit perfectly, Philips AVENT bottles fit in snugly, too.
As with many electric sterilisers, it's recommended you descale it every so often. Tommee Tippee says to do so every four weeks, using a descaler specifically designed for electric sterilisers. This means a bit is more cleaning work than you'd get with a microwave steriliser, but it's certainly not something unique to this steriliser.
Who is the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Steam Steriliser best for?
Mums who use Closer to Nature or wide-neck bottles looking for a compact plug-in unit.
Other than needing a bit of practice to assemble, this BPA free steriliser is a great product that automatically switches off, so it doesn’t matter if you get distracted. Although it isn’t small, the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Electric Steam Steriliser is reasonably compact considering it holds up to six bottles and is smartly designed. The fast sterilisation cycle means it’s quick and easy to use, but it’s best suited to mums who prefer short, wide neck style bottles.
