From the outset I was impressed with the idea of giving something to your baby from (possibly) day one that they’d remember and which grows with them. I started by giving my 5-month-old son Nathaniel the bottle with the teat top and quickly followed it with the sipper and after a couple of weeks the straw.
It's pretty widely accepted that babies thrive on routine and producing the same feeding cup day after day has helped encourage Nathaniel to drink at every mealtime and his eyes lit up every time he saw the striking citrus-coloured bottle.
What we love
I love that you can use the TOMY mOmma Developmental Drinking Set from birth. I was keen to tell my mummy pals at the children's centre about it, especially as it is anti-colic and BPA-free. The easily interchangeable tops made using the mOmma bottle very easy and the handy measurements down the side were great for seeing how much liquid Nathaniel was drinking at each meal.
The built-in rocker at the base of the bottle, which never lets the bottle topple over, was great for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't have to be very precise when I put the bottle down on a surface and, secondly, when Nathaniel tried to take a cheeky swipe at it he was met with the bottle swinging back into place – not what he expected at all. The rocker also means that the feeding top never falls over and comes into contact with a surface, so it remains hygienically clean.
I was very dubious of the straw top to start with, especially as it was supposed to be used from 6 months. However, I was proved wrong when I gave Nathaniel the straw top at 5 months and he managed to suck from it straight away. I was very impressed and immediately looked on Mensa's website, sure that he was a genius!
The optional cleaning brush is also excellent.
What to watch out for
When I kept the restricted flow clip in place I found Nathaniel had to suck very hard on the sipper to get the fluid through it and the sipper soon clogged. However, without it the milk just poured out. When Nathaniel was sucking through the straw I kept the restricted flow clip in place and it was fine, so you might find it's a bit of trial and error getting the flow right for your baby.
Nathaniel found the sipper very hard and he probably liked this top least out of the three. The teat supplied was also only a number one (with one hole, up to 1 month+), which isn't going to last your baby until they move on to weaning (when they should be on a three-hole or even four-hole teat). However, the Philips AVENT teats fit the bottle.
Although the packaging said that the mOmma Developmental Drinking Set is suitable with all sterilisers, I found that it would only just fit in my Philips AVENT steriliser when I had four large bottles and one small bottle in there, so you might end up doing extra sterilising cycles.
After a few uses and washes, the measurements on the side of the bottle have started to wear off, which I feel is a bit poor. They could have been printed on better.
Who is the TOMY mOmma Developmental Drinking Set best for?
Design-loving parents who give thought to how their baby will progress with feeding from birth.
The TOMY mOmma Developmental Drinking Set is based on an easy-to-use feeding cup suitable from birth with brilliant design features. However, if the sipper had been made from silicone it would have been easier to use.
