TOMY Lamaze Non-Spill Cups with Freddie the Firefly
We are huge fans of the Lamaze range in our house and both Bud and Little Miss have had special toys featuring the usual mix of fabrics, textures and fun that are distinctive to the range. Bud still has his Freddie the Firefly and Little Miss loves her My Friend Emily so, when TOMY sent us two new non-spill cups from Lamaze featuring these favourite characters we were delighted to try them out!
The new range of cups is available in two sizes - 210ml and 270ml - and two designs in each size - Freddie the Firefly and My Friend Emily adorn a cup in each size. We were sent the 210ml My Friend Emily cup and the 270ml Freddie the Firefly.
The 270ml cup is a really bright pink design with the trademark Lamaze branding and a full colour picture of My Friend Emily, it is suitable from six months onwards so would be a great first cup. This is a Soft Spout Trainer Cup which promises to be non-spill. Now, Little Miss is something of a pourer. In fact her favourite game is to upend her cup and see just how much of her water she can pour all over herself and her surroundings before she gets caught out! I'm pleased to say that this cup has met expectations, I can hold it upside down and shake it and only a tiny amount of liquid emerges. The cup is in three parts, with a lid, handle and main body. The spout forms part of the handle and this unscrews completely. Often with non-spill cups Little Miss will struggle to drink from them as the valve means that your child has to suck really hard to make the valve work. This isn't the case with this cup and she can drink from it easily.
From a Mum's point of view I really like this cup, it's high quality, with a bright and attractive design. The unique design of the valve in the lid means that there aren't any fiddly bits to keep clean and the one piece lid means that you don't have any small components to lose. The main cup features measurements so it's easy to see how much liquid has been consumed, great for use with formula or if you need to monitor drinks intake for any reason. The lid fits well and is great when you need to stash the cup in a bag.
The 210ml cup is taller in design and has a thermal, double wall design. It is suitable from age nine months. Again the lid has a one piece design and is non-spill. The Non-spill Trainer Cup is aimed at the transition stage between a sippy cup and an open beaker so it doesn't have handles and children are encouraged to grip, and tip the cup themselves. We received the Freddie the Firefly design for this cup and it's so bright and cheerful. It's a lovely, sunny design which makes me smile every time we use it. There isn't a lid for this cup and, to be honest, it doesn't need one. I just wipe the spout down if it has been in my bag, before Little Miss can drink from it.
Of the two cups I prefer the non-spill trainer cup, for no other reason than it being suitable for older babies and how it encourages her fine motor and oromotor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. Little Miss is enjoying using both cups and we've had several comments about how attractive they are. They are really distinctive and stand out lots in the crowded baby cups market!
In addition to the two cups we also received a new friend for Little Miss. As mentioned already, Bud's special baby toy was Freddie the Firefly and he used to go everywhere with him. In fact he still has him in his bedroom and won't part with him. When Little Miss received our new Freddie I was interested to see that he had undergone some changes!The newly redesigned Freddie has a textured body, crocheted pocket for his little ladybird teether friend and other changes to his wings. He has had a makeover!
We loved our old Freddie and we love the new one just as much. His various panels, attachments, textures and noises are great for Little Miss to explore and she will sit and play with him at length. His convenient hook allows us to attach him to our pram or car seat so she can take him out with her too. I'm finding it quite interesting to see how differently she plays with the toy to her brother, he preferred to grab and shake while she uses her fingers to investigate all his different panels and pockets.
It's safe to say that we really love Lamaze toys in our house, their distinctive design and colour schemes always denote a toy you can rely on and we've really enjoyed testing out the new cups and the newly redesigned Freddie the Firefly, it's great to see that the company aren't resting on their laurels and are constantly working to expand and improve their range!
Disclaimer: We were sent these toys for the purpose of an open and honest review.
