Feel sick. Have you ever looked under the spout of a Tommee Tippee cup?

[Thinkstoomuch]

God I feel so guilty. Today is the first time I've looked underneath the flip-up spout of our Tommee Tippee cups and I can't believe I've been letting my DCs drink from them. Absolutely clogged with black slimy cack in the stupid narrow holes - really, really disgusting. I'm surprised it hasn't made them ill.

Of course I've always washed them, using really hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush. But you can't get under that flip-up bit properly so I thought flushing it through with water was good enough. It's only because I saw some black strain sticking out that I took a knife to it to lever the spout off. Probably I'm a total slattern and everyone else knows to pop that bit off and clean it somehow. Why's it so badly designed??

just think of the help you've given to their immune system. Peck of dirt never hurt anyone.

Sounds boaksome though

My DD will only drink from these Tommee Tippee sports-type bottles and she chews her way through a spout a week, so no time to build up gunk, the little monkey.

But she does insist on sucking water out of her bath toys which have that yucky old water smell and are undoubtedly all black and loathesome within. So far, no harm done.

Bless you. I wouldn't necessarily have thought to look under there either.

But actually, that is because I am a total slattern.

As Nietzsche said, "what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger." My DD's motto.

I sympathise, I've been there and done that. They're particularly horrible cups, and I only use them for water now.
However, what you may not have noticed, is that there's a tiny washer around about the hole? It's probably flipped to the other side of the kitchen while you levered the spout off with the knife. Just to help you find it, it's clear . The cup doesn't work without the washer, your lo will just suck in air and get very frustrated.
I recently bought some similar cups from asda, but they don't have mould-encouraging grooves, or stupid tiny washers.

The secret to cleaning out spouts properly is..... denture tablets.

Read this somewhere and it really works. Just stick your grubby lids in a big bowl, cover with hot water, drop in a couple of tablets and leave overnight. Presto! Obviously non-toxic and and just hearing the fizzing sound makes you feel that yes the grime is being lifted off.

I do this every few weeks when I think of it, and also for hubby's sports bottle.

They are very cheap as well, just look in dental section near toothpaste.

Still feel very bad as there hasn't been an avalanche of MNetters fessing up to doing the same.

But yes it can't be that bad or they'd have got bad tummies. They do try sucking hollow bath toys too Penthesileia, but I manage to stop them mostly and have chucked out ducks that seem uncleanable.

Right I'm binning all the vile Tommee Tippees and I'm getting something else. Then I'm off to get some denture tablets for cleaning whatever new ones I buy - thanks for that tip.

Wait till they're older and using those pop-up sports bottles for their packed lunches - you really can't take them apart, one fell apart once and it was soooo slimy .

I give them a 15 minute soak in Milton once a week now!

The rubber bits in anyway up cups are gross too, especially if they drink milk from them

off to pop off the spout now
I always thought they were nice and hygenic, none of those built up plastic spouts to trap muck
will report back...

I just threw away all the ones I was using for my toddler group. I really hope none of the mums had seen before me what they looked like , (in spite of being cleaned regularely)! I would be mortified! I was totally [yuck] by them!

can't get the spout off, do you just slide a knife under and twist??

doesn't look too bad though, knife has come out clean

Our were always horrible too, despite going in the dishwasher every day. DS1 loved them. DS2 only gets water or squash in them.

Toddler groups! I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to start taking my own to the two groups that use them.

Shriiieeek - I stuck the knife under, with the spout down so that you can get the knife underneath. Then I put the spout up and sort of twisted the knife and it popped out. Gunk under the spout and especially inside the spout. Urgggh.

I do only give water and juice in them, but they were still completely gross.

Oh yes. Penthesileia, stare not into the Tommee Tippee cup, lest it stares back into you.