Tum Tum 3 Way Trainer Cup – Free Flow, 180ml

Tum Tum 3 Way Trainer Cup — one cup that teaches open-cup drinking in three stages

It starts as a free-flow straw cup for a baby just off the breast or bottle, becomes a transition cup as they learn to sip from a rim, and ends up as an open cup with handles. 180ml of soft silicone, suitable from 6 months. No valve anywhere in that journey — nothing for your little one to fight against, just a drink when they ask for one.

Designed with feeding and swallowing specialist speech therapist Stacey Zimmels, which is why each stage is shaped the way it is rather than simply being a cup with bits taken off.

1️⃣ Stage one — free-flow straw cup

The ideal first cup after breast or bottle. The straw is deliberately short, which encourages a mature swallow pattern rather than the suck babies already know. There's an air hole in the lid to let steam escape, so warm milk goes in the cup it's drunk from.

2️⃣ Stage two — transition cup

Lid on, straw out. The recessed rim lets your little one close their lips around the edge exactly as they would on an open cup, but with far less on the floor while they work it out. This is the stage that does the real teaching, and it is the one most cups skip entirely.

3️⃣ Stage three — open cup

Two handles for small hands to grip, a wide base that resists the inevitable elbow, and a measure marked inside so you can see what's actually gone in. Drinking from a cup, properly, unaided.

🧼 Silicone, and what that means in practice

Soft, flexible silicone is gentle on new gums and forgiving for determined chewers — it gives rather than cracks, and it won't shatter when dropped, which, let's be honest, is where it's headed. It takes anything from -40°C to 250°C, so freezer, fridge and microwave are all fair game, and it is dishwasher safe with the lid out for the microwave.

One tip worth having: if your detergent leaves a film or a faint smell behind — silicone can hang on to it — clean the cup with hot water and a little white vinegar or bicarbonate of soda. It lifts the residue and the cup comes back fresh. Worth doing before first use too.

What we like about it

• Three stages in one cup, so it lasts from first sips to unaided drinking
• No valve at any stage — nothing to suck against
• A recessed-rim transition stage, which is the step most cups leave out
• Designed with a feeding and swallowing specialist speech therapist
• An air hole in the straw lid, so warm milk can go straight in
• Tested to EN 14350, the European standard for children's drinking equipment
• Silicone that won't shatter, and takes the dishwasher and the microwave
• Straw cleaning brush in the box

Specification

• Suitable from: 6 months, with adult supervision
• Capacity: 180ml, with a measure marked inside
• Contents: silicone cup with two handles, straw lid with air hole, short straw, straw cleaning brush
• Materials: food-grade silicone, BPA and phthalate free
• Temperature range: -40°C to 250°C
• Care: dishwasher safe. Microwave safe with the lid removed. Wash before first use
• Safety: tested to EN 14350
• Brand: Tum Tum. Patented design

❓ Frequently asked questions

My toddler keeps lifting the lid off.
They work that out rather sooner than you would like — and it is more or less the point, since stage three is an open cup. Keep a mat under the high chair while they practise. Open-cup drinking is a messy skill long before it is a tidy one, and there is no version of this that stays dry.

Do I need all three stages, or can I skip to the open cup?
You can skip, but the recessed rim is the stage that does the teaching, and it is the reason to buy this rather than a plain beaker. Most babies spend a few weeks on each.

Is it leakproof in a bag?
No. It is a learning cup for the table, not a travel cup — there is no valve and no sealing flip-top. For the bag, the Tippy Up Cup seals its straw shut.

Can warm milk go in it?
Yes. The air hole in the straw lid lets steam escape, and the silicone handles heat, so you can warm milk and serve it in the same cup.

What is EN 14350?
The European safety standard written specifically for children's drinking equipment. It is the right standard for a cup, as distinct from the toy standards, and Tum Tum have had this one tested to it.

Can it go in the dishwasher and the microwave?
Both — dishwasher as it is, microwave with the lid removed.

Does it make a good gift?
It is one of the better weaning gifts, because it replaces three cups and comes with the brush. Good for a six-month birthday or a second-baby present.

🥤 Which of our cups should you choose?

Four cups, and they are genuinely for different moments:

• Tum Tum 3 Way Trainer Cup — this one. The learning cup: straw, then a recessed rim, then an open cup with handles. 180ml, and the only one that teaches the rim stage.
• Free-Flow Silicone Sippy Cup — three open holes, no valve, 150ml. The everyday cup for the table once they have the hang of it.
• Tum Tum Tippy Up Cup — free-flow and leakproof when shut, with a weighted straw that drinks at any angle. The one for the bag and the car.
• Silicone Baby Sippy Cup, bite spout — opens only when bitten, so it will not leak upside down. Not free-flow, and optionally comes with a snack lid.

Our guide to sippy cups explains when to start, what the NHS actually recommends, and how to be off bottles by twelve months.

Safety information

Adult supervision recommended. Inspect the cup, lid and straw before each use and replace the straw if it splits. Clean thoroughly before first use and after every use.

❤️ From our family to yours

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