Tip and Sip, the insulated, no-spill cup

One of the many, many subjects I knew nothing about before having a child, but am now an expert on, is the bewildering array of sippy cups on the market. Perhaps foolishly, in the early days I believed that it would simply be a matter of picking one out and sticking with it. I reckoned with my daughter's cast-iron will and the way she would relegate previous favourite cups to the untouchable list pretty much overnight.

When you also factor in that there are different styles for different age groups, that some cups can be carried, unleaking, in a bag, while others need lids or simply to be kept forever upright, and that ideally you want a different style from the one every other kid at nursery has so that you can grab it with ease at going-home time... well, let's just say we've been through pretty much every style there is.

Here's another new cup for your consideration: the Tip and Sip. It stands head and shoulders above many of the styles on offer, for a couple of reasons: one, it's insulated, so it'll keep your drinks hot or cold. Actually, that's a huge plus. And two, it contains an inner slope which means the child barely has to tip it to sip.

Of course, such beguiling and rational features will be nothing to a baby's whims, so if you're sold, let's hope the colours and feel appeal to the person whose opinions really matter. You know I'm not talking about you.