The New Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep: Sleeker, simpler, smarter

For new parents, especially during those early sleep-deprived months, anything that makes life a little easier is worth its weight in gold. Enter the redesigned Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep — a sleek, time-saving gadget designed to take the stress out of bottle feeding.

You're probably already familiar with the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Day & Night, but now the popular bottle prep machine has had a makeover.

Promising to prep a bottle at body temperature in 90 seconds, with a built-in nightlight and whisper-quiet operation, this device aims to be a true game-changer for tired mums and dads everywhere. But does it really live up to the hype? Reviews Editor Emily Gilbert put it to the test in real family life — here’s how it performed.

Testing the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep

I'm a big fan of the original Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Day & Night machine, and it has been a god-send while formula feeding my son. When the new version landed on my desk, I was curious how much it could be an improvement on the previous one, so I was excited to put it to the test.

Build

Pulling it out of the box, I instantly loved the look of the new design. It looks like a sleek coffee machine that's right at home on your kitchen counter. There are two colours available: chalk and slate. I went for the former, a chic neutral which feels especially on-trend. It's a lot slimmer than the previous version, ideal if you've already got lots going on in your kitchen.

A new water jug sits at the back of the machine and this can be removed to fill at the tap, making it much easier compared to the older machine, where you had to take a jug of water over the Perfect Prep to fill it up.

There's no longer a digital display; instead, there's one large Power button and 8 individual feed choices to pick from.

The drip tray and stand can be used in various formations to make low, medium and high surfaces for you to place your bottle, depending on your brand of choice. This is to help keep your bottle as close to the water outlet as possible.

In terms of getting started with the Perfect Prep, you can download the Tommee Tippee App and connect it to your machine via Bluetooth for step-by-step guidance on cleaning, descaling and more, but we decided against this as the included instructions were perfectly straightforward.

Before you can actually use the machine, it's simply a case of running a cleaning cycle (which is required both before first use and when indicated by the cleaning icon on the machine) and priming and fitting your included filter. These both take less than 15 minutes.

Usability and performance

Making a baby bottle with the Perfect Prep is thankfully as simple as ever. Start by scooping the formula powder into a sterilised bottle. Then, select your desired feed size using the one-touch dial and press the Power button to release a hot shot of water - this helps kill any bacteria in the formula. While the hot shot is dispensing, the Power button will flash. Once the hot water stops and the Power button begins to pulse, you remove the bottle, add back on your bottle lid and gently swirl the bottle to mix until the formula has fully dissolved. Remove the lid, put the bottle back on the stand and press the power button once more to top it up with the remaining cool, filtered water, bringing it to the ideal temperature for feeding. The bottle is ready when the power button flashes green, ready to add the lid back on and for a final swirl.

As a first-time mum, I had actually quite liked the step-by-step instructions on the digital display on the previous machine, as I liked the reassurance, and while this was something I did miss the first couple of times I made my son a bottle, I quickly forgot about it as the whole process really is simple and quickly becomes muscle memory after a while.

Running the machine does have some noise, but this is relatively low, so you don't need to worry about disturbing other family members while preparing night feeds. Likewise, the soft lighting that the machine emits is enough to see what you're doing without blinding you or your baby.

While I think it's a nice idea to use the removable water jug to serve filtered water for the whole family, this isn't something that appeals to me personally, as we use our machine in my son's nursery upstairs, so we would need to keep taking the jug up and downstairs. Likewise, it would mean you need to change the filter every four weeks for optimum performance rather than every three months. Due to the size of the basin in our bathroom, I actually found it tricky to fill up the water jug as the angle meant the water spilt out, meaning I had to use a cup to fill it up instead. However, this shouldn't be an issue if using your kitchen sink.

Final verdict

All in all, the new Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep is a thoughtful update to an already beloved product. Its slimmer, more modern design looks great on the countertop, and the simplified interface makes bottle prep a breeze - even in the middle of the night. The adjustable stand, quiet operation, and soft lighting are small touches that make a big difference during those sleepy feeds.

While I did initially miss the guided instructions from the previous Day & Night model, the new version is intuitive enough that the process becomes second nature quickly. The removable water jug is a clever idea, though it may not suit every setup, especially if, like us, you keep the machine upstairs. And while filling the jug might be a bit fiddly depending on your sink, it's a small trade-off for the overall convenience the machine offers.

Whether you're a seasoned parent or preparing for your first, the new Perfect Prep offers speed, safety, and peace of mind - three things every bottle-feeding family can appreciate.

Emily Gilbert is the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and has written for the website and previously the magazine since 2015. First-time mum to Theodore, Emily writes about everything from the top baby products to pregnancy, fertility and maternal mental health. Specialising in product reviews, Emily is the first to know about all the exciting new releases in the parenting industry.