B.box is an Australian company created by two mums and was - as many innovative baby products are - born from a need for improved innovation. The idea was to create a range of products for children that make the lives of parents easier as well as being manufactured from safe and durable materials. It's clearly also been a company-focus to ensure b.box products look stylish.
Now available in Europe and the UK, the weaning and feeding range from b.box is fairly extensive and includes a selection of cups for different needs and development stages, lunchboxes, thermal food containers, and more. Many of the products also encourage independence and and self-sufficiency, so whether you're opting for purees or embarking on baby-led weaning, you'll find options to help you on your way. All are BPA free (no BPS, no PVC, no phthalate), dishwasher safe, and easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble.
There have been 15 million b.box sippy cups sold globally now, the company has won more than 65 awards for its products, and there are hundreds of great reviews online. Now that these Aussie products are available in the UK and Europe, we decided it was time to get our own rigorous Mother&Baby tester on the case to see if b.box were every bit as good as it claims.
Pros
- BPA-free and no BPS, no PVC, no phthalate
- Dishwasher safe
- Fun, stylish, unisex colour combinations and designs
- Easy to disassemble, clean, and reassemble
- Hard-wearing; the products don't easily break
- Some products are genuinely innovative
Cons
- It's more expensive than some other brands
- Be mindful of what ages the products are designed for - some weaning products are for a short period of development
Meet our Mother&Baby reviewer, Kate
Kate is a busy mum to two boys, aged six months and five years old.
"These b.box products arrived just as baby James turned six months old," Kate said. "He's been exclusively breastfed and has so far resisted a bottle, reacting with confusion and outrage at any kind of rubber teat. This is the perfect time to start weaning and I am fully kitted-out."
Kate tried and tested all of the below products for Mother&Baby, although there are more in the feeding and weaning range. Read on for her thoughts and reviews of each...
Wrist teether
By pure serendipity we receive this a few days before James' first tooth breaks through. It is a revelation. Because it fits over his wrist, he is able to manipulate it very precisely and he is no longer frustrated by a teether he drops and loses. It's made of silicone and features a cute fox with various knobbly bits. In contrast to similar teethers, it doesn't fit exactly like a bracelet, but has a Y-shape so he can choose to grasp it or ignore it. A fixture on his wrist for more than an hour day, perfect for travel, easy to clean: we wouldn't do without it.
Spout cup
This cup is for ages 4+ months. It's sturdy and the base is interchangeable with the sippy cup and training cup. The spout has a valve, which James finds tricky to manage. After several sessions of trying, he can just about drink from it while I hold it for him. The spout has a little rubber cover which keeps things hygienic while travelling, but which James immediately removes altogether and wants to put in his mouth. Perhaps b.box could fix it more securely to the cup?
Sippy cup
This cup, for ages 6+ months, is marketed as the next stage after the bottle, breastfeeding, or the spout cup. The straw inside is extremely bendy and has a weight on the end, meaning it moves with the liquid. Whichever angle James tilts it, he's able to drink - it's absolutely ingenious. It takes a couple of sessions until I think he's actually got the hang of drinking through the valved straw: fewer than the sippy cup but more than the training cup. We'll use this cup for travel, as the flip top keeps the straw inside clean and protected.
360 cup
There are similar cups on the market, and b.box gives this one its own spin by having the top twist up. This means that you don't need a separate lid (which is easily lost), and the silicone rim is kept clean during travel. It's sold for 6+ months, but James finds it absolutely impossible to use. We pass it on to some friends whose 9-month-old was also exclusively breastfed and is used to sipping from an open cup. He gets the hang of it almost immediately. He loves it, but it is quite bulky and heavy for a little baby to lift and get a good angle to drink from. I think this is a great design but better suited to a little one who is slightly older.
Training cup
The NHS advises using an open cup or free-flow cup without a valve from six months, and this fits the bill perfectly. It has an ergonomically shaped lid with one little colour-coded hole. It's marketed at babies aged 12+ months but turns out to be the only cup James can use without practice. When I hold it steady for him, he immediately takes little gulps of water - a far cry from our experience with spouts and straws, which were met with bafflement, licking, and gnawing. We plan to use this at the table, but re-introduce a valve cup when he starts toddling so he can help himself to water when he likes.
Lunchbox
This is the best lunchbox I have ever used, bar none. Until now we've been trapped between a soft-shell fabric lunchbox (insulated but hard to fully clean and dry; fabric gets mouldy over time) and a hard-shell lunchbox (unyielding, poky; seams and layers trap mould). This one from b.box has a hard shell, but with a circular silicone-lined cut-out to allow space for an apple - a genius idea. It's sturdy and easy to clean thoroughly, though if I'm being very critical, also slightly heavy. The compartments are roomy and two of them are leak-proof: perfect for hummus or yoghurt. The gel cooler pack fits under the sandwich compartment flap. My five-year-old loves it.
Snack box
Like the lunchbox, this attracts general admiration wherever we go. It has two compartments, both leak-proof like the lunchbox, and the bendy cut-out for the apple is a fun touch. The sturdiness makes it a bit heavy for a snackbox, but you can't have it all. Absolutely perfect for a few hours at the park.
Flexible silicone spoons
These are surprisingly flexible, including the handle: it can take some getting used to the slight floppiness. It is bendy and gentle on James' gums and lips, allowing him to scrape more puree off. The bowl of the spoon is the perfect size: small enough to fit inside his mouth, but big enough that he can't push it all the way back to his tonsils when he inevitably grabs it. I feel much happier letting him experiment with this spoon than with a hard plastic one.
Fill+Feed
The idea behind this bowl is very cool: babies can feed themselves independently by squashing the bottom of the bowl up, thus pushing puree through a spout. It also reduces waste, as it replaces the need for single-use pouches, if you make your own puree. However, six-month-old James does need a lot of help: he loves it, and it's less messy than a spoon, but doesn't my assistance defeat the point? I imagine that by the time he can use it independently, he might have largely moved on to lumpier foods that no longer fit through the spout - though we can still use it for a mess-free porridge and yoghurt experience.
Insulated food jar - mini
On a windy family day out to Alexandra Palace I bring some hot puree along for James. It's stayed warm in the four hours since heating, and makes for a much less grim experience than feeding a baby cold mush. James appreciates it and our five-year-old looks on thoughtfully. Could he have hot pasta in it for school lunch? It's easy to use, easy to clean, and sturdy.
Insulated drink bottle
This is a product that I think probably finds more use in Australia, the home of b.box. I can see us using it in high summer, or on holiday, but the test period is a rainy English April/May. So I resort to testing it on my five-year-old with hot chocolate. Yes, it stays warm, and yes, he loves it - but surely it's meant for keeping water cool. It's extremely well made, with a rubber bottom, so it doesn't dent when dropped. It's easy to disassemble and clean, and the hard plastic straw inside detaches from the rubber plastic mouthpiece.
The final verdict on b.box
Two words that sum up B.box to me are 'quality' and 'innovation'. I love that all their products are BPA-free, withstand wear and tear, and that they've really considered what parents and kids need in real life. Most of the b.box products are not new in themselves, but they honestly do seem to rigorously re-think existing products and put their own spin on them. They are generally very well thought-through.
A few things seem unnecessary - I wouldn't use the entire range of drinking and sippy cups, for instance - but the lunchbox, wrist teether, and training cup are all standout products for me and I'd give them five stars.
I'd probably only give the spout cup three stars. And I wasn't particularly keen on the fruit feeder - James enjoyed waving it around and he gave it a brief gnaw. To be honest though, it doesn't feel like a must-have: he's perfectly happy eating fresh fruit and veg pureed or as a soft finger food.
However, overall I've been very impressed and I'd give the b.box range a well-deserved 4 and a half stars.
Mother to three lively young boys, Robyn Cann){href='https://www.motherandbaby.com/author/robyn-cann/(opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab)' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} is Features and Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby. She has written for various lifestyle and special interest titles catering predominantly to women.