EcoCocoon Messenger bottle with chalk pens

I had the opportunity to review the ecococoon Messenger Bottle which comes with a matte-black chalkboard finish and 9 wipe-clean markers in vivid colours that let you write notes or reminders whenever you want.

The main features though, when looking for a water bottle for babies and toddlers, it has to be leak-proof, can be drunk upside down while they are lying down, it has to be safe, with no small parts and be quite tough. The ecococoon bottle must certainly be the first one that completely fulfils all my criteria and more. A quick review of its features:

• Made with 18/8 Stainless Steel – superior corrosion resistance.
• Double walled, keeps cold drinks cool for up to 24 hours in summer and keeps hot drinks warm up to 12 hours in winter.
• BPA Free

The ecococoon bottle’s spot-on proportions are its best trait. The 72mm-diameter base is wide enough to fit into a standard-size cup holder without wobbling. Similarly, its 33mm- mouth is just big enough to fit almost any ice cube you throw in, but not so wide that you’ll spill water everywhere if you try to sip on the go.

The valve looks amazingly simple and tucked away, and there are no bits that you need to detach to clean, like straw bottles.

The bottle’s cap is another highlight. It screws down watertight, so you can throw it into a book bag, a shoulder bag, or the backseat of a car without worrying that its contents will leak out all over your valuables. We gave it a road test in the car: baby tipped the bottle to the left and to the right; no drips from the lid. Turned it upside down and shook it, then drank: no leaks. She finally gave it a complimentary chew: while the spout is soft, the rubber is also tough. The valve system works by a simple suck, and just the right amount of water comes through, with no after leaks.

The ecococoon bottle is light, too, which is great since the additional weight of water in your bag is enough to haul around without your having to deal with the added heft of a bulky bottle. While empty, the 500ml bottle weighs only 280grams and my 9 months-old holds it without any problems.

In my daughter’s drop tests, the ecococoon Messenger bottle stood up to a beating whether full or empty.

While its stainless steel exterior suffered some scuffs after it survived a fall to the concrete floor of our garage, it didn’t sustain any dents. So it should be able to withstand any of the casual abuse babies and toddlers put their belongings through on a regular basis.

Then it was time to get creative and to test the chalk pens and personalise the bottle. To prime the markers, you have to shake them up and press down on the tip until the paint starts to flow freely.

The set I received had 9 “Classic” colours and with a reversible tip. Reversible tips are an awesome feature to have in liquid chalk markers. While they typically only come in two forms (chisel and bullet), they allow you easily control how thin or bold the lines in your project are with a simple switch of a tip.

The colour flowed smoothly from the nib, and as you can see the colours are quite vivid and opaque. There is a little bit of streaking- places where the ink is thicker and therefore darker.

Mums can write their kids a loving message on the bottle to pack in their lunch, couples can write a little love note or you can write down your daily affirmations to keep yourself motivated for the day. The message ideas are endless.

Unfortunately the colour took some time to dry and then it didn’t stay put and left some residue on fingers, clothes and the bottle. This wasn’t a big issue for me in the office (a dry and controlled environment) but for my daughter with her spitty and sometimes sweaty fingers this became quickly very messy and we had to wipe the colours off her bottle. The note on the pack that chalk pen residue can come off when dry and that caution should be used around porous surfaces and clothes is there for a reason. Not a great feature for kids, I’m afraid.

Things we loved about the EcoCocoon Messenger Water Bottle:
– Leak-proof. Completely.
– The tough spout, which would be quite a challenge for babies and toddlers to chew o.
– The double walled insulation for both hot and cool drinks.
– Sleek design.

Flaws but not deal breakers:
Of course, the ecococoon Messenger bottle is not without its drawbacks. The lid for example doesn’t have a loop part which allows you to put the bottle on a carabiner or lanyard so that it stays attached to you. We lost the lid on our first trip to the playground. I also found that the surface of the bottle was a little slicker than I’d like it to be. If you’re wearing gloves or using the bottle with wet hands, you might find it a little hard to hold on to. But that’s a complaint you could make about virtually any stainless steel bottle. Wrapping a few rubber bands around the bottle eliminates this issue though. And while its mouth is wide enough to comfortably drink from and drop ice cubes into, it’s too narrow for you to wash the container without a bottle brush.

The chalk pens are a fun idea to personalise the bottle and certainly great as a gift. However, we found it a bit messy since the colours were not smudge safe and came off far too easily even with dry hands.
Technical data:
500ml Messenger – RRP $39.95
Colour – black matte finish
18/8 stainless steel, 500ml/ 16.9 oz. volume capacity
280 grams approx. weight, 230mm height, 72mm diameter, 33mm opening diameter

600ml Messenger – RRP $44.95
Colour – black matte finish
18/8 stainless steel, 600ml/ 20.3 oz. volume capacity
314 grams approx. weight, 260mm height, 72mm diameter, 33mm opening diameter

ecococoon Chalk Pens – RRP $6.95 per pen
9 colours – pink, red, purple, green, blue, yellow, white, black and orange
6mm reversible nib
Note – chalk pen residue can come off when dry
Note – caution should be used around porous surfaces and clothes

 

Available from: ecococoon

Use coupon code MUMSDELIVERY for 10% off!

Reviewed by Kat.