Making healthy, homemade baby food isn’t always easy, especially for parents who are always on the go. Although tempting, it is not advisable to use the same equipment for your little ones as what you use for adults. Luckily, there are now great baby food makers in the market.
Baby food makers are handy because they adjust to each stage of your little one’s weaning journey. More advanced baby food blenders can steam, puree, and blend, making it useful to make steamed side dishes or blend up fruits and vegetables.
If you’re undecided about whether or not you should purchase a baby food maker, here are some benefits of using one:
• You save a lot of money: Store-purchased baby food isn’t cheap, especially if you opt for organic variants. If you calculate how much you spend on baby food until your little one is ready to transition towards cooked meals, it would definitely be a lot. It would definitely be a lot cheaper with a food processor because you would only need to get a portion of produce or meat allocated for the entire family.
• You know what you are feeding your baby: By making your baby’s food, you know exactly what your baby is eating. Some baby products found in the market include preservatives, additives, excess sugar, and salt, which are not good for a baby’s diet.
• You only use fresh ingredients: Aside from using fresh produce, the steaming option on most baby food processors allows for more nutrients to be left in your baby’s food. Using the equipment assures you that your baby is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs to develop and grow healthily.
• You can introduce new food and flavors: By making your own baby’s food, you can experiment with different flavors. Compared to processed baby food, you can sneak in some herbs and spices into the meal. Just be sure to watch out for allergies!
• You reduce environmental waste: Finally, having a baby food maker reduces environmental waste because you no longer need to purchase separate packets of baby food from the market. Instead, you purchase bare ingredients with less packaging.
Now that you know some of the benefits of having a baby food maker, here are some that we recommend to make your baby’s weaning journey a lot more convenient for both you and your little one:
Manual Baby Food Makers
Manual isn’t always a bad thing. If you’d like cheaper options that do the job well, here are some manual food preparation equipment that you could consider without breaking the bank.
• Mash Bowl - A small bowl with bottom spikes for grinding
• Lid for Microwave
• Strainer Plate - Used to make food paste easily
• Mortar - Bottom features grooves to grind food easily. It can also be used to cook or defrost food in the microwave.
• Cutting Plate - A multi-purpose chopping board to press produce and meat
• Grater Plate - To easily grate fruits and vegetables
• Spatula
The cooking set is BPA-free, microwave safe, save for the cutting plate and strainer plate, dishwasher safe, and steam sterilizer safe.
• Bowl with leak-proof lid
• Soft tip weaning spoon
• With grooved area to mash food
• Designed to grind fresh food into smaller pieces for baby, capable of making smooth purees and grinding fruits and vegetables
• Helps prepare food following your little one’s eating abilities
• A compact food masher to prepare fresh and healthy baby food quickly
• Bowl with ridges to ensure effective mashing
• Designed to minimize mess with steep walls
• Masher is detachable and can fit inside the bowl with its lid on for on-the-go babies
Electric Baby Food Blenders
If you’d like to make food more efficiently for your little one, you can always opt for an electric baby food blender. Not only do they save you a lot of time, but they also allow you to prepare more complex recipes for your baby to enjoy.
• 1,250 mL capacity
• Steams, Blends, Reheats, and Defrosts in 15 minutes or less – this eliminates the need for pots, a blender, or a microwave
• Refrigerate and freeze leftovers and defrost and reheat for easy feeding
• The patented steam cooking system turns off automatically, so there is no danger of overcooking the food
• Pulse-blend feature to get the correct consistency of food
• Inclusive of a glass bowl and stainless-steel steam basket
• BPA, lead, and phthalate-free
• Cook two meals at the same time
• Defrosts, Steams, Blends, and Reheats fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish in 15 minutes or less
• Two large bowls on each side featuring Beaba’s patented steam heating system to cook food while preserving its vitamins and nutrients
• Comes with a spatula, mixing (smoothie) lid, and recipe booklet
• BPA, lead, and phthalate-free
• 1,100 mL capacity
• Steams, blends, defrosts, and reheats fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish in 15 minutes or less.
• Multi-purpose mixing blade with a single control button to provide the right texture
• Audible timer to let you know when the meal is ready and automatically switches off with light and sound signals when steaming is finished
• Compact to save counter space and easy to clean
• Comes with a spatula, mixing (smoothie) lid, and recipe booklet
One notable difference between the Beaba Babycook models is that the NEO model has a glass bowl rather than a plastic one and a larger bowl capacity. It also includes a stainless-steel steam basket for steaming solid food. Meanwhile, the Duo features two separate bowls making it the more convenient choice for moms with multiple children or if you’d like to make food in larger batches quickly.
To make your baby’s weaning process even smoother, here are some useful accessories that go well with your baby food makers:
Making your baby’s food is bound to be both exciting and challenging. However, with the right equipment and accessories to help you out, it could definitely be a worthwhile experience worthy of investment.