Product Review: Comparing Homemade Baby Food Makers

^{Image Courtesy of iChris via Flickr}

So you've decided to become your own homemade baby food chef. Where do you start and how do you do it? Obviously, there are no culinary schools dedicated to the art of baby food making (although, if there were, they would make a ton of money), but if you Google "homemade baby food", approximately 413,000 results come up.

After looking through a couple sites, the idea of going to the store and picking up a couple jars sounds more appealing then trying to tackle the science of making baby food. At least that's how I felt when I was contemplating on making my own baby food for my own child.

With the convenience of having baby food in almost every store, why would I go the extra length to create my own?  Here are my reasons:

• Saves money. From the cheapest jar of pea puree to the very expensive organic mashed salmon with DHA, they all cost way more than what it would have cost to make it at home (I would say triple or quadruple).


• Healthier. Not only is the homemade recipe more fresher, since you have executive control on what goes in, or shall I say, what doesn't go in, the end product is the best custom baby food for your child. If your baby has any food allergies, you have the power to eliminate any unnecessary ingredients.


• Convenience. One would ask how that is possible? After spending the initial time in creating all sorts of baby food, you can freeze them. After freezing them, they are ready to go at any time (minus the thawing). With store bought baby food, you have to stock up constantly and if you run out, you have to make a store-run, even in a blizzard.


• Love. Just like cooking for your loved one on any special day of the year, it's a bonding experience. Your time, effort, and love with be felt with every spoonful that goes in your baby's belly. Nothing beats the experience.

In addition to buying ingredients and finding recipes, most parents want to know how and what to use to make baby food.

You can essentially make baby food with some water, pot, and a stove (or some sticks that make fire, boy scout style). Going old school is an option, but it does take a lot of time. Depending on your patience level, you could definitely go that route.

If you are trying to save money and time, you can go half-and-half. Which means steaming the veggies, cooking the proteins, etc. and using a food processor to do the latter steps to grind and puree.

Personally, I prefer a baby food-maker because gadgets like these were designed specifically to make the baby food making experience an easier one. But not all baby food makers are created equal. Recently I got the chance to review the Beaba Babycook and Kidco BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System (courtesy of MyStrollers.com). Both were rated very high among parent reviewers and I wanted to see if they lived up to the hype.

Here is a breakdown of how well the two baby food-makers did in my "Love It/Hate It" comparison.

Beaba Babycook


Love It:

• Convenience: The appliance does everything. It steams, blends, warms and defrosts.
• Nutrition:  While it steams, it preserves the vitamins and flavors, making it healthier and more nutritious.
• Design: Very cute and fits in well with my other kitchen appliances and doesn't take up much space.
• Functionality: Very easy to use.
• Versatility:  While it is a baby food-maker, I've used it to make mashed potatoes and other non-baby recipes.
• BPA-Free

Hate It:

• Price:  It's fairly expensive at $149.95 (on sale from $199.99). Although it does everything and saves you time from taking extra steps, I'm not sure if the added cost is worth it.
• Quantity:  The bowl is small, so you can only make so much baby food each time.
• Clean up: Cleaning the appliance was not easy. I struggled to remove this brown spot-film (whatever you want to call it).
• Burning Caution. Reheating the baby food is such a neat option, but be very careful because the food comes out extremely hot.

Kidco BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System


Love It:

• Functionality: Couldn't be any simpler to use. Love having the electric and manual mill as an option because I can use one at home and the other, I can tote with me wherever I go. Very useful for long trips away from the home.
• Quality: It purees everything so perfectly and with ease (both electric mill and manual mill). I even stuck pomegranate seeds which are really hard to process and they blended in well with everything else.
• Storage. Easy to store away in the cabinets.
• Clean up: Cleaning couldn't be any easier for both mills.
• Price: Currently on sale for $59.95 at MyStrollers.com. For the money, you even get freezer trays and feeding dish (you can't beat that for the price).

Hate It:

• Design: The design is blah. I don't like how it looks (call me vain, but design is very important to me).
• Quantity: Because of the size, it only makes small amounts of baby food.
• Noise: The electric mill is rather noisy.

Beaba Babycook and Kidco BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System both made my baby food making process a very convenient one. I can definitely say they saved me time and energy from the tedious process of going "old school." Plus, in the long run they will save me a lot of money.

Both have their perks, but it comes down to what you want in a baby food-maker and how much you are willing to spend. You can get an all-in-one and spend more or go with something less fancier that does the same job, for a lot less. It comes down to preference, necessity, and price point.

Between the two, I would spend my money on the Kidco BabySteps Complete Natural Feeding System. You get a lot more for your money and it does everything that is needed to make baby food in the most simplest,time efficient way.