Once your baby turns six months old (or a little younger, depending on the advice of your family doctor), you usher in a new phase of your child’s life – he can now start weaning! This is an exciting time in any parent’s life, but it can also bring a little bit of stress. From just thinking of preparing milk in a bottle, or maybe direct nursing, now you have to think of “meals” for your little one.
It’s good to remember that for the first few weeks of weaning, babies are not expected to eat full meals. “Eating” and “weaning” at this age is mostly to introduce new and different flavours to your child and to let them get used to the texture of soft food. Milk will still be the primary source of nutrition for your baby until he is one year old.
To make this transition more comfortable (and more fun too), a baby food maker is an excellent addition to your kitchen. Having one at home will make preparing healthy and homemade baby food easier and more convenient, giving you more time to play with your baby. The first taste of food for a baby is usually pureed or mashed veggies, like parsnip or carrots or steamed fruits – pear and apple are always popular choices.
There are a number of baby food makers available that can both steam and blend, making it easier for parents to prepare fresh and nutritious food for their child. Just like with adult food, homemade baby food is healthier (and more cost-efficient) compared to store-bought baby food.
Ready to start weaning? Here are a few of our favourite baby food makers:
1)Philips Avent Combined Baby Food Steamer and Blender
Fresh and nutritious baby food is within easy reach with this baby food maker that combines a steamer and blender in one compact appliance. You just need to chop up your fruit, vegetable, or meat of choice, put it in the Philips Avent appliance to steam, then lift and flip the jar over to blend. No need to transfer or change containers.
An added bonus for the Philips Avent Combined Baby Food Steamer and Blender is the recipe booklet that is included. This is prepared by a paediatric nutritionist and child psychologist and also comes with helpful weaning advice. This baby food maker also boasts of unique technology that makes the steam circulate from bottom to top, making sure ingredients are all evenly steamed.
This convenient and well-priced baby food maker has five different features – steam cooker, blender, chopper, reheat, and defrost. When steaming, the Bubos Smart Food Processor has an automatic shut-off feature that prevents overheating and ensuring that your baby’s food is steamed only as long as you want.
This handy baby food maker also allows you to control the texture of the food with its puree and blender options – you can make the baby food smoother for younger babies and chunkier for older babies. This comes with a built-in timer that lets you know when your baby’s meal is ready. All you need to do is prep, set, and come back then the bell rings. This baby food maker will definitely make any mum’s life easier.
The Beaba Babycook Duo is popular among parents because it allows you to prepare two separate dishes at the same time, unlike other baby food makers that only allow you to make one dish at a time. This has two separate 1100 ml bowls that you can use at the same time – for example, steam apples in one bowl while you steam a pumpkin in the other. Talk about timesaving! This is perfect for making batches of baby food at one time for freezing. When mealtime comes around, this baby food maker can also be used to defrost and reheat food using steam, preserving flavour and nutrients.
For parents who want a compact and fuss-free baby food maker, The Tommee Tippee Quick Cook Baby Food Blender is a great choice. This can turn fresh sweet potato into healthy baby food in just a few minutes. We particularly like this baby food maker because of its simple functions and sleek design. This will fit right in your kitchen, without taking up too much space. It’s important to remember that this has a maximum capacity of 200 grams (about the size of a large apple), so this baby food maker is meant for making one serving of food at a time.
The smallest and handiest baby food maker among all the choices, the Itsy Blitz is a portable food processor that is small enough to bring around everywhere and runs on lithium batteries (included). This means you never have to worry again about what your baby will eat if you go out to a restaurant – you can make baby food right then and there. This baby food maker even comes with worldwide adapters, perfect for travelling families. In spite of its convenient travel features, it will also work perfectly well on your kitchen counter. We love this baby food maker’s price points too!
Whichever baby food maker you decide to purchase, weaning will be much easier if you have one of these at home. You’ll not only save time and money, but you’ll also have complete control over what goes inside your baby’s body.
