There are a lot of bonding experiences with your baby that give you sneak-peeks or even complete VIP access to the joys of fatherhood. From teaching your baby how to say dada (when mama is not looking), to them laughing their little bums off from a silly sound you made. You learn new things about them as you learn more about yourself.
You will always be looking forward to your baby’s milestones, and as dads, we will do our best to help our kids reach them. These milestones may include their first walk, their first play date, and even their first experience with solid foods. We know that preparing food for your baby is indeed a daunting task, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. And we think that making your baby’s food is one of the most hands-on things that you can do to know your baby.
Isn’t it amusing to see your baby enjoy their first taste of a banana? And what about their cute pouts when they taste something they don’t like? These are just some of the few moments that you will encounter when you start baby-led weaning or introducing foods to your baby besides breast milk/formula. So how do you transform into the best chef dad? Use a baby food maker! However, knowing what you need is only half the battle, and you have to know which exact baby food maker is suitable for you and your baby. As noted in CuteLittleDarling.com, consider a unit based on your needs and priorities, and you will get the best baby food maker for you.
What is a Baby Food Maker?
Basically, there are three types of baby food makers that differ on how you can operate them (manual and electric), and on what features you can do in them (all-in-one). But we could say that the heart of a baby food maker is its capability of smashing/blending cooked foods. Is it similar to a food processor? Yes! But think of the baby food maker as a safer option (we will discuss later why) and a more versatile option, especially the all-in-one.
We know that most of the time, especially if we have to work in a strict schedule, we only have limited time on our hands. Don’t worry; you can still be the best chef dad. The all-in-one baby food maker is capable of doing almost all of the steps that you will need when preparing any baby food recipe. Therefore, this baby food maker type would be the most daddy-friendly of all the types.
The functions that a typical baby food maker have can start from cooking the raw food (steam) to blending/pureeing the cooked food into a more suitable texture that babies can easily swallow and digest. Some baby food makers like the Babymoov Duo are even capable of sterilizing milk bottles and defrosting/heating stored baby food.
Are There Factors That I Should Consider Before Choosing a Baby Food Maker?
- Safety – Safety is perhaps your number one concern (it’s a dad reflex anyway) when you prepare baby food. The baby food has to be made from clean and chemical-free ingredients that are safe for your baby’s consumption. But we should also be careful of the things we use to prepare baby food, and this, of course, includes the baby food maker itself. It has to be free from chemicals that can leach out into food like BPA, lead, PVC and phthalate.
More than being chemical-free, some food processors like the Homia Baby Food Maker utilizes safety features such as automatically shutting down to prevent overheating of the water-deprived steamer water tank and a lock-in feature that prevents the food maker from starting unless the main bowl is placed correctly on the unit.
- Functions – Just like us dads that are capable of being an all-around handyman, baby food makers are also now capable of other functions besides the usual steaming and pureeing. For example, if your baby food maker can defrost and heat food, you can make a large batch in advance, and store the food in the fridge.
Are you already thinking of how you can clone yourself so that you can multitask in food preparation? You don’t need to! Baby food makers are also now capable of doing functions simultaneously so you can save time and dishes to wash. And speaking of time, some units like the BEABA Babycook even have integrated timers that remind you to use audio alerts once the food is done.
- Ease of Usage – You can also consider the baby food maker’s ease of usage. The food maker’s purpose is to help you prepare food efficiently and if the food maker’s controls are not designed intuitively, wouldn’t that be against that purpose?
- Durability – To add to the safety factor of the baby food maker that you are using, you should take note of the quality of the unit’s built and the materials used for it. A well-built baby food maker will also mean a longer lifespan usage that gives you value for your money.
- Capacity – It happens even to the best of us doesn’t it? You are excited to do a baby recipe you saw online, and you happen to buy too many ingredients. If you have a food maker that is capable of doing more than just one serving of food, you can prepare baby food in advance and store it in the fridge.
- Size – With great functions, comes great kitchen footprint. Maybe that quote isn’t what a superhero typically says but some people consider size a factor as well. If you are very particular into the size of the baby food maker in your allotted kitchen space, maybe you can compromise some functions to lessen its overall bulkiness.
To Wrap Things Up…
All dads are capable of being the best chef dad for their babies. We think that having the right baby food maker will make your food preparation more fun, safe, and time efficient. You can always check recipes online that you can try and get a gist of your baby’s personal taste preference. Can you imagine the delight on both your faces when he/she enjoyed pasta and broccoli for the first time?
As a precaution, we would like to remind you to make a list of foods that are not safe for babies to eat. This list can include but is not limited to large chunks of meat/fruit/veggie, to even candies and sticky desserts that might cause obstruction.
Check out this article for helpful tips about dining out with your baby.
All in all, choosing a baby food maker is easy once you do your research about the units including their reviews and customer feedback. Just remember to keep in mind all the factors that we have tackled, and we’re sure that you’ll be enjoying cooking healthy ingredients and asking your baby “Open your mouth cutie, here comes the airplane!”
